"W" wrote:

I'm trying to plant Azalea Trees for the first time, and I've been told they
are temperamental and difficult to grow. I wanted to get opinions on these
issues:

Azaleas are considered shrubs though some do get quite tall when they
get very old.

1) I was told to plant them in shade. In California, where the sun in
summer might be 95 to 105 frequently, how many hours a day can the trees
have direct sunlight?

Typically they need about 3 hours of sun a day or equivalent (on clear
days) to bloom adequately. A with all things, some require more sun and
some do quite well in the shade.

2) I was told to use an acid soil. The instructions for that soil say to
mix one part existing soil with two parts of the acid plant mix. How
important is it to mix in with the existing soil, and can you just plant in
the acid mix directly?

On of the best ways to plant azaleas in areas with alkaline soil is to
use a raised bed with all acidic soil, no native soil. Azaleas have
shallow roots, so if you place a raised bed, about 10 to 12 deep above
he native soil, you should do OK. Drainage is most important.

3) I know you should not use peat moss directly as the soil, but could you
put in a base of peat moss well under the plant just to give it a reservoir
of water that the roots could grow down to and across? Is there any harm
in having a small top layer of peat moss, just to give a slow drip of water
down to the roots from the top?

Peat moss is a soil ammendment, not a soil. It rots and then you will
have nothing, so do not treat it as a soil. Mix it with soil. Never
use as a mulch either. It dries out easily and is useless. Its novelty
is that it acts like a sponge, holding water while keeping the soil from
being too wet. That is what it should be used for.

4) How often should you add fertilizer on the top soil layer?

Fertilization is not necessary in most good soils. If you do fertilize,
do so around bloom time in the spring and only use a good azalea
granular fertilizer like Hollytone and use once per year at half the
rate on the package. Watersoluable fertilizers like Miracid/MiracleGrow
are only useful in a greenhouse where plants are fertilized with the
watering system.

Any other tips on caring for Azalea trees?

Check my website below:
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://rhodyman.net/rahome.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://rhodyman.net/rabooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6