Azaleas

[Chris H]

I love looking at those fantastic photos of amazing Azaleas in the magazines.
Somehow though no matter what I try, repotting after flowers are finished, repotting as buds are forming etc etc I still manage to kill whatever I touch within about four weeks of repotting.
Does anybody have a link to a good care guide which might save a few trees?

[paddles]

I want to know too

[dayne]

ive got one i repotted it was a mass of roots and potbound i hacked it back so hard it should of died i allso chopped back the top hard i think the key is well draining soil water twice a day if possible and little to no afternoon sun and its thriving in hotter weather ive moved it to a bit more shade

[Bretts]

I have killed most of mine too. Had plenty of cheap ones on specail at the local store and I had killed all but two. I repotted them again this year now it is only one left.
The one that is left is in the Kunuma soil and seems to be going great so far.

Aurthur Robinson is one of Australias azalea Gurus.
See here
http://www.arthurrobinsonviolins.iinet.net.au/

He is a member here maybe we can get him to help us out?

[Espresso]

Bretts what sort of soil mix are you using and are you fertilizing?......Here is a pic of mine.

[Steven]

Here is a pic of mine.

Lovely show of colour and shape Mr Espresso!
Those 2 pink blooms, what's the story with them?
Can you kindly share any tips with us for achieving such healthy even flowering?

Regards,
Steven

[bodhidharma]

Espresso welcome to A.B.C and thanks for the stunning Azalea pic. I will now go out and rip mine up and burn them just kidding, i have a friend of mine in Buderim, Qld who grows them well to. I have a theory that some people are meant to grow certain species and some arent.

[Bretts]

My soil mix has changed around alot as I have only been doing this for 5 years with lots of experimenting. I had only ever grown them in my normal mix though so that is probably half the issue They got normal fert plus some azalea granular food occasionaly Although many died shortly after repotting and never got fertilised!
The one I have left is now in Kunuma and going great so far.

I would rather talk about what you have been doing Espesso

Whats your mix and fertiliser and micro climate like?

[Espresso]

Thanks Guys,

This Azalea is a Satsuki and it has an amzing combination of flowers - It has white, pink and white with pink flecks through it.
Im pretty new to Azaleas but from what i understand they need a mix with a lot of sand in it, Fertilizing is important straight after flowering and never use anything that burns ie dilute your fertilizer by 80%.....You are also best to cut the flowers off rather than wait for them to die.

Grant

[kvan64]

I have a lot o luck with azaleas. A lady let me dig up her dried and almost dead azaleas that I thought would not survive. There were about 4 big plants. I plitted them up to nearly 10 plants. I also did a hard prunning of leaves and roots. I only used common mixed from Bunnings and kept them in shades for 7 weeks before putting them out in the sun. They ALL live. One of them was of wrist size and only had a tiny bit of root left. I defoliaged it and potted it normally after submerging them in Seasol + water for 2 days.

Here is the summary for what I did:
1- Submerging in Seasol water after root and leaf prunning.
2- Potting them in well-draining mix
3- Keep under shade for at lease 7 weeks
4- Do not fertilize them for at least 8 weeks to avoid root burning (dilluted Seasol or/and SuperThrive are OK)
5- Water them well (Can't over water them with well-draing soil in a well-draining pot)

Good luck

[kcpoole]

I have quite a few, both collected and cuttings

Well drained mix - Kanuma, or my own Diatomite/Zeolite

Fertilze with liquid only - Charlie carp and Seasol ( I have lost a few from using Dynamic lifter on top of the soil.)

leave them on the bench with everthing else under the shade of Gum trees, or on my monkey poles in full sun
Water once a day in summer and 2 - 3 in winter with my automitic system.

if the plants have good healthy roots, then no need to treat them differnet than my maples if they are recntly repotted, then make sure they do not dry out

Ken

[Chris H]

Thats the type of photo Ive been lusting after Mr Espresso.

Wow.

I will check out the violinmans website and see what the go is there too thanks Brett.

[Espresso]

Thanks for the comments, also, Ken i didnt know that about Azaleas and Dynamic Lifter....I just went out and scraped it all off as i put some on about 5 days ago.

[kcpoole]

Thanks for the comments, also, Ken i didnt know that about Azaleas and Dynamic Lifter....I just went out and scraped it all off as i put some on about 5 days ago.

See how you go on a healty vigorous tree, but if they are at least bit weak, then I would not touch it. At least that is what i suspect anyway from my results this year.

Japanese Maples too

Ken

[Scott Roxburgh]

Fertilze with liquid only - Charlie carp and Seasol ( I have lost a few from using Dynamic lifter on top of the soil.)

Ken

Hi Ken,

This is interesting, as I have used DL on my Satsuki to no ill effect,

The fert. recipe I follow is that of Arthur Robinson (previously mentioned in this thread):

Fertiliser Formula
In a large Plastic rubbish bin place;
20lb Dynamic Lifter. This is pelletised chicken manure.
2lb Blood and Bone
1 cup Wood Ash:
½ litre Seasol (a conditioner derived from seaweed):
½ litre Fish Emulsion:
15 litres Water: (this quantity maybe varied as
15litres produces a rather wet mix)
Trace Elements.

This recipe courtesy Eiji Morozumi.

Arthur Robinson

http://members.iinet.net.au/~arthurob/s ... r12009.pdf