Azalea loved by many growers, despite the capriciousness. This is a beautiful flowering plant of the heather family.. In nature, azalea loves mountainous woodlands and fresh coolness. The flower is adapted for growing at home, in winter gardens and greenhouses.
Azalea cuttings - the most popular way
Experienced growers recommend using azaleas for reproduction grafting: This method is not time consuming and often brings good results.
Did you know? Esoteric claim that azaleas have positive energy. Houseplant carries the agreement and comfort in the house, helping to smooth out conflicts in the family and to prevent differences and quarrels.
How and when to prepare cuttings
Cuttings are cut from an adult plant after it has faded. Cut the upper parts from the half-year processes, cutting off at an acute angle just under the kidney itself. Lower leaves are removed, leaving part of the petiole, and the rest is cut to half.
Rooting cuttings
The ideal breeding ground for azalea cuttings is rotted needles and peat in equal parts. Before rooting, the stalk is kept in the Heteroauxin solution for about six hours, immersing the tip of the shoot in it. It stimulates rooting and increases the chances of rooting.
Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the container or pot (3 cm layer), covered with sand (2 cm layer) and prepared soil. A sapling is deepened three centimeters into the ground; if several plants are planted, the distance between them should be up to five centimeters. After landing it is necessary to water plentifully.
How to care for azalea cuttings
It is not enough to know how azalea multiplies. We also need knowledge about the care of seedlings to create all the necessary conditions for the plant.
After planting and watering, the container with the cuttings is covered with a film and placed in partial shade. Temperature conditions should be in the range of 25 to 30 ° С, air humidity - 80%. The flower is not watered, but moistened by spraying, combining it with airing. The plant should breathe and be in moderately wet soil.
A week before transplantation, the plant passes the hardening stage. The film from the mini-greenhouse is removed for two hours, gradually increasing the time. Then get rid of it completely. If you follow all the rules, the azalea will take root within a month.
Transplant cuttings to a permanent place
As well as reproduction of azaleas at home, its further transplantation has its own nuances.
After successful rooting, the cuttings are transplanted into separate pots, again covered with foil. In a greenhouse, young plants are kept for about twelve days; this is a sufficient period for adaptation. After three months, the azalea tops are pinched; if buds appear, they need to be removed. The plant needs to gain strength and increase lateral shoots.
After a successful wintering, the azalea is transplanted to a permanent place and looked after as an adult plant. For permanent residence pick up the pot to 12 cm in diameter, with holes for water. At the bottom of the stack drainage. Sapling hand over with soil clod. After two or three years azalea bloom.
Important! Young plants must be replanted every year, older - every three years. This will prolong the life of the azalea, ensure its healthy development and lush flowering.
Reproduction of azalea seeds
Propagation of azaleas with seeds is considered the most time consuming and inefficient method.
Why seed method of reproduction of azaleas are not used at home
Propagation by seeds of this plant is mainly done by experienced flower growers, and even then in order to develop new flower species. Azalea seeds do not retain the characteristics of the parent plant, they have a very low germination rate. After a successful sowing, there is no guarantee that the seedlings will survive and become a healthy adult plant.
Interesting! Translated from the Greek azalea means "dry." And the truth, before blooming and blooming with lush roses resembling flowers, the azalea looks like a dried bush.
When and how to sow the azalea
Before starting to propagate the azalea with seeds, some preparation is necessary. For a seed pot, you need to prepare drainage. To do this, take a small pebble or expanded clay and sterilize them. Heat the oven to 100 degrees and hold the drainage material there for about 20 minutes.
Put the drain in the pot. Pour a layer of sand to 3 cm, then the ground. Sowing is done in early March. Azalea seeds are mixed with sand and sown not deeply in a moist soil. The surface of the pot is covered with glass and set in a place well-lit by the sun.
Attention! For successful germination, it is recommended to cover the seed container with glass rather than film and place it under solar lighting, not under artificial light. Azalea seeds are photosensitive and grow well only in direct sunlight.
How to care for seedlings
Seedlings need to be constantly aired. Watering is done from the spray with soft water. To soften the water, add oxalic acid (2 grams per 5 liters). Soil can not pereuvlazhnyat to avoid rotting sprouts. Azalea seedlings will appear in two weeks if the seeds were fresh.
Azalea picking rules
Strong emerged shoots dive into another container along with a clod of earth. The composition of the soil is needed the same as in propagation by cuttings. Shoots deepened, leaving the leaves above the surface, the distance between the shoots - up to 3 cm.
At the end of the summer, the grown bushes are transplanted into individual containers up to ten centimeters in diameter. Further care is the same as for cuttings (moderate moisture, pinching and hardening). Azalea, propagated by seeds, blooms in five years.
How to multiply the azalea by dividing the bush
If you have an old bush, azalea may be multiplied by dividing it. In the spring before the start of active growth, the bush is removed from the pot. With a sharp knife it is divided at the base into parts, leaving one (at a minimum) escape. The separation process must be extremely careful, as the roots of azaleas are very fragile. After planting delenki need to pour abundantly and put in a dark place for the successful adaptation of the plant for a week. Next requires attentive care.
Azalea - interesting flower, despite the difficulties of reproduction and cultivation. She is loved by many flower growers and lovers of indoor plants. The biggest plus of azaleas is that it blooms in winter. Outside the window, cold and snow, and in the room - a blooming garden.
