Azalea

Latin name: Azalea rhododendron


Family: Ericaceae


Evergreen plant with small oval dark green leaves in a dense arrangement, flowering at the top of the branches in a wide variety of monochrome or multicoloured combinations. It comes from Japan, China and India.

Light – Position – Temperature
Azaleas can be grown both indoors and outdoors. They thrive in a bright position inside the house or on the balcony, out of the sun. In frosty weather, it is advisable to bring the plant indoors, while in summer azaleas thrive best outdoors. Azaleas flower continuously at a temperature between 10 – 15°C. If we are using the plant as an indoor plant, we must ensure that the room temperature does not exceed the above mentioned values.

Watering – Fertilization
When the plant is in flower, the watering frequency is every two days. The plant should never be left dry and dry. In such a case where we have neglected our plant for several days, we will see faint and wilted flowers and leaves. We recommend dipping the Azalea in a basin of lukewarm water until bubbles of soil come out, and then letting it drain.
As far as fertilisation is concerned, a light and moist fertiliser is just the thing to help our plant to have a rich flowering and dense foliage. During the flowering period of the plant, add a little liquid fertiliser every two weeks to the water you are going to water it with.

Enemies – Diseases
Azalea is a hardy plant in its own right, and combined with your proper care it will remain healthy for many years. Some reactions of the plant, however, reveal the cause of the problem; if you notice that the leaves are drying out and falling off, it means that the environment is dry and hot and you should immediately spray the plant with water and move it to a cooler place.If we notice that the plant’s buds are not blooming, this means that the plant is being “hit” by a draught or that it is overwatered and we need to move it to a safer location or reduce watering, respectively.
The insect that attacks Azaleas is the aphids. They are found on the tender young leaves of the plant, but they do not cause damage to the plant itself, perhaps more to neighbouring plants that may be more susceptible to such insects. Aphids are controlled by spraying the leaves with malathion or methyl pyruvate. Finally, a very important note is not to expose plants to the sun after spraying with insecticide.