Azalea is a beautiful plant that can decorate any garden or house with its color. Diverse in shape and appearance flowers always delight the eye. But, like many beauties, the plant is quite capricious. One of the problems associated with this representative of rhododendrons is foliar discharges.
Rules for the care of azalea
As already mentioned, the plant has a rather demanding "temper". If you want the flower to please you with its healthy appearance, you need to know about the basic rules of its cultivation.
First you need to find a suitable place in terms of lighting. The plant loves light, but direct sunlight is contraindicated for it. 
The most suitable place to place a flower is the window sill located on the east wall. It is highly undesirable to have it on the window facing south, unless you live on the lower floors, and your windows are shaded by the crowns of the trees. The main thing is to avoid direct sunlight.
During the period of kidney circumcision (usually in the middle of autumn) should increase the coverage. Alternatively, you can use LED lamps.
Did you know? The famous Swedish scientist Karl Linnaeus in the middle of the XIV century. singled out 6 out of 9 species of rhododendrons known at that time into a separate family - Azalea. This new family had a distinctive feature - its representatives threw leaves for the winter, in contrast to the remaining 3 types of rhododendrons.
Another very important factor is air temperature. The normal indicator for rhododendron is + 15 ... + 18 ° С. During the formation of buds, the temperature must be reduced to + 10 ... + 13 ° C. Such temperature parameters contribute to long-term flowering with a large number of flowers.
Particular attention should be paid to the plant in the summer. Heat for azaleas is destructive, it is advisable to keep it on the open loggia (if the sun's rays do not fall there) or near the air conditioner at a temperature of up to + 21 ° C.
The flower is moisture-loving, so you need to sprinkle it often with chilled water. During the flowering period, this should be done very carefully, since even weak streams of water can cause the flowers to darken. If you do not want to risk it, you can arrange open water tanks next to it. During the heating season, such containers will help to get rid of excessive dryness of the air. 
When watering should follow these rules:
- The plant does not tolerate the drying of the soil, but he likes a moist substrate. If the soil is still dry, place the flower in a container with water (+ 26 ... + 28 ° C) so that the water level does not exceed one third of the height of the pot. In 2-2.5 hours, the rhododendron must restore its water balance.
- In order to avoid the development of the rotting process in the root system, remove all the water remaining in the stand after watering.
- Water the flower with distilled water. You can use melt water.
- Once every 2 weeks, drip a few drops of lemon juice into the water for irrigation. This technique contributes to abundant flowering.
Azalea is one of those plants that prefer a primer with high acidity, pH 4-4.5 is considered normal. Such a substrate, designed specifically for rhododendrons, can be purchased at specialized points of sale.
And you can prepare the mixture yourself, for example, in this way:
- coniferous humus - 50%;
- moss - 25%;
- sand - 25%.
Important! In no case should fertilizers, which include chlorine, - This will lead to the death of the flower. The most acceptable option - a special tool "Azalea". In the warm season feeding is carried out weekly, in the cold season - monthly. Potash fertilizers and superphosphate are needed at the stage of bud formation and flowering.Do not forget to pinch the plant in time, removing unnecessary shoots. When the azalea has bloomed, you need to cut all the individual flowers. This procedure is aimed at the formation of inflorescences and giving a pomp to the plant.
From the second half of the spring, new shoots should be removed for additional budding. You can not pinch all the twigs, it will be enough to cut off those that stretched more than others, that is, your task is to impart and preserve the most complete and dense structure of the green mass of the plant. After 10-15 days, new green shoots appear.
After the azalea blooms for the first time, it is desirable to transplant it. The procedure is carried out carefully so as not to harm the fine and fragile root system. When transplanting it is necessary to keep a clod of sufficient volume. It is advisable to take a pot rather wide than deep, with sufficient volume. This is done to ensure that the root system does not grow deep, but wide, being located as close as possible to the soil surface.
Video: How to transplant azalea
The transplant procedure for young plants is usually carried out annually; it is enough to replant adult specimens every 3 years. During the transplant, dry branches and flowers are removed.
Rhododendron propagates by cuttings, and it is better to carry out this procedure in the summer. This is done in this way: the stalk (young shoot, covered with a thin tree crust) is separated from the plant and planted in a separate container with the ground.
With the help of glass containers create a kind of greenhouse, covering the young escape. Regularly watered and sprayed the plant, it creates a humid microclimate inside the jar. Emerging buds should be removed so that the seedling directs its strength to the growth and formation of green mass, and not to the formation of buds. After 8-10 weeks, when the root system is sufficiently developed and strengthened, shoots are transplanted into a pot.
Read also how to multiply azaleas.
Why azaleas dry and fall leaves: the main reasons
If you summarize all the possible causes of fall of the foliage, they can be divided into 4 main groups:
- improper care;
- causes of violation of conditions of detention;
- improper transplant;
- problems caused by diseases and pests.
Improper care
If you find that your rhododendron has begun to wither, its foliage dries, turns black and falls, the most likely cause is improper care of the plant.
