2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Azalea is one of the most beautiful flowering indoor plants. Among its distinctive features are large bright flowers and a powerful lignified stem. Thanks to this structure, it is used in the art of bonsai. From late autumn to early summer, such a miniature tree is covered with lush flowering. And if not everyone will find the time to master the bonsai technique, then taking a few minutes to help the amazing azalea bloom is much easier
How to extend the flowering period
Often indoor plants in our house appear as a gift. They usually sell at their best when they bloom. And with the advent of a new pet, many questions immediately arise: how to care for it, how to reproduce it, is it possible to extend the flowering period? Indeed, in the future, it is we who will have to support his life, not relying on the help of professional flower growers.
Of course, it is advisable to have as much information as possible about your new flower: how early it is, how old it is, when it began to bloom. This information is needed in order to calculate the approximate date of the first pinch. For azaleas, this period is about 35 days from the beginning of flowering. This procedure is performed in order to stimulate the setting of more buds. If the start date of flowering and the variety are unknown, they carefully monitor the young shoots: when the 4th pair of leaves appears, then the time has come!
The date of the last pinching is calculated based on the azalea variety:
• for early azalea varieties, this time falls in the second decade of July;
• for late ones - this is the beginning of August.
Reproduction of azaleas in indoor conditions
The optimal breeding time for indoor azalea is two periods of the year:
• from the end of March to the second decade of April;
• from the end of July to the second decade of August.
In room conditions, a vegetative propagation method is used - cuttings. It is recommended to take planting material for propagation from one flower no more than once a year. For this purpose, choose semi-lignified shoots. The stalk is cut under the kidney at an acute angle. The length of the cutting should be about 7-9 cm. The lowest three leaves are cut off, but 0.5 cm of its petiole is left on the shoot. The remaining leaves are only cut in half.
Cuttings require pre-planting processing. To do this, small ligaments are made of them and dipped with a lower cut into a root formation stimulator. An old proven method is a 6-hour treatment in an aqueous solution of heteroauxin. Then the cuttings are planted in a container with a nutrient substrate according to the 4x4 cm scheme.
Azaleas belong to that uncommon group of plants that prefer acidic soils. Therefore, slightly acidified horse peat is excellent for rooting. If this option is not available, a drainage layer of gravel is created at the bottom of the container, a layer of coarse sand about 3 cm thick is added on top, then at least 8 cm of coniferous soil. The cuttings are immersed in the prepared substrate to a depth of about 3 cm.
On average, cuttings take root in 40-60 days. This period can be shortened by heating the substrate from below.
Features of flower care
The container with plants is covered with a transparent film. Caring for planted cuttings includes watering abundantly immediately after planting and spraying daily. By the way, spraying during flowering is strictly prohibited.
7-8 days after disembarkation, morning airing is arranged, raising the polyethylene shelter. When the cuttings start to grow, they remove it altogether. They are transplanted into pots when the plants become 3 cm taller.
It must be remembered that fresh tap water is destructive for azaleas - chlorine is poison for it. Therefore, it is very important to defend the water during the day. For the same reason, flower food should not contain this chemical element.
Recommended:
Breeding Secrets Of Lavender Bushes
Lavender is an incredibly spectacular and fragrant plant, and that is why so many summer residents are very happy to plant this beauty in their plots. But sometimes you want to have even more lavender on the site, but it's not a secret for anyone that the transplantation of adult lavender bushes is extremely unimportant and very painful. So in order to get luxurious dense lavender thickets, sometimes you have to work hard! However, in fact, everything is not so complicated
Violet From The Cutting: Breeding Rules
The violet can be propagated in many ways. One of the simplest and fastest is the separation and rooting of the leaf cuttings. However, it is this method that causes many complaints, because at the stage of rooting, the stalk often rots and causes disappointment for indoor floriculture lovers. What you need to know to avoid such a result, and reproduction pleased with the rapid development of the bush, as well as the multiple flowering of this exquisite and delicate plant?
Viburnum: Breeding Methods
Viburnum is one of the most common medicinal plants used in folk medicine. Moreover, practically all parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes: fruits, twigs, and bark of a bush. Colds, painful cramps, hypertension, neuroses, bleeding and many other ailments - in a long list of diseases in the treatment of which viburnum is very effective. In addition, it is an excellent general tonic. Therefore, if this natural healer is not yet in your garden, it's time to think
Autumn Time - Gooseberry Planting Time
I really like to plant different berries in the fall, because before the cold snap they have time to take root, new young roots grow, and in the spring, rare buds and the first berries may even appear. Now is the time to plant gooseberries
Breeding Breeding
Lovely inflorescences of the break in early spring delight the eye with bright or innocent white colors. You can increase the number of "favorites" by breeding your favorite species. What breeding methods are acceptable for the plant? How to organize care properly? We will answer these questions in more detail
