How to Care Azalea Bushes in Winter
If you decide to plant an azalea bush in your garden or have been given an azalea bush as a gift in a pot, but you don’t know how to grow it, this article can inspire you. In addition, this article can find useful information about winter care of azalea bush.
Recognizing Of Azalea Bushes
To better care for the plant, the plant should be recognized first. Azalea bushes are native to the hilly regions of North America and Asia and grow in forests, rocky stream banks, swamps, and shady places. It grows in areas that do not receive much precipitation in winter but where the climate is mild. There are white, red, pink, purple, and pink-white double colors of the azalea bush plant. It can live for many years with careful care. This flowering plant, which rarely survives in winter conditions, is one of the most colorful.
There are multiple varieties of this flower. Azalea bush, which has many different species in color and leaf structure, likes humus soil. Whether the azalea bush is healthy or not can be understood from the brightness of its leaves.
A preventive measure against the death of an azalea is to create convenient conditions for its growth and flowering. Azalea bush plants need watering, lighting, temperature, and timely feeding.
Irrigating Azalea Bushes
When watering the azalea bush plant, spraying can method used, and it is important not to pour water directly on the plant. Especially in winter, cold water flowing from the fountain should be used after it reaches room temperature. The quality of the water flowing from the tap is also substantial here. It should be especially lime-free and rested.
The Azalea bush is not a single flower type in general. The azalea bush plant can also grow on the ground and can be grown in pots -although it is from the epacris family- it needs meticulous care either way. Caring for the azalea bush flower is different from other shrubs.
Azaleas of Japanese origin are more durable than fragile azaleas sold to florists. The water requirement of this type of azalea bush changes according to the season. While it should be watered twice a week in the summer, maintenance becomes much more difficult in the winter. In winter, once-a-week irrigation will be sufficient. Water is not needed if it is slightly wet when you dip your finger into the soil in winter.
However, the difficulty to face is not watering but protecting the plant from the cold.
Winter Challenges And Azalea Bushes
Some types of azalea bushes require more attentive care, especially in winter, and they are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes.
In winter, when the temperatures are very low, the azalea bushes should be protected from the cold more carefully. When the temperature falls below 14 degrees, extra care should be taken to protect the plant from cold.
There are also types of azalea bush that withstand the cold. This azalea bush type is one of the rare plants that can remain flowering during the winter months.
Although most azalea plants are hardy and robust, they will need special care to survive from one season to the next. The temperature at which they are most productive in growth is between 10 and 14. So azalea bushes thrive better in regions with milder winters. Special care begins in late summer to make the azalea bush more winter-hardy.
Azalea bushes bud in autumn and then bloom at the beginning of winter. The weather should be followed to protect the azalea bush in winter. For azalea bushes planted outside, the plant should be covered if the temperature falls below 3 degrees.
Covering And Preparing For Winter
Another important point for winter care is the roots. They should be protected from the cold. A greenhouse arrangement can be designed if the azalea bush is grown in the garden. Finally, frosted clothes are important for winter. Burlap can be used for clothing because it will keep warm inside for frosty winters.
The coated material mustn’t touch the plant when covering the azalea bush. This is because the parts that touch the plant may sweat, creating more frost with the humidity.
In winter, snow-filled rain can cause this beautiful flowering plant to deform. Especially hail and dew rains wear out these beautiful delicate flowers. This winter, pieces of fabric or old bed linen might be useful to cover it up. In addition, the melting water of the winter snow is valuable for the azaleas planted in open areas.
One of the main reasons why azaleas grown in nature are healthy is the melting snow waters.
These waters, which contain many useful minerals, are a source of plant nutrients.
Azalea bushes do not want direct sunlight but need a bright place. Direct sunlight can burn leaves. In this respect, it makes work easier in winter. Like a sunflower, the azalea bush turns in the direction of the light. You can help by turning the azalea pot once a week. Azalea bush likes airy places. Ventilating rooms can be a solution for indoor plants in pots closed for a long time in winter.
Repotting Azalea Bushes
You can use high insulation pots for azalea bushes that are indoor plants. Choosing a pot is also substantial so that azaleas grown in pots can withstand winter conditions. It is very important to drain them in winter. Mixtures with high drainage should be preferred. Water should not accumulate under the pots. If it collects, it rots the roots of azalea bushes and makes the plant feel cold.
Repotting can be done every two years. It should be noted that these change times should be done in the spring rather than in the winter months. It is necessary to increase the size of the pot each time change. The azalea bush does not require fertilization in winter. Mixing fertilizers into the soil is not recommended as it reduces acidity. This plant, which can grow by itself in nature, can be potted with a mixture of rotten leaves and humus as soil. The pH of the soil should be around 4.5 – 6.0. The azalea bush loves acidic soil.
Restoring Damaged Azalea Bushes
You can try these suggestions if the azalea bush is affected by temperature changes despite all the recommendations. First, make sure the pruning shears are sharp and clean. Then trim off all the rotten and damaged leaves and flowers. The caring process after pruning is very important. Next, the cut parts of the tree should be covered with activated carbon. Finally, because the azalea bushes grow in their natural life near swamps, the soil mixture we will make for its revival should be close to its natural soil.
If your azalea bushes that are not covered and taken care of are frozen, you may still have a chance to save them. The first thing to save a frozen azalea bush flower is to move it indoors to room temperature. Next, cover the frozen part of the plant with a bag and create a small greenhouse. And then, place the pot of the plant in a bowl filled with warm water and wait for half an hour. After removing the bag, spray the green parts with a biostimulant. It is watered with special care for two weeks with the roots, so they do not die.
Azalea bushes, especially planted in the garden, may be exposed to cold and change color during winter. These leaves, which are dark green and shiny all season, may turn pale brown because of the cold they are exposed to in winter. This fading caused by the strong winter winds is referred to as windburn. In the cold of winter, azalea leaves can curl. This is nothing to worry about. Just wait for the weather to warm up and for the plant to heal itself.
Reproduction Of Azalea
During the reproduction process, the root separation method is used. This process should be done at the end of the winter months. The roots of the azalea bushes cannot grow deep; their roots extend to the right and left. That’s why it’s important to use wide pots instead of deep pots.
This showy flowering plant is cultivated with extra care in many cultures. Azalea bushes, which are frequently preferred to be grown worldwide, have been cared for with special interest by the Japanese. Japanese Azalea bushes are evergreen shrubs with a dark green color and velvety red flower petals. Azalea bushes, also known as the national flower of Belgium, are grown in the Netherlands and India. This plant can be preferred as a gift in Europe, especially on Christmas.
Azaleas grown with different methods are subject to special care. No matter where and under their grown conditions, azaleas will continue to make people happy with all their beauty.
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