How to Care for a Potted Azalea Plant

A potted azalea plant is a beautiful home accessory.

Potted azalea plants are popular to give and receive as gifts and are often purchased instead of cut flowers to add a long-lasting splash of color to a home's décor. While once only available seasonally from greenhouse growers, potted azaleas are now found almost year-round in colors like pale pink, magenta, lavender and white. With the proper growing conditions and care, your greenhouse-raised potted azalea plant will bloom every year.

Things You'll Need

• Dish pan or sink
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Place your flowering azalea plant in a well-lit area but out of direct sunlight, which fades blooms and shortens the lifespan of the bloom. A cool temperature of 60 to 65 degrees F is also recommended by the University of Missouri Extension to prolong the life of the blossoms.

2. Keep the potting medium, which is normally sphagnum peat moss, moist, but not wet, at all times. Water by submersing the bottom of the pot in a dish pan or sink filled with several inches of unsoftened water. Once bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the water, pull the potted azalea out of the water and let drain before returning it to its draining dish.

3. Pinch off spent flowers with your fingers to avoid various plant diseases and to keep the plant looking its best.

4. Move the potted azalea, once it has finished flowering, to a sunny window. Continue to keep the soil moist as you give it a well-balanced houseplant fertilizer, following manufacturer's instructions, every other week.

5. Submerge your potted azalea in the ground outdoors in the spring once the threat of frost has passed. Choose a shady location. Keep the azalea watered and fertilized throughout the spring and summer, watching for signs of pests and disease.

6. Return the potted azalea to the indoors in the fall, before any sign of frost, and place it in a location with filtered light and temperatures of 40 to 50 degrees F for a rest period. Be sure to keep it properly watered and fertilized.

7. Move your potted azalea back to a sunny location in January, and wait for your efforts to be rewarded with azalea buds and blossoms.

Tips & Warnings

• If the leaves on your azalea begin turning yellow, the plant is not receiving enough acid. Apply an acid fertilizer formulated for azaleas to remedy this problem.

• Do not attempt to rebloom your potted azalea plant without the proper growing conditions.

References

• Virginia Cooperative Extension: Care of Specialty Potted Plants--Azaleas
• University of Missouri Extension: Care of Flowering Plants--Azaleas
• Texas Agriculture Extension Service: House Plants--Azaleas

Resources

• Azalea Society of America: Frequently Asked Questions