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Azalea question (not blooming)
I have an azalea in front of the house which is in its 4th season
after being purchased in a gallon pot, and it has never bloomed. Each year it puts out new leaves and grows a bit larger, but no flower buds. I don't know the exact cultivar but it is one of the deciduous ones with a very open habit and peach-colored blossoms (well, they would be, if any ever appeared). It is on the southwest side of the house, Zone 5-6 (Northern Ohio), gets about 3-4 hours of sun a day, and gets no special treatment other than watering and very infrequent fertilization. There is another azalea next to it, planted at the same time, which is blooming OK. It is a "Hershey" red, one of the boxwood-like evergreen ones. Do azaleas need to establish for a few years before they begin to bloom? Or is mine unhappy about something (soil pH, light exposure, etc.) - Alex |
#2
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Azalea question (not blooming)
it could be it is not "bud" winter hardy in your area. what kind of azalea is it?
Ingrid Alexander Pensky wrote: I have an azalea in front of the house which is in its 4th season after being purchased in a gallon pot, and it has never bloomed. Each year it puts out new leaves and grows a bit larger, but no flower buds. I don't know the exact cultivar but it is one of the deciduous ones with a very open habit and peach-colored blossoms (well, they would be, if any ever appeared). It is on the southwest side of the house, Zone 5-6 (Northern Ohio), gets about 3-4 hours of sun a day, and gets no special treatment other than watering and very infrequent fertilization. There is another azalea next to it, planted at the same time, which is blooming OK. It is a "Hershey" red, one of the boxwood-like evergreen ones. Do azaleas need to establish for a few years before they begin to bloom? Or is mine unhappy about something (soil pH, light exposure, etc.) - Alex ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List http://puregold.aquaria.net/ www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make. |
#4
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Azalea question (not blooming)
Alexander Pensky wrote:
I have an azalea in front of the house which is in its 4th season after being purchased in a gallon pot, and it has never bloomed. Each year it puts out new leaves and grows a bit larger, but no flower buds. I don't know the exact cultivar but it is one of the deciduous ones with a very open habit and peach-colored blossoms (well, they would be, if any ever appeared). It is on the southwest side of the house, Zone 5-6 (Northern Ohio), gets about 3-4 hours of sun a day, and gets no special treatment other than watering and very infrequent fertilization. There is another azalea next to it, planted at the same time, which is blooming OK. It is a "Hershey" red, one of the boxwood-like evergreen ones. Do azaleas need to establish for a few years before they begin to bloom? Or is mine unhappy about something (soil pH, light exposure, etc.) This could be one of 3 distinct problems: 1) Bud Blast, 2) No Buds, or 3) Buds Dying. 1) BUD BLAST is a symptom of the fungal disease Pycnostysanus, but may also be caused by a late frost or application of a nitrogen containing fertilizer too late in the season which prevents the buds from hardening off. In all cases the buds turn brown or black. If it is a Pycnostysanus infection, the dead bud will be covered with short hair-like structures. Pycnostysanus is best controlled by sanitation, but may be reduced by spraying buds with fungicide. Avoid application of nitrogen after late spring, but phosphorus and potassium may be applied throughout the growing season. 2) FAILURE TO SET FLOWER BUDS may be a sign of too much health and vigor in a plant. One solution my be to prune the roots by cutting around the plant with a spade or moving the plant. This will check foliage growth and encourage production of flower buds. Application of nitrogen rich fertilizers are the main cause of vigor which suppresses flower bud production. Deadheading flowers as soon as they wilt can promote flower bud production. Too much shade, a cool wet summer, or inadequate phosphorus or potassium in the soil may also suppress flower bud production. There are a number of other reasons for a lack of flowers. The effect of each variable depends upon the variety of the plant. The effects include: * Pruning. The buds are formed in late summer and early fall so pruning then or later is not advisable since it will remove flower buds. New leaf buds will form in the spring, but new flower buds won't form until the next year. * Variety. Some plants will never bloom. Some rhododendron that come from the seed of a hybrid plant will look good butwill never produce flowers or will produce very poor flowers. To come true to the parent plant, a hybrid may be propagated by cuttings or tissue culture but not from seed. A good hybrid seedling only comes about once in a while. For that reason it is important to know that you are getting a good named variety or a good species. * Fertilizing. Nitrogen promotes leaf and branch growth and discourages flower bud production. It can also force late season growth that gets killed or stunted by frost damage. Phosphorus promotes flower bud production and hardiness. Potassium is necessary for well being. * Weather. Cold weather can kill flower buds. Usually you see the brown buds in the spring. Cold spells in the fall or spring can damage buds that are not hardened off. Bud blast (blooming in fall or winter) uses up good buds which are then not available at the normal blooming time. * Age. Most rhododendron take 2 to 3 years to bloom from a rooted cutting unless forced. Some take longer and some bloom sooner. From seeds the plant may take 1 or 2 additional years. * Exposure. Some rhododendron need full sun to bloom and others can take fairly dense shade. In general, the more sun the more flower buds but also the greater exposure to damage from desiccation in summer or winter. More shade produces more foliage and less flowers. * Inspection. You can usually tell if the plant has ever bloomed. A rhododendron that has bloomed will have the seed pods on it unless it has been dead-headed. If dead-headed too late after blooming, new flower buds can be damaged. There are many other cultural variables that influence the plant's health and hence, its ability to produce flowers. 