Azalea Dropping Leaves: What to Do? Detailed Post-Bloom Care Methods

Azaleas are very showy flowers. Especially once winter arrives, many flower lovers like to keep a pot of azaleas, but azaleas are rather delicate, and a slight lapse in care will cause leaf drop. So what should you do?

1. What should you do when azaleas drop leaves?

1. Unsuitable dryness and humidity

Azaleas grow best in an environment of 15-30 degrees, and the surrounding humidity should be above 60%.

When the temperature at home is low, you can place the azalea in a spot with good light. Normally, pay attention to misting it to keep it moist, misting around its flowers.

2. Improper watering

Many flower lovers go a long time without watering their azaleas at home, causing the potting soil to dry out, which will certainly cause the leaves to fall off.

Or it may be overwatering, leading to waterlogged, rotten roots, and this situation is also very common.

Normally, pay attention to its watering. If you find the potting soil is dry, water it promptly. When watering, do not water too much either; water according to how dry or wet the potting soil is, to avoid waterlogging.

3. Lack of light

When azaleas lack light, leaf drop will occur. Many flower lovers often keep them in dark places, but this is actually not good for azalea growth.

If the leaf drop is caused by lack of light, place it in an environment with plenty of light. If you find the weather is particularly hot, you can move it to a cool place again.

4. Overfertilizing

Overfertilizing is also an important cause of azalea leaf drop. When fertilizing azaleas, be sure to apply thin fertilizer frequently, and do not apply too much fertilizer at once, as this will cause root burn or fertilizer damage.

2. How to care for azaleas after blooming?

After azaleas bloom, which is the period from late spring to early summer, prune promptly. Pruning here means cutting off the spent flowers, and when pruning you should also remove diseased branches, weak branches and inner branches. Doing so can reduce nutrient consumption and improve ventilation, which can help the azalea quickly regain its vigor, and can help it send out more new branches. Azaleas mainly bloom on new branches, so sending out more new branches means more flowers can bloom in the future.

Note that if you want your azalea to be more beautiful, you can also shape it at the same time to create the posture you love, such as the waterside style, the cliff style, and so on. When wiring, the technique should be flexible, and pruning should be as open and airy as possible, to show off the azalea's beautiful, elegant branches and roots.

How to care for it after pruning?

During this period, the flowers have just finished blooming. If the soil has been used for a long time, or has already become slightly alkaline, you can begin to change the soil. This does not affect blooming, and can also prepare for future growth.

After repotting, be careful to shade it so the azalea can settle into the pot. Once it has settled in, you can use a little decomposed organic fertilizer, mixed with some high-nitrogen compound fertilizer. This can both promote branch and leaf growth and help the branches and leaves become strong without becoming leggy. By June, the azalea will carry out a new round of flower bud differentiation. At this time we can use some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flower bud differentiation, which is good for future blooming.

Azaleas like soft sunlight, slightly acidic soil, and a ventilated, airy, cool environment. During the period of late spring and early summer, it is best to keep them outdoors in a semi-shaded spot. This way they can get soft light and also have ventilation, which best promotes growth.

If conditions do not allow and you can only care for them indoors, pay attention to opening windows for ventilation, let them get light in the morning and evening, and learn to mist them in the morning and evening.