How do you acclimate a newly bought azalea so it survives easily?
I.
1. Avoid repotting: newly bought azaleas are usually potted plants with flower buds or in bloom. After bringing them home, never repot them, otherwise the buds will definitely dry up and the flowers will drop.
2. Avoid direct sun: after bringing a newly bought azalea home, never expose it to direct sun. First place it in a spot with bright indirect light and good airflow for a week to adapt, then after a week gradually increase the light until it receives full sun.
II. How to care for azaleas during the flowering period after acclimation
1. Water cautiously: watering azaleas too frequently during the flowering 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 pot 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 dropped 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 has finished flowering before fertilizing.
III. How to care for azaleas after flowering
1. Light pruning: after all the azalea flowers have finished blooming, promptly remove the spent flowers, prune lightly or not at all, to reduce the azalea's nutrient consumption and wait for it to bloom again.
2. Lower the room temperature: when enjoying azaleas in winter and spring, after the azaleas finish blooming and the weather gets warmer and warmer, you can open the windows more around noon for ventilation, and move them outdoors once the temperature stays stable above 10°C.
3. Repot late: after flowering, you can repot them, but to be safe, it is best to wait until the temperature stays stable above 15°C before doing so. When repotting, you can bury cake fertilizer and bone meal at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer.