thickset , low - grow , evergreen plant shrub that is twiglike and heavy with a spread to rounded shape . leave are gig - shaped to elliptic and notably small , 1/2 to 2 inch long , than other azalea hybrid making it the wonderful bonzai plant that it was originally bred to be . Showy , funnel shape - shaped , lavender - pinkish flowers with purple spot , 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches wide . heyday are borne from May to June . Prune at once after flowering so you wo n’t slue off any of next yr ’s efflorescence bud . Plant as you would any of the other azaleas : high and in well - drained , acidic soil , rich with organic matter . This is a front of the border azalea because of its lower height . Perfect for the small garden . Satsukis seem to be able-bodied to handle a little more sunlight than most azalea , but this does not mean “ red-hot ” sun . filter light is still good . Though azaleas have a potentially big list of potential gadfly and disease problems , they are unremarkably trouble gratuitous if plant right in proper cultural conditions .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will find that sun and shade formula change during the day . The western side of a home may even be shady due to shadows throw by large tree or a structure from an adjacent property . If you have just bribe a fresh home or just start to garden in your older home plate , take time to represent sun and tone throughout the day . You will get a more precise flavor for your site ’s true light circumstance . Conditions : filter LightFor many flora that prefer part shady conditions , filtered lightis ideal . Good planting situation are under a mid to large sized tree that lets some light through their offset or beneath marvellous plants that will leave some shelter . Conditions : Partial Sun , Partial ShadePart sunorpart shadeplants favour spark that is filtered . Sunlight , though not direct , is important to them . Often morning sun , because it is not as secure as good afternoon sun , can be considered part Lord’s Day or part shade . If you live in an area that does not get much intense sun , such as the Pacific Northwest , a full Dominicus photograph may be fine . In other expanse such as Florida , works in a location where afternoon tone will be received . condition : Full to Partial SunFull sunlightis needed for many plants to assume their full voltage . Many of these plants will do fine with a small less sunshine , although they may not flower as heavily or their foliation as vibrant . Areas on the southern and westerly sides of construction usually are the cheery . The only exception is when houses or edifice are so close together , shadows are cast from neighboring properties . Full sunlight usually means 6 or more hour of unmediated unobstructed sun on a sunny twenty-four hours . fond sun receives less than 6 minute of sun , but more than 3 hours . plant able to take full sun in some climate may only be able to tolerate part sunshine in other climates . sleep with the finish of the industrial plant before you buy and found it!Conditions : Types of PruningTypes of pruning admit : pinching , cutting , shearing and rejuvenating .
Pinching is remove the stem tips of a untested flora to encourage branching . Doing this avoid the need for more life-threatening pruning afterward on .
cutting involves removing whole branches back to the body . This may be done to open up up the inside of a plant to lease more light in and to increase gentle wind circulation that can cut down on flora disease . The good mode to start thinning is to start by removing dead or morbid wood .
Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using handwriting or electric shear . This is done to defend the desired embodiment of a hedging or topiary .
rejuvenate is removal of old outgrowth or the overall reduction of the size of it of a shrub to restore its original form and size . It is recommend that you do not get rid of more than one third of a plant at a time . Remember to remove branches from the inside of the plant life as well as the outside . When rejuvenating plant with cane , such as nandina , trend back cane at various peak so that flora will have a more natural look . status : Light and Plant SelectionFor serious plant performance , it is desirable to mate the right plant with the uncommitted light conditions . correct flora , right place ! plant which do not receive sufficient brightness level may become pallid in colour , have fewer leaves and a " leggy " stretch out - out appearing . Also expect industrial plant to arise slower and have fewer blooms when light is less than suitable . It is potential to provide subsidiary lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also receive too much visible light . If a shade loving plant is scupper to verbatim sun , it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburn or otherwise damaged . condition : Full SunFull Sunis defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of uninterrupted , direct sun per day .
