How should a newly bought azalea be acclimated after bringing it home?
I.
1. Avoid repotting: Newly bought azaleas are usually potted plants with flower buds or in bloom. After bringing them home, absolutely do not repot them, otherwise the buds will definitely dry up and the flowers will drop.
2. Avoid direct sun exposure: Newly bought azaleas, after bringing them home, absolutely must not be exposed to direct sun. First place them in a spot with bright indirect light and good ventilation to adapt for one week, then after one week gradually increase the light to full sun.
II. How to care for them during the blooming period after acclimation
1. Water cautiously: Watering azaleas too frequently during the blooming period easily causes root rot and leaf drop, while watering too little easily causes buds to dry up and flowers to drop. Normally you can weigh the potted soil by hand, and when it feels noticeably lighter, water thoroughly.
2. Increase humidity: If the air humidity during care is insufficient, azaleas easily get dry leaves and drop buds. We can prop up the flower pot so the drainage holes are elevated, and add water to the saucer to increase humidity.
3. Avoid fertilizing: Newly bought azaleas have already been fertilized by the grower before blooming. After we bring them home, do not fertilize; wait until the plant finishes blooming before fertilizing.
III. How to care for azaleas after blooming
1. Light pruning: After all the azalea flowers have finished blooming, promptly remove the spent flowers, prune lightly or not at all, to reduce nutrient consumption in the azalea and wait for it to bloom again.
2. Lower room temperature: When enjoying azaleas in winter and spring, after the azaleas finish blooming, as the weather gets warmer, you can open the windows more at noon for ventilation, and move them outdoors once the temperature stabilizes above 10°C.
3. Repot late: After blooming, you can repot, but to be safe, it is best to wait until the temperature stabilizes above 15°C. When repotting, you can bury cake fertilizer and bone meal at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer.