How to take care of the newly bought azalea

1. Avoid changing pots

Never repot a newly purchased azalea, because the azalea we buy usually has flower buds. Even if you repot it with a lump of soil, more than 50% of the flower buds of the plant will dry up. If you want to repot, please wait until the flowers of the plant have faded.

2. Multiple Lighting

Usually we buy azaleas in autumn and winter every year. After we bring them home, we need to put them in a well-ventilated place with diffused light to acclimate them for a week. After a week, you can move it to the south balcony to get some sun. If there is sufficient light, the flowers will bloom quickly and be large, while if there is insufficient light, the flowers will bloom late.

3. Water carefully

Be careful when watering the azalea. Too much water will easily cause root rot and leaf drop, while too little water will cause buds to dry out and flowers to fall off. The best way to water is to weigh the soil in the pot when you have nothing to do. When it feels noticeably lighter, water it thoroughly until water flows out from the bottom of the pot.

4. High humidity

The western azalea likes moisture, but it prefers a high humidity environment. When the air is too dry, its leaves will dry and turn black. Therefore, we can spray water around the plants frequently, but do not spray water on the plants, otherwise it will also cause dry buds to occur.

5. Use less fertilizer

If you observe carefully when you just buy the azalea, you will find that the flower grower has applied slow-release fertilizer (small yellow particles) to its potting soil, so we don’t need to fertilize it when we buy it home. After the flowers of the plant fade, you can bury some bone meal and cake fertilizer along the edge of the pot.

6. Note

Azalea is particularly afraid of waterlogging. It is recommended that you find something to pad the flower pot so that the air holes at the bottom of the pot are empty. This way, you can store water in the tray to increase the local air humidity without causing waterlogging and root rot in the azalea. Also pay more attention to ventilation, otherwise the azalea will drop its leaves.