Azalea is known among flower growers as a very capricious plant. It reacts very badly to changing conditions of detention and it is rather difficult to propagate it, but if you create the necessary conditions for the beauty, the plant will delight you with beautiful lush flowering for a long time.
Azalea reproduces in three ways: by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. Each of them has its pros and cons and is interesting in its own way.
Vegetative propagation
Cuttings are made in spring. Cut off cuttings from mature, well-formed, but not yet lignified shoots. Their average length should be 7-9 cm. Remove the lower leaves from the cutting.
For better rooting, treat non-lignified cuttings with growth and root stimulants, for example, Kornevin or Heteroauxin. Dilute the preparation as indicated in the instructions and place the cuttings in it for several hours. Then plant them in soil.
Azaleas need acidic soil, making one yourself is a rather laborious task, but special soil for azaleas, which is sold in flower shops or horticultural centers, will help to get out of the situation.
If you nevertheless decide to prepare the substrate yourself, then you need to take the topsoil from the coniferous forest and mix it in equal proportions with peat.
Plant cuttings treated with a growth stimulant in the ground at a distance of at least 4 cm from each other. Drizzle with warm water. Cover the plantings with plastic or glass and place in a sunny place. However, do not expose them to direct sunlight.
Note that the survival rate of cuttings is rather poor and usually does not exceed 20 percent.
Like an adult plant, cuttings need a lot of moisture, so plantings must be sprayed daily. Remove and wipe off the condensation that forms on the shelter several times a day. Turn the greenhouse periodically so that it is warmed up by the sun on all sides. The first roots should appear in 2 months, and after 3 plants can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Seed reproduction at home
On azaleas in room conditions, seeds are very rarely tied. If you want to grow it this way, then you will need to purchase seeds from the store.
Use a ready-made azalea substrate. Pour drainage on the bottom of the bowl, then a layer of clean sand and soil. Moisten everything and squeeze a little.
Azalea seeds are very small and do not need to be planted in the soil. Sow on the surface of the ground and cover the container with plastic wrap. The substrate should be moist all the time, so remove the film and spray the surface of the soil daily. It is not worth watering, as you can simply wash off the seeds.
As soon as the seedlings germinate, the film can be removed and looked after, just like an adult plant. When the small plants are strong, they can be transplanted into separate small pots in acidic soil.
Dividing the bush
This is perhaps the easiest way to breed azaleas. If an adult plant has several trunks, then it is quite possible to divide it into several. Azalea has a superficial root system, and the roots themselves are very thin, so you need to divide the plant very carefully.
Remove the bush from the pot, shake off the soil slightly, there is no need to rinse the roots, since they contain useful soil fungi that live in symbiosis with the plant. Divide the bush into several parts and plant each in a small container with acidic and moist soil.
