Azalea is a very beautiful and unusual plant. But at the same time, and quite gentle, demanding care. That is why the plant is very often susceptible to various diseases and troubles, including azalea can dry out or lose all its leaves.
Plant features
Azalea (rhododendron) is a decorative shrub that can decorate the home with its flowering at any time of the year. Its main advantage is a fairly long flowering, which is distinguished by its elegance.
It is an evergreen shrub with many branches. Its leaves are lanceolate, elliptical, ovate, pubescent on both sides. There are hybrids with semi-double or double flowers of bell-shaped appearance, the color of which is quite diverse. The plant may be early flowering, medium or late flowering.
Care difficulties
The most common problem that you may encounter while growing azaleas at home is the falling of leaves from a shrub and its drying. To know how to save azalea in this case, you need to find out the cause of the problem. She may not be alone.
Causes of leaf fall and solutions
What to do if azalea has thrown off all leaves and has dried up? Answering this question, it is first of all worth noting that this problem is the most common. The main reason for this phenomenon is the lack of necessary conditions for the normal development of the plant. Azalea in everything requires balance and does not tolerate very dry air and high humidity, too low temperature and excessively high.
If the azalea is sick, the leaves fall. What to do in such a situation? Everything is quite simple. It is necessary to carefully control the humidity in the room. It is recommended to do this using a pallet in which you can place a certain amount of wet expanded clay and peat. In addition, you need to spray the surface of the leaves several times a day, however it is strictly forbidden to do this during the flowering period. It is also possible to lower the pot itself with the plant into a container of water at room temperature. This will allow the overdried soil to absorb the necessary amount of water for the normal development of the bush.
How to save the azalea in this situation? To reduce the risk of such a nuisance, you need to use only that water that has previously settled for at least three days at room temperature. The use of boiled water is also allowed.
Another reason for yellowing and further falling of leaves and buds can be a spider mite. A thin web, which is located in the internodes of the stems, will tell you about his presence. To eliminate the problem, the plant needs to be often and abundantly sprayed; during flowering, use a soap solution or special chemicals.
Causes of yellowing of the leaves. How to fix the problem
The main reasons for the appearance of yellow leaves and their further decline are two:
- The development of chlorosis, which is a consequence of the increased content of calcium in the soil. You will see that the azalea suffers - the leaves fall. What to do to solve this problem? Everything is quite simple: you just need to slightly acidify the water with which you water the azalea. In this case, do not forget about the comfortable temperature of the water, which should be about 15-16 ° C.
- The presence on the surface of the plant thyroid gland. This insect leaves brown plaques on the leaves. In the future, this leads to the fact that the color of the leaves fades, a sticky coating forms, gloss, and soon the leaf falls off. The method of controlling insects depends on the stage of the lesion. At the initial stage, azalea needs to be treated with a soap solution. For more complex lesions, the use of special chemicals is required.
Reasons why azaleas dry leaves. Methods of dealing with the problem
What if the azalea leaves fall and dry? First you need to find out the cause of this phenomenon. There may be several.
One of the reasons why azalea leaves dry and curl may be an azalea mole. It will not be difficult to detect it, since this insect is quite large, has the shape of a caterpillar. To get rid of the scourge, you need to manually collect all the insects and then treat the plant with special chemicals.
If the azalea is not completely dry, how to sleep a plant? The situation when the leaves do not fall, but simply dry, may indicate an overdried air. The reason for this may be the high temperature in the room or the location of the flower pot in a sunny place. However, you do not need to panic if some leaves have dried immediately after flowering. This process is quite natural. If the leaves dry during flowering, then most likely the plant does not have enough moisture.
Is there a solution to the problem when the azalea has dried up? How to save her? The issue of dry leaves can be solved by increasing the amount of watering. You can use melt or rain water. Once a month, it is recommended to water the plants with acidified water (add 1 drop of lemon juice to 1 liter of water).
Why has azalea dropped its leaves and dried up?
When growing azaleas, it is worthwhile to understand that twigs that dry out are not the norm, but lead to the death of the plant. In order to know how to revive the azalea, you need to find out the reason.
There may be several. Among them are:
- damage to the root system by diseases;
- possible stressful situations;
- transplantation during the period of active flowering;
- insufficient feeding;
- insufficient lighting;
- possible insect damage.
If your azalea has dried up, how to save it will help you learn detailed instructions.
How to reanimate azalea?
First of all, you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- the soil;
- ice;
- some cold water;
- some boric acid, can be replaced with citric acid;
- pine needles;
- ash, activated carbon is also suitable;
- sand;
- Zircon product.
If you do not know how to resuscitate the azalea, just follow these steps.
First of all, the plant must be freed from the pot and placed in the prepared cold water with its roots. Rinse the roots thoroughly and gently. After complete cleansing of the substrate, lower the azalea under running water, which should be cool.
After cleaning, the azalea must be planted in new soil. It is better if you use a special substrate for flowers. Leave the plant to spend the night and in the morning put ice on the ground, watering with very cold water. Also, direct sunlight should be avoided , especially in summer.
Prepare water in a special way: let it stand for two days, then add a few drops of boric or citric acid, you can also use the drug "Zircon". With this solution, water the plant for several days in a row until the desired result.
At the end, a pot with a transplanted plant should be placed on a surface covered with wet expanded clay, in a draft. In summer, you can even put in a refrigerator. You need to water the plant every other day with very cold water. It is recommended to lay pine needles on the top layer in the pot, however this is an optional condition.
Preventative measures
Preventing a problem is much easier than solving it. That is why you will keep your plant healthy for a long time if you take into account the features of azalea care.
The main components of caring for this flower are: watering, top dressing, temperature and light conditions. The plant can not be waterlogged, as this can lead to its death. You can use water at room temperature for irrigation or 2-3 degrees warmer. Once a month you need to use acidified water or a liquid with the addition of boric acid.
If necessary, extra stems must be removed. The plant needs to be fed in the autumn, summer and spring.
Very often you can see that after flowering, the azalea has dried up. How to save her in such a situation? To do this, put the pot with the plant in a cool place. And at the moment when it begins its active growth, transplant into a new prepared substrate.
Azalea is famous for its whimsical and finicky. However, her beauty is worth the time and effort that you spend on care. And even if your azalea has withered, how to save it, you now know.