How to cultivate azaleas in the north

Rhododendron is one of the top ten famous flowers in China, which is suitable for potted and ground planting. How to raise azaleas well? First of all, we must understand the conditions needed for its growth and development. Azaleas have "six joys" and "six taboos", that is:

① likes to be cool and avoid extreme heat.

② likes the half shade and avoids the scorching sun.

③ prefers wetting to dryness.

④ likes acidic soil and avoids alkaline soil.

⑤ prefers light soil to clayey soil.

⑥ likes good drainage and avoids waterlogging. After coming out of the room in spring, the sun is softer, and the sun should be shaded properly around noon. Put it in a ventilated and cool place after the beginning of summer. Reed curtains, bamboo curtains and sunshade nets should be used to shade in hot summer. The curtains should be opened before 8: 00 in the morning and after 5: 00 in the afternoon. As the cuckoo belongs to semi-negative flowers and trees, the young leaves are easy to burn in the hot sun. If it is exposed to strong light for a long time in summer, the branches and leaves will be withered and yellow, the growth will stagnate, and the whole plant will die in serious cases. The intensity of sunlight gradually eased in autumn, more sunshine can be seen before 9: 00 a. M. and after 5: 00 p. M., and put in a sunny place at the end of autumn to promote flower bud differentiation. The cuckoo is not hardy, so it should be moved indoors between Cold Dew and Frosts Descent and placed in a sunny place. At the beginning of entering the room, you should pay attention to opening the windows and doors for ventilation. If it is placed in the shade for a long time, it is easy to drop buds. The suitable room temperature in winter is about 10 ℃. The room temperature of most varieties is not less than 5 ℃, but the cuckoo is afraid of cold, and the overwintering room temperature should not be lower than 8 ℃. If the room temperature is too high in winter, the metabolism is enhanced and nutrients are consumed, which is not conducive to the growth and development of the following year.

The northern region is dry in spring, dry and windy, hot and hot in summer, the sunshine is too strong, the soil is more alkaline, and the groundwater also contains salt and alkali. This environmental condition can not meet the requirements of rhododendron growth, which will inevitably lead to poor growth, yellow flowers and leaflets. The branches dried and shrunk so that they slowly withered.

In order to raise rhododendron well in the north, we need to create suitable growth conditions according to its ecological characteristics. To sum up, there are the following points:

① uses acid soil, rhododendron likes acid soil, and pH4.5-6.5is suitable. It is required that the basin soil is loose, good drainage and contains humus. 6 pieces of rotten leaf soil, 2 parts of peat soil and 2 parts of river sand are commonly used to prepare or use pine needle soil.

② improves the quality of water, and it is best to use mineral-free water such as Rain Water or snow water to water flowers. During the cuckoo growing period, alum fertilizer and water are generally applied every 10-15 days, or 0.1% rame0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be used for foliar spraying. In short, timely shading, maintaining soil acidity and controlling air humidity are the key to the cultivation of rhododendron in the northern region.