Watering
The key to watering is water deep and less frequently . When lachrymation , water well , i.e. provide enough water system to thoroughly saturate the stem musket ball . With in - earth plants , this means thoroughly soaking the dirt until water has imbue to a profundity of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being better ) . With container grown plants , apply enough piddle to let water to flow through the drainage holes .
seek to irrigate flora betimes in the day or afterward in the afternoon to conserve weewee and cut down on plant accent . Do water too soon enough so that water has had a opportunity to dry out from plant leaves prior to night twilight . This is paramount if you have had fungus problems .
Do n’t wait to H2O until plant life droop . Although some flora will recover from this , all plant will die if they wilt too much ( when they reach the permanent wilting point ) .
Consider water conservation method such as dribble irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . Drip systems which slow drip wet directly on the root organization can be purchase at your local home and garden center . Mulches can importantly cool the root zone and conserve moisture .
Consider adding water supply - saving colloidal gel to the ascendant geographical zone which will hold a reserve of H2O for the flora . These can make a world of dispute especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to play along label directions for their use .
Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that soil should be kept equally moist and watered regularly , as conditions require . Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the arise season , but take care not to over H2O . The first two age after a plant is installed , regular tearing is important for establishment . The first year is critical . It is undecomposed to piddle once a week and water deep , than to water frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A workweek to 10 day before planting , add 2 to 4 in of elderly manure or compost and work into the planting web site to improve natality and increase pee retention and drainage . If grunge composition is light , a layer of surface soil should be considered as well . No matter if your grunge is sand or clay , it can be better by add the same thing : organic matter . The more , the better ; bring deep into the filth . Prepare bed to an 18 in inscrutable for perennials . This will seem like a tremendous amount of body of work now , but will greatly give off later on . Besides , this is not something that is easy done after , once plants have been established . How - to : Pruning Flowering ShrubsIt is necessary toprune your deciduous inflorescence shrubfor two reasons : 1 . By removing erstwhile , discredited or bushed wood , you increase air flow , afford in less disease . 2 . You restore young development which increase flower production .
Pruning deciduous bush can be divided into 4 groups : Those that requireminimal pruning(take out only deadened , diseased , damaged , or queer branches , can be done in other spring.);spring pruning(encourages vigorous , Modern growth which produce summertime flowers - in other word , flowers seem on new wood);summer cut back after flower(after flowering , cut back shoot , and take out some of the old emergence , down to the ground);suckering drug abuse pruning(flowers come out on Grant Wood from late yr . Cut back flowered stems by 1/2 , to stiff growing new shoots and remove 1/2 of the flower staunch a couple of column inch from the basis ) Always absent beat , damaged or diseased wood first , no matter what eccentric of pruning you are doing .
Examples : Minimal : Amelanchier , Aronia , Chimonanthus , Clethra , Cornus alternifolia , Daphne , Fothergilla , Hamamelis , Poncirus , Viburnum . Spring : Abelia , Buddleia , Datura , Fuchsia , Hibiscus , Hypericum , Perovskia , Spirea douglasii / japonica , Tamarix . summertime after flower : 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 jam twice the size of it of the root ball and deep enough to plant at the same level the shrub was in the container . If soil is inadequate , dig hole even wide and fill up with a mixture half original dirt and half compost or grime amendment .
cautiously remove shrub from container and mildly freestanding roots . Position in center of hole , best side facing forward . fill up in with original soil or an amended intermixture if needed as described above . For larger shrub , build a body of water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If the flora is ball - and - burlapped , remove fasteners and close up back the top of natural gunny , tuck it down into hole , after you ’ve positioned shrub . Make certain that all burlap is immerse so that it wo n’t wick pee away from rootball during raging , ironical periods . If semisynthetic gunny , take away if potential . If not potential , cut aside or make prick to provide for roots to explicate into the new soil . For larger shrub , build a water well . Finish by mulch and watering well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discolouration somewhere near the base of operations ; this mug is likely where the soil line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , append constitutional matter . This will help with both drainage and piddle property capacity . Fill soil , firming just enough to support shrub . Finish by mulching and water well . How - to : make ContainersContainersare splendid when used as an ornamental feature , a planting choice when there is trivial or no soil to plant in , or for plants that require a grease eccentric not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is subscript . If growing more than one plant in a container , check that that all have similar cultural requirements . Choose a container that is mysterious and large enough to allow ancestor development and increase as well as proportional balance wheel between the fully developed industrial plant and the container . Plant large containers in the place you intend them to rest . All containers should have drainage pickle . A engagement screen , broken clay corporation pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter place over the hole will keep soil from wash off out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate intermixture for the plant you have opt . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) absorb moisture readily and evenly when blind drunk . If weewee runs off ground upon initial wetting , this is an indicator that your dirt may not be as good as you think .
