Common Name: Azalea
Scientific name: Azalea Indica
Characterization: Member of the Ericace family is from Japan.
Shrub that can be semi-caduc or persistent, depending on variety, with oval leaves of a bright green.
It is greatly appreciated for its flowering, which in some varieties can be of different shades in the same plant (and have different colors in the same flower). The most appreciated variety is "Satsuki", which is from Kanuma in Japan, where specific soil is collected for Azaleas.
Location: Outside, where take 2 to 3 hours of direct sun per day (ideal in the morning or late afternoon), protected from strong winds and frosts. We should during flowering protect her from the direct rain (but always abroad) that will make her munch the flowers.
Watering: Very abundant during flowering. As it is sensitive to the limestone, we should use a good quality water (in the final line mineral water! ) and avoid wetting the leaves, only doing so in case of foliar adubations.
To water abundantly the earth until a lot of water goes out through the drain holes in order to moisten evenly the soil, always above never by immersion, with a fine drain waterer.
Tips on watering, see irrigation technical data sheet.
Let slightly dry the surface layer of the soil between each watering (to confirm if the plant already needs water, touch the earth with the fingers), considering that it has high water consumption in summer.
If you have a dish under Bonsai, never leave any water in it (to prevent the roots from rotting).
There is no advantage in spraying the leaves, just do it in the days when it adds up and if the fertilizer goes for folk application, but ensure that they arrive dry at night to avoid fungi, never spray the flowers.
Nutrition: From February to October/November, with a base plan composed of, a complete fertilizer (Fertil Bonsai Humic, or Green & Gold Bonsai Organic or Biogold), and a biostimulant throughout the year (Bio Bonsai Activ), can still be linked with other products in our range.
Detailed information on how to combine these products the rest of our range, or for a more specific nutrition plan, see complete nutrition plan technical sheet.
Poda: Unlike most trees, it has no apical dominance, we always have to leave it "green mass" at the summit.
We should clean the new buds that cover the flowers before they open, so that the direct sun stimulates them well, will also facilitate the formation of folk buds around the floral button.
After flowering we select 2 well located sprouts from the various that are born from the place where it flourished and we remove the floral ovaries (small fruits that appear in the flower zone) because if we leave them the plant it is worn very can even die.
See how to make specific pruning technical data sheet azalea post flowering work.
Transplants: With Terra Bonsai Azaleas or Kanuma pure, after flowering in May/June together with the formation pruning, or in February/March for plants that we decide not to let flower that year (weared plants, or that are still in formation and we will privilege modeling).
Details about transplantation, post transplantation and specific fortifiers that you can use refer to repotting technical sheet.
Scratch: Wiring from October to spring, during spring and post flowering (May to August) the branches are badly formed leave easily, but always very carefully as the Azalea is very brittle.
Indications on padding, see wiring technical sheet.