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TheAzalea floweris one of the most usual spring blooms . It is beloved by the great unwashed with a penchant for gardening . Lined along garden borders or in flower beds , azaleas make an first-class accession to any garden .
They are some of the most iconic shrubs you will see everywhere in the South . However , mass in other area around the States also love their beaut .
Classified in the genusRhododendronand part of theEricaceaefamily , there are numerous species , kind , and cultivars to use around your yard .
They hail from the Orient but are find around across the countries and are hardy to USDA zones 4 to 8 .
Every year , they produce an abundance of beautiful blooms every early spring . Even to the untrained optic of an amateurish gardener , azalea shrubs seem spectacular .
The azalea blossom and exuberant foliage have been selectively bred for hundreds of years . Compared to other flowering shrubs , azalea are relatively not hungry plants .
In fact , fecundate might not be necessary for some varieties unless they show evident polarity of malnourishment .
It is crucial you know when and when not to fertilise azaleas . If you see signaling of alimentary deficiencies , using theright type of fertilizerin the proper means is crucial .
It will encourage good development , healthy growth , and vigorous inflorescence every growing season .
Also , you must also compensate confining tending to other growing conditions . This includes the soil , Sunday exposure , and planting location . More onplanting Azalea busheshere .
Best Fertilizer for Azaleas
As advert antecedently , azalea are not particularly indigent when it comes to fertilizing .
You may not even require to add any fertilizer if you work organic matter or dried leave-taking into the soil .
This will provide most of the food the plant requires to expand .
If you find the yellowing of leaves , stunted or reduced new emergence , smaller leaves , or loll , azalea fertilizer may help .
If you point out colored than normal leave-taking with bushed tips , the plant might have aphosphorus lack .
However , these symptoms may be due to other factors such as compress soil .
It is good you get the soil around your azalea plants tested .
The soil test will determine whether the perpetrator is deficient grease or not .
If the trial run identifies a deficiency of nutrient as the cause , fertiliser will help .
The exam will also determine what case of fertilizer your azalea plants require .
Typically , a high - quality balanced fertilizer for example 15 - 15 - 15 portmanteau word of NPK ( Nitrogen , Phosphorus , and Potassium ) will ferment fine .
In most cases , nitrogen deficiency in the soil is to fault for stunted maturation .
This requires a high N plant food .
A piddle - soluble plant food like Miracle - Gro work well for azalea , Camellia , and Rhododendron .
Related : Growing and Care of Rhododendron plant
When and How to Fertilize Azaleas
How to Fertilize Azaleas
Before you begin feed your azaleas and accidentally add too much fertilizer , hold back for the soil test results .
Once they are in , select a basic balanced plant food . The basic idea while feeding azaleas is to get the plant food engage in the origin system .
This means you have to spread the plant food equally over the root organisation , which typically extends beyond the canopy of theazalea Vannevar Bush .
In fact , it can extend three times as far from the automobile trunk to the limb tips .
If this aloofness is approximately 3′ feet , you have to fertilize 9′ feet from the trunk .
Make a circle on the soil with the tree trunk of the azalea in the center .
Sprinkle theslow - dismissal fertilizergrains in the sketched region and then piddle well .
Make certain to wash off any fertilizer on the foliage .
When to Fertilize Azaleas
When it comes to the “ when ” of fecundate azaleas , there is no schedule .
Having low nutrient needs and not necessitate frequent eating , you do n’t have to fertilize all through the growing season .
Fertilize only when you see signaling of a insufficiency and only once .
However , you may need to fecundate again if you mulch your azalea with wood chips or sawdust .
This is because they are organic materials and employ up nitrogen as they decompose .
Also , fend off fertilizing the plant when there is a drouth . Lack of piddle may have negative impacts on the plant ’s growth .
With proper care and careful impregnation , it ’s possible to bring your azalea back to life-time .
When the season comes , you will be able to see new flower buds emerge next twelvemonth .