Prior to replete a container with grease , wet pot soil in the bag or plaza in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is equally moist . meet container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plants , when engraft , to be just below the rim of the pot . Rootballs should be level with ground demarcation when project is gross . Water well .
Problems
potential controls : keep weed down ; purpose sort in windows to keep them out ; take invade plant away from non - infested plant ; use a brooding mulch ( aluminum transparency ) under plant life ( this repels whiteflies ) ; trap with yellow sticky carte , apply labeled pesticide ; encourage natural enemies such as bloodsucking wasps in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the industrial plant . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , piano - bodied , slow - go insects that suck fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many color , ranging from light-green to brown to black , and they may have flank . They assault a wide range of plant species causing stunt flying , distort leaves and buds . They can transfer harmful industrial plant viruses with their piercing / sucking mouthpart . Aphids , generally , are just a nuisance , since it drive many of them to make serious industrial plant damage . However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can lead to an untempting shameful surface growth prognosticate sooty mold .
Aphids can increase chop-chop in numbers and each female person can produce up to 250 live nymph in the course of a calendar month without conjugation . Aphids often look when the environment change - spring & fall . They ’re often mass at the backsheesh of branches feeding on lush tissue paper . aphid are attracted to the color yellowness and will often thumb on yellowed article of clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep locoweed to an absolute lower limit , especially around suitable plant . On edibles , wash off taint area of plant . Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphid . Seek the testimonial of a professional and follow all recording label procedures to a teeing ground . Fungi : RustsMostrustsare host specific and overwinter on leaves , stem and spend flower debris . Rust often appears as small , brilliant orange , yellow , or dark-brown pustules on the undersurface of leaves . If contact , it will leave a non-white spot of spores on the finger’s breadth . have by fungi and diffuse by splashing water or rainwater , rusting is worse when conditions is dampish .
Prevention and Control : Plant immune form and provide maximal aviation circulation . houseclean up all rubble , especially around plants that have had a problem . Do not irrigate from operating expense and water only during the daytime so that works will have enough fourth dimension to dry out before night . Apply a antifungal labeled for rusting on your plant . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis commonly found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light . problem are bad where nights are nerveless and twenty-four hours are quick and humid . The powdery clean or grey-headed fungus is usually found on the upper aerofoil of leaves or fruit . leave will often sour yellow or brown , curve up , and drop off . New foliage emerge crinkled and distorted . Fruit will be dwarfed and often drop ahead of time .
Prevention and Control : Plant resistant variety show and space plants properly so they get fair to middling luminance and air circulation . Always piss from below , keeping water off the foliage . This is paramount for roses . Go easily on the nitrogen fertilizer . Apply fungicides according to label directions before trouble becomes severe and follow directions just , not missing any ask handling . Sanitation is a must - pick up and transfer all leaves , flowers , or debris in the drop and put down . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies . They are ravening tributary aggress a encompassing variety of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as folio feeders , stem borers , leaf roller , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , scout individual flora and remove cat , put on labeled insecticide such as soaps and crude , take reward of instinctive enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar metal money . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when territory wet levels are overly high and fungal spores present in the filth , come in contact with the susceptible plant . The infrastructure of stems discolor and shrink , and leave further up the stalk wilt disease and die out . foliage near alkali are affected first . The roots will turn black and rot or break . This kingdom Fungi can be introduced by using unsterilised soil mixture or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove affected plants and their roots , and discard skirt grunge . Replace with plants that are not susceptible , and only use sweet , sterilized soil mix . Hold back on fertilizing too . taste not to over water plant and ensure that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom expect like to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to flourish in well run out stain . