Propagation of azaleas is carried out during the period from spring to August. As a planting material, stem cuttings are taken. They are germinated in a substrate with acidic pH. Planted cuttings are covered with a glass or plastic jar and regularly sprayed. Young shoots for breeding are cut only after flowering of the bush. Their length should be 10-15 cm. It is important to consider that fatliquoring shoots are absolutely unsuitable for this.
Propagation of azalea is complicated by the fact that the cuttings have a low survival rate, therefore, a lot depends on how correctly the planting material was chosen. As seedlings, it is necessary to take only young semi-lignified shoots, it is best to give preference to the tops of this year. The three lower leaves on the cuttings must be cut off, leaving 0.5 cm from its petiole. The remaining leaves are cut off by about half. In this case, the lower oblique section is made under the kidney itself.
In order for the reproduction of azalea to be effective, cuttings are taken only from healthy, well-developed plants. Immediately before planting, the seedlings are bound in several pieces and lowered for 6 hours in a fresh heteroauxin solution. You can also soak in preparations "Zircon" or "Kornevin." Only after special treatment with the growth activator are they planted in pre-prepared pots. The process of rooting seedlings will go much faster if the soil has an acidic pH.
It is better to plant azalea in specially purchased soil, in stores, as a rule, they sell a ready-made mixture. But if it is not possible to purchase soil designed individually for this flower, you can use universal soil, all indoor plants grow well in it. A photo that shows all the information about the composition of this land is on the back of the package. Pots are filled with this soil and well shed with settled water at room temperature. Azalea seedlings are covered with a jar or plastic bag and aired several times a week. To do this, just leave them for a short time in the open air.
If the
propagation of azalea was done correctly, then rooted cuttings should be expected for 1.5 -2 months. Before transplanting a young plant into a new pot, they “accustom” it to the dry microclimate of our apartments. The first few days the package is removed from the pot only for a couple of hours, then the time is increased. After about two weeks, the protective jar or cellophane is completely removed.
3 months after the transplantation of rooted cuttings, their tops are gently nibbled, after which the plant will begin to give new young shoots. The first flower buds must be removed. This will allow the plant to retain its strength. Azaleas can bloom from the third year of life, but before that they fertilize it. You can grow an adult plant from a shank in about 2-3 years. To do this, you will have to spend a lot of strength and patience, since there is no finickier flower than azalea. You can buy it at any flower shop, but this will not guarantee that the plant will survive and adapt to the conditions of the apartment. But in the azalea grown by yourself, you can be sure.