When caring for rhododendron, you need to remember these things:
- Azalea likes sufficient watering and cannot tolerate drying out of the soil, but this does not mean that the soil in the pot should be turned into a swamp, since the roots of the plant react painfully to excess moisture;
- blackened leaves indicate excessive watering;
- one more reason that the plant loses foliage, can be improper fertilization;
- reddening and subsequent shedding of foliage may be the result of an excess or lack of fertilizer (especially phosphate).
Incorrect conditions
The most common mistakes when creating conditions for the cultivation of azaleas:
- crumbled dry foliage covered with brown spots indicates that the air temperature is too high;
- green azalea leaves may fall off due to excessively dry air, especially in winter, during the heating season;
- overly dry air can also cause a brown, almost black rim along the outline of an azalea leaf;
- reddened fallen leaves are most often the result of direct sunlight falling on a flower.
Transplant during flowering
Another reason that can lead not only to loose foliage, but also to long-term illness and even the death of a plant, can be a transplant during the flowering period. This applies to all plants in general, since transplantation is a stress, and during flowering the plant needs to create conditions of maximum comfort and peace.
Did you know? The most common types of azaleas in the world are Indian and Japanese. Based on the name, it becomes clear that the countries of South-East Asia are the birthplace of plants. Although in nature there are species of this beautiful flower, which in natural conditions can be found only in the Americas.
Plant Diseases and Parasites
The most characteristic diseases and parasites that azalea suffers from:
- Rust, or gray rotIt usually occurs when the temperature is not observed.
- If, besides withering, flowers turn yellow and showeredThe reason is probably in poor quality water.
- Phytophthora may occur due to excess moisture.
- Spider and strawberry mites, shield - parasites, which are most often found on rhododendron.
- Brown, almost black leaves - a sign that the flower is affected by the fungus.
What to do depending on the reason
Experienced growers recommend to listen to their advice on caring for azalea so that it grows healthy and beautiful:
- Rust or gray mold can be eliminated by adjusting the air temperature to the desired parameters. It is also necessary to remove the affected foliage.
- Problems caused by irrigation water of poor quality, it is possible to level, having applied watering boiled water with addition of the fertilizers which are specially intended for such purposes.
- In the case of spiderweed and strawberry mites, as well as shitovki act need to do this: process the green mass of the plant with a solution of soap. Rinse the solution with warm water and treat with insecticide.
- If for some reason the potted soil is dry Slightly, the situation can be corrected by watering on peat. If the soil has turned into a hard bed, it can help (and even then not always) only placement in a tank with water, as mentioned above.
- In case of problems related to over-irrigation, it must be temporarily stopped, and the flower placed in an environment with dry air, but not high temperature.
- When applying fertilizer should be remembered that azalea loves sour soils and, accordingly, does not tolerate supplements containing calcium. Here it should be said about the inadmissibility of planting rhododendron in the lime substrate. Such an operation is likely to lead to the development of chlorosis and the death of the plant.
- Transshipment (transplanting to another pot) should be carried out only after the plant has faded.
- In case of occurrence and development diseases caused by fungus, remove the affected leaves and treat the azalea according to the instructions fungicidal agents.
- If red fallen leaves are found, pay attention to conditions of detention. If the flower is exposed to direct sunlight, move it to another location. If with illumination everything is normal, the reason probably lies in the feeding. In case of abuse of fertilizers, place the plant in the pelvis so that there is a distance between the bottom of the pot and the bottom of the pelvis for free flow of liquid. Then pour plenty of boiling water over the soil - so that the excess fertilizer goes away with excess liquid. After that you have to fill the substrate. If you did not feed the azalea at all, do it, first of all, with phosphate fertilizers.
Important! It is better to carry out the first transplant immediately after purchasing the plant in the store (perhaps it did not receive proper care there), but if the azalea blooms, the procedure should be postponed. If you find clear signs of inadequate care (flooded soil, traces of salting or mold), you need to transplant the flower, after removing the blooming buds.
Preventive measures
In order to prevent azalea from losing its green mass, it is better to resort to preventive preventive measures in advance:
- The best prevention is to observe the conditions of detention (light, humidity, air temperature) and proper care.
- Properly water the soil (soft, you can boil or distilled, cool water), keep the balance, not allowing it to dry out and overmoistening.
- Remember that azalea loves acidic substrate and does not tolerate lime, as well as fertilizers containing calcium.
- Make a good drainage, which can take away excess moisture from the roots.
- When spraying, do not allow large drops on the flowers. As an alternative to spraying, you can install water tanks next to them.
- Follow the rules for handling the flower when transplanting.
- In summer, azalea needs absolute rest, it needs comfortable temperature and humidity, which are best organized in the garden.
- Before and after flowering, azalea should be fed with specially intended means for this purpose.
- Do not change the location of the azaleas during the flowering period.
Now you know what to do if your azaleas turned yellow and leaves began to crumble. Of course, it is better not to bring the situation to a critical one, but to observe the conditions of detention and carry out preventive measures.
