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Tip: Try to plan so that your compost is soil-ready in fall and spring. This will help provide nutrients throughout the year so your plants maintain optimum health. Another method is to apply a mulch to the soil, such as wood chips or pine needles, which can help create an acidic enviroment and condition the soil for improved plant nutrition. Tree roots can also be used to create an acidic environment if the soil is shallow enough and organic matter is blended into the soil to provide it with extra nutrition. Ultimately, the acidity of the soil will be determined by many factors, including the presence of tree roots, organic matter, and the addition of sulfur or aluminum sulfate, so it is important to regularly test the pH of the soil to ensure the desired level of acidity is achieved. How do you acidify compost? Azaleas need phosphorus to grow flower buds. It used to be believed that using extra phosphorus fertilizer could help Azaleas have more flowers, but scientists have found that this isn’t true. Unless your soil has a phosphorus deficiency, applying phosphorus fertilizer won’t help your Azaleas bloom. Ericaceous plants are plants that don’t like growing in soils that contain lime. They are also known as ‘acid lovers’ or ‘lime haters’. This means they won’t grow well in soils that have a high pH - such soils are referred to as alkaline. Ericaceous plants include Rhododendron, Camellia, Azalea, Pieris, summer-flowering heathers (calluna) and even Japanese maples (Acer) among others. This also applies to Blueberries.
Plant the cutting in a rooting medium, such as a 50-50 mixture of peat moss and perlite; or sand, vermiculite, and peat moss. The rooting medium should be more porous and draining than most standard potting mixes. Use a pot at least six inches deep; a one-gallon plastic pot makes an ideal container.I always like to research where a plant originates before I select it for a garden,” shares Colin Skelly, a Gardening Consultant who has been awarded the Master of Horticulture status by the RHS. I have successfully grown azaleas in pots, and provided the gardener is prepared to put in the necessary time to maintain and care for them, there is no reason why they can’t thrive there. Outdoor potted Azaleas should be positioned in a sheltered location, in full sun or partial or dappled shade. Want to learn more about which compost is best for Azaleas? Read my article on Azalea compost here.
It will take at least 6 weeks for the compost to be ready. You will know it’s time to put it to use when it’s the texture of fine soil. How does composting work? Mulch yearly to keep the soil acidic but don’t bury the stem, I have seen azaleas die because the gardener buried the stem. If you are looking for a more immediate method, you could use an iron-based acidifying fertilizer. These fertilizers usually come in a granular form and will help to increase the pH of the soil immediately but can also cause other negative side effects such as stunting the growth of some plants. The most popular fertilizer for Azaleas is Espoma Holly-Tone. It’s a slow-release, organic, 4-6-4 fertilizer designed for Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Camellias, Hydrangeas, and Holly. Besides nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, it provides magnesium, iron, calcium, and other minerals, as well as powdered sulfur to increase soil acidity. Another awesome Azalea fertilizer is cottonseed meal. Its NPK ratio averages around 6-2-2, and it’s as natural as it gets.
When potting up an Azalea, make sure that the rootball sits close to the surface of the soil as these are shallow-rooted plants. Finally, it is best to mulch the top of the pot or other container with an ericaceous mulch, to maintain high humus and fertility, and replenish nutrients in the container over time. If you have mulch down, you can put your fertilizer on top of it. The fertilizer will dissolve when it rains or when you water and wash down through the mulch into the soil.
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