The Japanese have a belief that the azalea flowercan help to save the family and overcome difficulties. It is customary to give it before an unexpected separation as a symbol of loyalty and devotion. But to keep this plant at home is quite difficult - the wayward beauty of mistakes does not forgive and requires a lot of attention to one's personality. However, if you fulfill all of its requirements and arrange the care for azalea correctly, the reward will be worthy: abundant flowering, after which even the leaves can hardly be guessed. So that you do not have to look for an approach to this flower for too long, we decided to tell you how to take care of azalea and not allow fatal mistakes. 
The main types of azaleas
In total, there are three groups of azalea flowers:
- Japanese azalea
Decoration of any garden. This plant is also loved in Japan, like cherry. Although most azalea is grown as a garden shrub, they can be found in the home, where they are bred for bonsai art. Blossom white, pink or purple flowers.
- Indian azalea
A common kind of indoor flowers. In fact, it is a descendant of Japanese azalea and is a hybrid of two kinds. It can be seen on our windowsills.
- North American azalea
It counts several dozen species. It is a garden shrub with flowers of different colors: from white to various shades of pink and red. Such azalea is a small bush, the height of which can reach 50 cm. Leaves are not large, bright green, rather leathery. The azalea flower can be both terry and corrugated and differ in shape, color and texture. Duration of flowering up to several weeks, which allows it to occupy a leading position among this plant among other ornamental flowers. 
Features of azalea care
The azalea flower does not tolerate dry and warm air inand the winter period in our apartments is a serious test for the plant. Often the failure to comply with the thermal regime is the cause of the death of the flower. One can observe such a picture: having bought azalea in the winter and bringing it to the house, in a few days you find that the plant discards all leaves and buds, literally dies before our eyes. To avoid such a situation, it is necessary to provide azaleas temperature regime in the range of 10 to 16 degrees Celsius immediately after purchase and be sure to take care of high humidity. To maintain the required humidity, spray the plant from the spray gun. It is necessary to pick up a fine sprayer and try not to get water on buds, otherwise the flowers in azalea will be covered with unsightly spots. You can place the pot with the plant on a pallet filled with pebbles and water. The main thing is to make sure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the moisture, and then the root system can corrupt. Azalia loves moist soil, but this is not a reason to plant a swamp in a pot. For irrigation it is better to use rain or melt water. In an extreme case, if you use ordinary tap water, then before watering it should be allowed to settle or boil and cool. Sometimes you can acidify the water, it will benefit the plant. At the end of the irrigation procedure, when the soil is already sufficiently moist, you can additionally water the flowers of azalea with a weak solution of lemon juice (about a liter of water, one tablespoon of juice).
Correct lighting
Azalea at home needs a brightlight, but in no case do not expose the plant under direct sunlight. If you notice that the azalea starts to dump buds, and its leaves dry and wrinkle, change its location, perhaps it's from the excess of the sun. Azalia perfectly feels on the western and northern windowsills. On the southern side, the plant can have a burn of the leaves when their color turns red or brownish-brown and the tips begin to dry. In winter, azalea may lack illumination. You can make additional lighting with fluorescent lamps or leave the flower at rest. To the winter azalea gave lush flowers, it is recommended to keep it in summer at a temperature of 15-18 degrees. Heat over 24 degrees and stuffiness the plant does not tolerate very well. In the period from October to November, the flower buds laid in the summer are maturing. It is desirable at this time to keep the plant at low temperatures (from 6 to 8 degrees Celsius) and reduce watering to moderate. As soon as the flower buds swell, the temperature can be gradually raised to 12-15 degrees and do not forget about maintaining the necessary humidity. Usually, after three weeks, scales on the kidneys disappear and buds appear. Do not forget to ventilate the room regularly, where the azalea is located, but do not allow drafts to appear. If the care for azalea is organized correctly, then you can enjoy its flowers in the period from December to May. Buying azalea at this time, choose a plant with a small number of blossoming flowers and an abundance of buds. In order for it to bloom long, if there are new unrevealed buds, transfer it to a cooler place. 
How to care for azalea after flowering
After flowering, the plant begins to formnew shoots. To get large flowers on them and form a bush at the same time, it is necessary to trim the faded twigs. The plant shoots most of all at the age from 2 to 4 years. If your goal is to get as many buds as possible in the future, the tips of the shoots need to pinch and remove the kidneys. Usually the first time the procedure is carried out on the 40th day after the end of flowering. It is during this period that the fourth pair of young leaves begin to grow. Remember that later pinching can delay the flowering of the azalea. After flowering, the plant can be transplanted. For planting choose shallow pots and sour soil. If the plant is no longer young and the root system has grown too much, it can be cut off a little. After transplanting, the plant should be placed in a warm place and pritenit.
Reproduction of azalea
Reproduction azaleas is only very effectivepurposeful people, and it's quite a troublesome business. Sometimes it's easier to buy one more adult and blooming plant than to try to reproduce it yourself. There are two ways to propagate azaleas: cuttings and seeds. Cutting For this method you will need already stiff shoots. For harvesting, prepare only healthy cuttings with a length of 4 to 6 cm. Important: for reproduction, cuttings can only be harvested once a year from a single plant. First of all, remove the lower leaves from the cuttings and, for convenience, tie the cuttings in one bundle of 10 - 20 pieces. Place prepared binders in a solution of heteroauxin, prepared from 2 tablets per 1 liter of water. In the water we place only the cut ends and leave them for 6 hours. After this preparation, we plant the cuttings in prepared boxes filled with a mixture of leafy earth. Do not forget about the drainage: at the bottom of the box necessarily fill a layer of gravel and sand. Usually under such conditions azaleas readily root and the root system develops very quickly. Boxes with cuttings must be regularly ventilated and shaded from direct sunlight. The air temperature for the development of the plant should be within 25-30 degrees, humidity of air - 80%. In autumn, azaleas of the first year should be transferred to a room with a lower air temperature, and as soon as the light day starts to increase again, gradually raise the temperature. In May, the flower can be transplanted into the soil with a layer thickness of at least 8 cm. At the same time, azaleas can be fertilized with mineral fertilizers. Reproduction by seeds At home it is difficult to do, because the seeds are practically not tied. In azalea, the seeds are very small, the sowing is carried out practically on the surface of the earth, and sunlight is necessary for germination. In addition, seed sowing does not guarantee that the seedling will have the same properties as the mother plant.
