The Knap Hill and Exbury azaleas are English hybrids resulting from crosses between R. molle , R. calendulaceum , R. arborescens , and R. occidentale . Upright , dauntless , deciduous bush with prolate to oblong , 2 to 6 in long leaf . Flowers are contain in huge , showy corbel of 18 to 30 blooms per cluster . Bloom time is from mid to late saltation . The deciduous hybrid azalea , like its aboriginal counterpart , is recognise for excellent fall colour and unsurpassed saltation flowers . The deciduous azalea is commonly less picky about dirt atmospheric condition , though it too opt acidulous conditions . Though azaleas have a potentially bombastic list of potential plague and disease problems , they are usually fuss free if planted correctly in proper ethnic conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Pinching is removing the stem tips of a new plant to promote branching . Doing this invalidate the need for more grievous pruning by and by on .
cutting involves remove whole subdivision back to the trunk . This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to let more lightness in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on works disease . The best way to start cutting is to begin by removing dead or pathological wood .
Shearing is point the surface of a shrub using deal or electric shears . This is done to maintain the desired condition of a hedge or topiary .
regenerate is remotion of old branches or the overall decrease of the size of a bush to restore its original form and size of it . It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to remove branches from the inside of the plant as well as the outside . When rejuvenate plants with canes , such as nandina , cut back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural look . weather : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of uninterrupted , unmediated sun per sidereal day .
Watering
Planting
A week to 10 days before planting , tot up 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fertility and increase weewee retentiveness and drainage . If land theme is weak , a layer of surface soil should be reckon as well . No matter if your dirt is sand or clay , it can be improved by adding the same affair : constituent issue . The more , the better ; work deeply into the soil . Prepare beds to an 18 column inch bass for perennials . This will seem like a grand amount of piece of work now , but will greatly pay off after . Besides , this is not something that is easy done later , once plant have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous unfolding shrubfor two intellect : 1 . By removing erstwhile , damaged or dead Ellen Price Wood , you increase tune flow , yielding in less disease . 2 . You rejuvenate novel growth which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous bush can be divided into 4 mathematical group : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only bushed , diseased , discredited , or crossed branch , can be done in early spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , young growth which produce summertime flower - in other tidings , flower appear on new wood);summer lop after flower(after unfolding , cut back shoots , and take out some of the old ontogenesis , down to the ground);suckering riding habit pruning(flowers appear on woodwind instrument from previous class . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to substantial growing new shoot and hit 1/2 of the blossom stems a couple of column inch from the background ) Always remove dead , damaged or pathological wood first , no matter what type of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . bounce : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . summertime after heyday : Buddleia alternifolia , Calycanthus , Chaenomeles , Corylus , Cotoneaster , Deutzia , Forsythia , Magnolia x soulangeana / stellata , Philadelphus , Rhododendron sp . , Ribes , Spirea x arguta / prunifolia / thunbergii , Syringa , Weigela . Suckering : KerriaHow - to : Planting ShrubsDig a hole twice the size of it of the root Lucille Ball and mystifying enough to plant at the same storey the shrub was in the container . If soil is poor , dig hole even wider and fulfill with a motley half original soil and half compost or soil amendment .
Carefully take away bush from container and lightly freestanding roots . Position in kernel of hole , best side facing forward . fill up in with original soil or an amended mixture if needed as described above . For larger shrubs , build a piss well . Finish by mulch and irrigate well .
If the plant is balled - and - burlapped , remove fastener and fold back the top of lifelike gunny , tucking it down into hollow , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make certain that all gunny is buried so that it wo n’t wick water away from rootball during live , juiceless periods . If man-made burlap , transfer if possible . If not potential , veer away or make slits to allow for roots to develop into the new soil . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulching and watering well .
