The Japanese have a belief that azalea flower able to help keep the family together and overcome difficulties. He decided to give to the unexpected separation as a symbol of loyalty and devotion. But to keep this plant at home is difficult - capricious beauty does not forgive mistakes and requires a lot of attention to the person.
However, if you fulfill all its requirements and arrange care for azalea correctly, the reward will be decent: abundant flowering, which was even difficult to discern the leaves. You do not have to look for an approach to this flower too long, we decided to tell you how to care for azaleas and avoid fatal mistakes.
The main types of azaleas
In all there are three groups of azalea flowers:
Japanese azalea
Decoration of any garden. This plant is also loved in Japan, like cherry. Though most often grown as garden azalea bush, they can be found in the home, where they are bred for the art of bonsai. Bloom white, pink or lilac flowers.
Indian azalea
A common form of indoor plants. In fact, a descendant of Japanese azaleas and is a hybrid of the two species. It can be seen on our window sills.
North American azalea
There are dozens of species. It is a garden shrubs with flowers of different colors, from white to various shades of pink and red.
This is a small azalea bush, which can reach a height of 50 cm. The leaves are medium-sized, bright green, rather leathery. Flower at the Azalea can be both a bath and corrugated and vary in shape, color and texture. The duration of flowering to a few weeks, allowing the plant to hold a leading position among other decorative flowers.
Features care azalea
Flower azalea does not tolerate dry and warm air in the room, and winter in our apartments - a serious test for the plant. Often it is non-compliance with the thermal regime is the cause of death of the flower. You can observe the following picture: purchasing azaleas during the winter and brought it into the house a few days later you discover that the plant clears all the leaves and buds, are literally dying before our eyes. To avoid this situation, you must immediately after purchase to ensure the azaleas temperature in the range of 10 to 16 degrees and be sure to take care of the high humidity.
To maintain the required humidity can be sprayed from a plant spray. It is imperative to choose a fine spray bottle and try to keep the water from falling on the flower buds, or flowers are azaleas covered with unsightly stains. You can put a pot with a plant on a tray filled with pebbles and water. The main thing - to make sure that the bottom of the pot is not concerned moisture, and the root system may rot.
Azalea likes moist soil, but that is no reason to plant the swamp in a pot. Watering is best to use rainwater or melt water. In an extreme case, if you use ordinary tap water, before watering it needs to settle or boil and cool. Sometimes you can acidify the water, it will benefit the plant. At the end of the procedure watering when the soil has sufficient moisture can be further watered azalea flowers with a weak solution of lemon juice (about a liter of water one tablespoon of juice).
Proper lighting
Azaleas at home needs bright light, but in any case, do not expose the plant to direct sunlight. If you notice that the azalea buds start to drop, and leaves it dry and shrink, change its location, perhaps it's an excess of sun. Azalea feels great on the western and northern windowsills. On the south side of the plant can burn the leaves when their color becomes red or brown-brown, and the tips begin to dry.
In winter, azalea may lack coverage. You can make additional lighting using fluorescent lamps or leave a flower at rest.
To the winter gave lush azalea flowers, summer is recommended to keep her at a temperature of 15-18 degrees. Heat over 24 degrees and stuffy plant tolerates not very good. In the period from October to November aging flower buds going, laid back in the summer. It is desirable at this time contain the plant at low temperatures (6 to 8 degrees Celsius) and reducing to moderate watering.
As soon as the flower buds swell, you can gradually raise the temperature to 12-15 degrees, and do not forget about maintaining the required humidity. Usually three weeks scales on buds appear and disappear buds. Remember to ventilate the room where the azaleas, but be careful not to drafts.
If you care for azalea organized correctly, enjoy its colors you can in the period from December to May. Buying azaleas at this time, choose a plant with a small amount of blooming flowers and lots of buds. In order to make it bloomed for a long time, if there are new unopened buds move it to a cooler location.
How to care for azalea after flowering
After flowering, the plant begins to form new shoots. To obtain large flowers on them and at the same time form the bush, you should trim the branches withered. Most plant produces shoots from 2 to 4 years.
If your goal is to get as many buds in the future, it is necessary to shoot tips prischipnut and remove the kidney. Typically, the first time the procedure is performed at 40 days after flowering. It was during this period begins to grow a fourth pair of young leaves. Remember, later topping may delay flowering azaleas.
After flowering, the plant can be transplanted. For planting choose a shallow pots and acidic soil. If the plant is no longer young and too grown root system, it can be a little trim. After the transplant, it is desirable to place the plant in a warm place and pritenit.
Reproduction azaleas
Reproduction azaleas only by a very single-minded people, and then it is quite troublesome. Sometimes it is easier to buy another adult and a flowering plant than to try to multiply it by yourself.
There are two ways of breeding azaleas: cuttings and seeds.
Graftage
For this method need already stiff shoots. To prepare the workpiece only healthy cuttings of length from 4 to 6 cm. Important: propagation cuttings can be harvested only once a year per plant.
First of all, remove the lower leaves from the cuttings and cuttings for easy tie in one bundle of 10 - 20 pieces. Place the prepared solution in svyazochki IAA prepared rate of 2 tablets per 1 liter of water. The water is put only cut the ends and leave them for 6 hours.
After conducting such training disembark prepared cuttings in boxes filled with a mixture of leaf soil. Do not forget about the drainage: the bottom drawer sure to sprinkle a layer of gravel and sand. Usually in such circumstances azaleas readily take root and the root system is developing very quickly.
Boxes with cuttings sure to ventilate regularly and shading from direct sunlight. The air temperature for the development of the plants should be in the range of 25-30 degrees and humidity - 80%.
In the autumn the first year of azaleas should be moved to a room with a lower temperature air, and as soon as the daylight starts to increase again, gradually raise the temperature. In May, the flower can be transplanted into the soil with a layer thickness of not less than 8 cm. At the same time, you can start fertilizing azaleas fertilizers.
Breeding seeds
At home, difficult to implement, because the seeds are almost tied. Azaleas have very small seeds, sowing is carried out practically on the ground, and for the germination of sunlight is needed. Besides sowing seed does not guarantee that the risen seedlings will have the same properties as that of the parent plant.
Contents:
Care ficus elastic: features content
Where is the ficus?
All transplant and feeding
Formation of crown
Reproduction of ficus rubber-
Possible problems in the care
Ficus, there are only about 800 species, among which there are huge trees and low-growing shrubs, and vines. The best-known representative of this kind can be considered a rubber tree - ficus elastic, which is known since the days of Queen Victoria.
There were times when it is of great interest for the rubber gatherers, but today this plant is grown over with decorative purposes. We'll tell you what care is needed for the ficus elastic at home, so that he as much as possible to create a favorable atmosphere in the house.
Under natural conditions, this type of ficus reaches a very impressive size, but it is much more modest homes and not seek to fill the space around its crown. Young plant has a single trunk, but adult ficus acquires additional aerial roots that attach cumbersome tree.
Sometimes, in India people use this feature rubber-Ficus and create with the help of real life hanging bridges over precipices. Ficus leaves resemble palm disclosed. They are oval in shape, rather large and leathery, come in various shades of green, but in any case sufficiently bright.
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Care ficus elastic: features content
Given that this ficus - resident of humid tropics, it is no wonder that he is very picky about the humidity in the room where dwells. In the summer, it is important to water the plant well, and in winter this must be very careful before you pour, make sure that someone is completely dried out ground. Excessive moisture in the summer is not a reason to create a small private swamp in a pot.
Make sure that water does not stagnate in any ground or in the pan. Restore ficus after overflow will be difficult. If all the same mistake was made and the plant is filled, it must be transplanted immediately and water kornevinom as long as it does not threaten anything. In general, the Ficus loves water procedures, and swimming or regular spraying it just do not interfere. The higher the humidity of the air around it, the better it feels ficus.
Under natural conditions, Ficus grows all year round, and only in our band in the winter he comes enforced rest period due to lower temperature and lighting. So you have a chance to avoid this phenomenon, if you can provide additional lighting plant and adjust the ratio of humidity and heat. Then care will remain the same as in summer (regular spraying and watering), and your Ficus will develop continuously.
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Where is the ficus?
Ficus although considered low-maintenance plant and care for them does not cause much trouble, but he really did not approve of the permanent changes. Therefore, its location make sure in advance. Better if it will be as bright, it is possible even to sometimes ficus got direct rays of the sun (but not more than a couple of hours per day). If the window is the north, you can not even curtain.
Ficus quite tolerant of drafts, but do not feel its strength and expose too strong gusts, but open windows will not harm your pet. In poor lighting conditions the ficus begins to pull too much trunk and lose its appeal. Internode will lengthen, the leaves fall off, and overall growth will slow.
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All transplant and feeding
Young plants should be transplanted every year. Pots Pick up a classic shape, but remember that rubber plants do not like too deep "immersion". Primer for transplantation can be purchased at any florist or make your own. If the last option you prefer, take a sheet and sod land, peat and sand in the ratio 1: 2: 1: 1. You should not give way to root formation, and then soon you will not know where to put a pot of homemade giant.
Ficus elastic is fed normally in the period of active growth, that is, in the spring or summer. As feeding choose any liquid fertilizer every two weeks. If winter your plant continues to grow, you can continue feeding, only the concentration of the solution do twice as less.
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Formation of crown
Anyone care involves not only the creation of favorable conditions for growth, but the beautiful appearance of the plant. Ficus usually grows a trunk, and even over time, lower the leaves fall and the trunk laid bare. Agree, it's not a look.
It is recommended to create a presentable kind of bush grow to the desired size and nip off the tip (it is possible to root). After this procedure, in the leaf axils, new side shoots, which later will form a beautiful crown. In the future, they too will need to be cut to ficus branched further.
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Reproduction of ficus rubber-
Reproduction occurs by cuttings. With one escape usually get so many cuttings as it is on the leaves. The cutting should be at least one sheet with an intact eye and a half following the interstices.
When the stalk cut, you must get rid of him escaping from latex. To do this, put it in the water and change it periodically as long as the juice is no longer performing. To stalk quickly took root, make a small cross section of the bottom, dropped them into the soil with heating and cover the top with plastic wrap.
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Possible problems in the care
Fall off the lower leaves. It is natural for the development of the plant, care need not be changed.
Leaves are falling all over the plant. Most likely, there was waterlogging. Needed a transplant or thorough drying and inspection of drainage.
The leaves curl and wither. The temperature of the content is too low. Perhaps the plant is too close to the glass window.
The tips of the leaves are dry and brown. Interrupt the necessary air humidity: the room is too dry. Include in the care of plants required daily spraying.
New shoots are thin, and the leaves gradually shrinking - the lack of light and power.
Rubber plants may be affected by pests such as mealybugs, scale insects and false scale insects.
As you can see, taking care of ficus elastic is quite simple, and the plant can safely recommend to all too busy and novice gardeners.
