Azalea Fertilizer Tips - What's The Best Fertilizer For Azaleas

If you don't test the soil, select a general, balanced fertilizer such as 15-15-15. The numbers refer to the proportionate amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the product. The nutrient your azalea is most likely to need is nitrogen.

How do you make Azalea bushier?

To maintain a more compact appearance or simply to encourage bushier growth, trim azaleas after their blooming period has expired. Taking time to trim azaleas by cutting back the branches of these shrubs will also help renew overgrown plants.

Are used coffee grounds good for azaleas?

Coffee grounds are highly acidic, they note, so they should be reserved for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. And if your soil is already high in nitrogen, the extra boost from coffee grounds could stunt the growth of fruits and flowers.

What do you feed azaleas with?

Feed after flowering with a dedicated rhododendron, azalea and camellia fertiliser. Water well and mulch with ericaceous compost or chipped pine bark after feeding. There is no need to prune; if they are becoming too large for the space take out a third of the branches over 3 consecutive years.

How do you keep azaleas blooming?

How Do I Get Azaleas To Produce More Blooms

Ensure the plants are getting enough sunlight.
Deadhead spent blooms each year.
Fertilize after blooming using a balanced fertilizer.
Apply a layer of mulch and provide sufficient moisture to the plants.
Protect the plants during harsh winters.

How do you rejuvenate old azaleas?

When rejuvenating an azalea or rhododendron, fertilize the year before to prepare the plant and then fertilize again in spring (end of April) after the hard pruning to stimulate growth. For smaller azaleas, use bypass pruners to make the cuts. For larger jobs, you may need a folding saw or a pair of loppers.

Can I use Miracle Grow on azaleas?

Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron Plant Food is a special plant food designed for acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, dogwoods, magnolias, gardenias, orchids and all evergreens. ... Won't harm other plants or burn foliage when used as directed. Formerly known as Miracid.

Is Epsom salt good for azaleas?

Many seasoned gardeners simply toss a handful of Epsom salts around the bases of azaleas or other shrubs. ... The National Gardening Association recommends applying Epsom salts mixed in water as a foliar spray for best results.

Are eggshells good for azaleas?

Save your eggshells and turn them into a natural acidic fertilizer loved by Blueberries, Roses, Azaleas, and Hibiscus. Eggshells are almost 100% calcium carbonate, one of the main ingredients in agricultural lime, which increases the pH of acidic soil. Save your eggshells and allow them to dry.

Can you put too much coffee grounds in your garden?

Because they are acidic, coffee grounds make good acid mulch. Of course, too much of anything is just too much, so apply coffee grounds in limited amounts. ... Working coffee grounds into the soil will improve its tilth, but do this sparingly unless you have acid-loving plants, like camellias and azaleas.

What is the best time to fertilize azaleas?

The best time to apply fertilizer is when it will be readily absorbed by the roots of the plant and when the soil is moist, which can be any time from late spring (after new growth emerges) up to early summer. Avoid fertilizing plants stressed by drought during the summer months.

What is the best plant food for azaleas?

A month after planting, begin feeding azaleas with Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron Plant Food. In addition to the main plant nutrients, this fertilizer also includes micronutrients such as iron, manganese, and zinc, which are vital for growing azaleas (and other acidic soil-loving plants).

How do you fertilize azaleas naturally?

The Azalea Society of America also recommends adding up to 50 percent by volume of organic matter, such as composted leaves, to heavily compacted soils. To add natural nitrogen to nitrogen-deficient soils, try alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal or fish meal.

Why did my azaleas not bloom this year?

The most common reasons they fail totally, is that the shrubs were pruned too late the previous summer and didn't have time for new growth to mature and form flower buds before fall, or they were pruned to neaten them up in the fall or winter and all the flowering stems were removed.

How often should I water azaleas?

Water only when the top of the soil begins to dry out. In cool, shady locations this may be only two or three times a month, depending on the weather. During the summer, in hot, sunny areas, you may need to water every three or four days.

Why does my azalea looks dead?

Fungal diseases can strike azaleas and cause browning leaf margins and other symptoms. Dieback, a fungal disease triggered by stress, causes foliage to wilt and yellow and twigs and branches to die. ... With this fungus, you may see brown margins, wilting, discolored and dead leaves. Branches may die.

What is killing my azalea bushes?

Two boring insects that cause dying branches on azaleas include the rhododendron borer and the rhododendron stem borer. ... There is no conventional insecticide that kills the larvae because they are protected inside the branch. The best treatment is to cut back affected branches in early spring and late summer.

How far back can you trim azaleas?

You can cut the overgrown shrub back in one fell swoop, or spread the pruning out over several seasons. If you choose the all-at-once approach, cut all the branches back to 6-12 inches above ground level in late winter or very early spring, before they would ordinarily flush out with new growth.

Do azaleas have a lifespan?

Azalea bushes can live for 50 years with proper care. ... Azalea bushes have a long lifespan with proper care, as some plants can live for as long as 50 years.

How do you make azaleas grow faster?

Apply an azalea fertilizer to your Encore® Azaleas at the recommended rate annually in the spring after the first bloom cycle is completed. Plants in shade may grow taller than plants growing in the sun.

Can I use Miracle Grow on Camellia?

Miracle-Gro Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron Continuous Release Plant Food is the perfect feed for ericaceous, acid-loving or lime-hating plants. ... It produces healthier plants with more blooms and greener leaves. One application feeds for the whole growing season removing the need for regular feeding.

Can azaleas be moved while in bloom?

Although smaller shrubs are easier to move, it is possible to transplant even full-grown azaleas. ... Note that cutting top-growth back on azaleas anytime except soon after they flower will mean sacrificing some or all of the next season's bloom.