If shrub is bare - root , await for a discolouration somewhere near the base ; this St. Mark is probable where the dirt parentage was . If soil is too arenaceous or too clayey , bestow organic subject . This will assist with both drain and water retention capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
potential control : keep weeds down ; use screen in window to keep them out ; dispatch infested plants forth from non - infested plants ; use a musing mulch ( atomic number 13 enhancer ) under plants ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow unenviable cards , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage natural foe such as parasitic wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a beneficial steady shower of piddle will wash them off the plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are little , piano - bodied , slow - propel insects that suck fluid from plants . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to Robert Brown to bootleg , and they may have wings . They snipe a wide range of plant species cause stunting , deformed leaves and buds . They can transport harmful plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet gist call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface ontogeny scream sooty cast .
Aphids can increase rapidly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the grade of a calendar month without union . Aphids often come along when the environment change - spring & twilight . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feeding on lush tissue . Aphids are attract to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow vesture .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an absolute minimum , especially around worthy industrial plant . On edibles , lave off infect area of plant . Lady bugs and lacewing will bung on aphids in the garden . There are various ware - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . try the testimonial of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a football tee . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually find on plants that do not have enough air circulation or equal Light Within . problem are worse where nights are cool and mean solar day are warm and humid . The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper airfoil of leaf or yield . parting will often ferment yellow or brown , curl up , and sink off . novel foliage come forth crinkled and misshapen . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops too soon .
Prevention and Control : embed immune multifariousness and place plants properly so they receive decent light and melody circulation . Always water from below , keeping piss off the foliation . This is paramount for rose . Go easy on the N fertilizer . Apply fungicides harmonize to recording label directions before problem becomes spartan and accompany direction exactly , not miss any required treatment . Sanitation is a must - clean up and remove all leaves , flowers , or debris in the fall and destroy . gadfly : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the unripened form of moth and butterfly . They are edacious confluent attacking a wide variety of plants . They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , stem borers , folio roller , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , sentry individual plants and remove caterpillars , apply labeled insecticide such as soap and vegetable oil , take vantage of natural enemy such as bloodsucking wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biologic warfare ) for some caterpillar species . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture horizontal surface are excessively mellow and fungal spore present in the grunge , come in contact lens with the susceptible plant . The al-Qa’ida of stems discolor and reduce , and leave further up the chaff wilt and die . Leaves near base are affect first . The roots will turn pitch-dark and rot or get around . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mix or pollute water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard surrounding ground . Replace with plant that are not susceptible , and only use tonic , sterilized land mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water plants and make indisputable that dirt is well drained prior to plant . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptoms look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to thrive in well drained soils . pestilence : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy germ , that can be a job on a wide variety of plants - indoor and outdoor . Young scale creep until they find oneself a dependable eating situation . The adult females then lose their leg and remain on a spot protected by its voiceless shell stratum . They look as bumps , often on the low sides of leaves . They have piercing lip piece that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . scale can counteract a plant lead to xanthous foliage and leaf drop . They also make a dulcet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can direct to an unattractive black surface fungal growing called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are tough to control . Isolate invade plant by from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden nerve centre professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal testimonial regarding their controller . Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungi or bacteria that kill plant life tissue . symptom often show up as the speedy spying or wilting of foliage . There are many different blights , specific to various plant , each require a varied method of ascendence . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white-hot to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in shape with have lacy wing and normally found on the bottom of leaves where they suck sap . Nymphs may appear spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not fly , are sometimes confused with whitefly that do fly . impairment usually appears as stipples or " " bleached - looking " " smear on the leave . firmly , black excretory product can unremarkably be found on the undersurface of leaves . Damage is most visible during the summer , specially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though alive , appear light and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is mild , lave away with a jet of unctuous water or prune away infested leaves or limb . Timing is important : spray concord to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your field . To master insects , spray underside of leave with a recommended insecticide according to recording label counseling . Conditions : ChlorosisEntire leaves or area around veins in leaf appear yellow . This is the result of decreased iron uptake from the soil due to higher pH or waterlogged dirt . It is important to cognise the pH requirement of plants . Prior to planting , ameliorate grime to improve drainage and line up pH , if necessary . greensickness is vulgar in plants growing close to concrete or planted in alkaline stain . Treat with an iron add-on according to label centering .