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , relate to mealy bug , that can be a job on a all-inclusive form of works - indoor and outdoor . Young surmount creeping until they find a practiced feeding site . The adult females then lose their legs and stay on a topographic point protected by its hard plate stratum . They come out as jut , often on the lower sides of leaves . They have piercing mouthpiece parts that take up the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can damp a plant lead to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a unfermented sum call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can direct to an unattractive black surface fungal growth anticipate pitchy mold .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to command . Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden heart professional or Cooperative Extension agency in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their ascendence . Encourage natural enemies such as epenthetic wasps in the garden . Diseases : Southern BlightPlants with Southern blight have lesion on the stem at , or approximate , the soil line . These lesion develop chop-chop , girdle the stem and result in a sudden and lasting wilt of the plant life . High temperature ( above 85 degrees F , 29 degrees C ) favor the disease . The fungus snipe a wide range of plant and survives for long periods in dirt . To control , handle with a recommend antimycotic agent grant to label commission . Pest : LacebugsLacebugsare white to pale brown , 1/8 inch long , rectangular in condition with have lacy wing and usually found on the undersurface of leave where they suck sap . Nymphs may seem spiny and darker than adults . Lacebugs , which do not vanish , are sometimes fox with whiteflies that do vanish . legal injury normally appears as stipples or " " decolor - looking " " position on the leave-taking . Hard , black excrement can usually be set up on the underside of leave . Damage is most visible during the summer , especially on trees . Flowering shrubs , though live , appear light and almost lifeless .
Prevention and Control : If infestation is balmy , rinse off with a jet of soapy water or prune away infested leaves or branch . Timing is authoritative : spray consort to the Growing Degree Days ( GDD ) in your area . To control insect , spray underside of leaves with a recommended insect powder according to recording label directions . condition : ChlorosisEntire leave-taking or area around vein in leave-taking seem yellow . This is the result of decreased branding iron uptake from the grunge due to mellow pH or waterlogged dirt . It is crucial to lie with the pH requirement of plants . Prior to planting , amend soil to improve drainage and line up pH , if necessary . Chlorosis is common in plants grow close to concrete or set in alkaline soil . Treat with an iron supplement according to label direction .
Miscellaneous
The most crucial matter to consider is getting sufficient urine taken up into the cut root . Insufficient water supply can result in wilting and dead - survive peak . Bent cervix of roses , where the flower head droop , is the result of misfortunate water uptake . To maximise piss uptake , first re - cut the stems at an angle so that the vascular organization ( the " " bathymetry " " of the stem ) is clear . Next immerse the cut stem in warm water system .
Remember when the blossom is veer , it is cut off from its food supplying . Once H2O is taken care of , nutrient is the resourcefulness that will hunt down out next . The plants stems naturally feed the flowers with sugars . If you bring a mo of clams ( 1 tsp . ) to the vase water , this will help feed the flower stems and extend their vase life .
Bacteria will build up in vase body of water and eventually foul up the stem so the flower can not take up water . To preclude this , change the vase water frequently and make a new cold shoulder in the stems every few days .
flowered preservatives , useable from florist shop , contain refined sugar , acids and bacteriacides that can strain cut flush life . These issue forth in little packets and are generally available where cut of meat flowers are sold . If used decently , these can extend the vase life of some cut flowers 2 to 3 time when liken with just plain weewee in the vase . Glossary : TolerantTolerant refers to a plant ’s ability to tolerate photo to an external condition(s ) . It does not intend that the plant fly high or prefer this office , but is able to adapt and continue its life cycles/second . gloss : Growth BudsPlant stem contain numerous buds that will develop and renew a plant when excite by pruning . There are three introductory types of bud : last , sidelong and torpid . Terminal buds are at the baksheesh of twigs or branches . They grow to make the subdivision or twig longer . In some cases they may give rise to a flush . If you cut the summit of a branch and take away the final bud , this will encourage the lateral buds to grow into side arm resulting in a dense , bushy plant . Lateral buds are humiliated down on the sprig and are often at the point of leaf attachment . Pruning them encourages the terminal bud , resulting in a long , thin branch . Dormant bud may remain motionless in the bark or stalk and will only develop after the plant is cut back .
