Bought on a CNY eve night two years back during a clearance sale at a decent discount. Did not expect it to outlive the CNY period but it did :)
The plant is now thrice the original size. Did a lot of trial and error with the plant. The most fatal mistake will be to add lime or re-pot into alkaline soil. This is an acidic soil loving plant. The whole plant will die back rather quickly if not re-potted into acidic soil.
A less fatal mistake will be to over-water the plant. Azalea dislike wet feet. Water logging or constantly damp soil will cause leaves to yellow and drop, and the branches die back one by one. Water the plant every other day or once every 3 days i.e. allows the soil to reasonable dry up in between watering. Mulch the soil to retain moisture.
Other pointers to keep an azalae plant happy in an equatorial climate...
A light application of organic compost once a month will keep the plant growing healthily and full of blooms.
Azalae loves a mist spray every early morning. This keep the flowers blooming for longer period.
Direct sun light will scale the leaves and flowers.
Partial sun light will also scale the leaves and flowers but to a lesser extend.
Even in shade, low humidity and high temperature can scale the leaves and flowers.
I sat the azalae pot in a pot tray filled with pebbles and water. The pebbles prevent the pot from sitting in the water, and the water provides humidity to the ambient surrounding the azalae plant.
I also placed shady, towering plants and shrubs surrounding the azalae to provide further humidity and cooler ambient.
Only very light trimming is required once in a while. Mainly to remove spent flowers and the occasional browned leaves in the undergrowth.
It took a while for me to understand the azalae's needs, but it's worth it. The azalea is now thriving happily in its little cosy corner with minimum TLC from me.
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