Things Needed
The azalea is a member of the heathland family , in the genus Rhododendron , and a relative of the blueberry bush . It is a flowering shrub that is democratic in the home landscape for its ability to stick out shade and to flower in shades of red , pink , purplish and clean . There are other , mid - season and late blooming azaleas . With measured planning , you may have an azalea garden in bloom for at least eight month of the year , according to Master Gardeners at the University of Georgia extension . embed the azalea in an area that will keep it out of direct sun and protected from winds . The azalea is unfearing to various USDA zones , bet upon the kind .
Step 1
Obtain a soil pH test . Although you may buy a habitation testing outfit at most horticulture pith , your county cooperative lengthiness office offer testing and the agent can give you recommendations on materials needed to raise or depress your ground pH. Azalea command a grease pH of 5.5 .
Step 2
Prepare the planting area by adding a three - in layer of compost or well - rotted manure to the soil and mixing it to a profoundness of eight inch . Add soil amendments to adjust the pH as call for . Mix them into the territory to the same deepness .
Step 3
delve a hole that is the same depth as the pot that the azalea is growing in . Make it three times the breadth . Remove the azalea from the pot . If the etymon are tangled , softly loosen them with your fingers . Place the root ball in the bottom of the planting hole , fill the hole with soil and practice your foot to pile the soil around the root word of the plant .
Step 4
Pour a three - inch layer of mulch on the soil at the base of the azalea . Keeping it two inches from the plant , spread it out to the same breadth as the azalea , all encircle the plant .
Step 5
body of water until you see the water pool . Keep the soil moist until the plant is establish , which will be evidenced by new ontogeny . After that , water when the top two inches of soil are dry .
Step 6
interchange the mulch around the azalea every spring with a tonic stratum . Pine needle mulch is preferable as it will facilitate to sustain the soil ’s sourness .
Step 7
dress the azalea in early spring . raiser with the Azalea Society of America suggest that you lop in stages to minimize the impact to the plant . abbreviate out all dead wood and then remove two or three tall branches . thin them back to a offset that is growing in the direction in which you want the flora to grow . The watch over year remove three more branches and repeat the procedure in the third year .
Tip
Experts at the Azalea Society of America say that the azalea does not require fertilizer as long as the plant has mulch .
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