3) FAILURE OF FLOWER BUDS TO OPEN could be due to a number of reasons. On a mature plant if they ever bloomed they will have a few of the seed pods still here and there. If you can't find any old seed pods, then they may have never bloomed. In any case, here are a few suggestions that may help: * Bud set. The buds could be foliage buds rather than flower buds. In this case check the previous section about flower buds not setting. * Bud blast. Plants which are not sufficiently hardened off or are exposed to unseasonal warm spells can start bloom prematurely. These blooms are seldom satisfactory and many times get frozen before opening fully. In any case, the seasonal bloom is lost. Also, disease may attack the buds before they open. * Low temperatures. The buds could be flower buds that froze during the winter. Cold climates are too cold for many rhododendrons. Most rhododendrons have a low temperature at which the flower buds are damaged and will not produce flowers. It varies greatly from variety to variety. * Nutrients. Improper nutrients my be a problem that affects cold hardiness and flower bud set. A few things you can do are to fertilize with phosphorus (super-phosphate) per directions to increase hardiness and flower bud set. This can be done any time. Do not use nitrogen rich fertilizers as they may inhibit flower bud production and also reduce cold hardiness. Lawn fertilizers are notoriously high in nitrogen and should be kept away from flowering plants. * Acidity. Measure the pH and acidify if necessary. Flowers of sulfur (powdered sulfur) is the best chemical to use to increase the acidity [lower the pH]. Do not use aluminum sulfate since aluminum salts build up in the soil and eventually becomes toxic to many plants including rhododendron and azaleas. If soil is too acid, the symptoms can be the same. Very acidic soil can prevent the roots from taking up nutrients. As many of my rhododendrons are planted in very acidic forest soil, an application of Dolomite and a light topdressing of mushroom manure in late spring is all they need. Sprinkle the lime on in late winter, very early spring. Don't overdo it - just a light sprinkle. If it is mid-spring, get the lime on right away so the rhododendron roots will be able to take up the soil nutrients in time for new growth. If you don't have rain, water it in well. * Protection. If the plants are wrapped in burlap during the winter, they may gain a few more degrees in hardiness. * Drought. When soil moisture is too low, the buds will not open. Watering will usually resolve this condition if detected soon enough. -- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at: http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning/rhody.html Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at: http://members.aol.com/rhodyman/rhodybooks.html Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning |
#5
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Azalea question (not blooming)
Stephen M. Henning wrote:
Alexander Pensky wrote: I have an azalea in front of the house which is in its 4th season after being purchased in a gallon pot, and it has never bloomed. Each year it puts out new leaves and grows a bit larger, but no flower buds. I don't know the exact cultivar but it is one of the deciduous ones with a very open habit and peach-colored blossoms (well, they would be, if any ever appeared). It is on the southwest side of the house, Zone 5-6 (Northern Ohio), gets about 3-4 hours of sun a day, and gets no special treatment other than watering and very infrequent fertilization. There is another azalea next to it, planted at the same time, which is blooming OK. It is a "Hershey" red, one of the boxwood-like evergreen ones. Do azaleas need to establish for a few years before they begin to bloom? Or is mine unhappy about something (soil pH, light exposure, etc.) Steve, thanks for this informative reply... I'm still not sure I can find my problem among those you listed. This could be one of 3 distinct problems: 1) Bud Blast, 2) No Buds, or 3) Buds Dying. [...] I'm pretty sure I'm not getting any flower buds at all, so I doubt that it's Bud Blast or buds dying. I think it is failing to set flower buds. The plant is not over-fertilized; in fact it is rarely fertilized at all. [...] * Pruning. The buds are formed in late summer and early fall so pruning then or later is not advisable since it will remove flower buds. New leaf buds will form in the spring, but new flower buds won't form until the next year. I've never pruned it. * Variety. Some plants will never bloom. Some rhododendron that come from the seed of a hybrid plant will look good butwill never produce flowers or will produce very poor flowers. To come true to the parent plant, a hybrid may be propagated by cuttings or tissue culture but not from seed. A good hybrid seedling only comes about once in a while. For that reason it is important to know that you are getting a good named variety or a good species. I doubt it was grown from seed; it was purchased from a reputable greenhouse. * Fertilizing. Nitrogen promotes leaf and branch growth and discourages flower bud production. It can also force late season growth that gets killed or stunted by frost damage. Phosphorus promotes flower bud production and hardiness. Potassium is necessary for well being. Nutrient imbalance is a possibility. [...] * Age. Most rhododendron take 2 to 3 years to bloom from a rooted cutting unless forced. Some take longer and some bloom sooner. From seeds the plant may take 1 or 2 additional years. It was in bloom when I bought it, and was in a 1 or 2 gallon container with branches about 2 feet tall, so I assume it was at least 3 years old when I bought it. - Alex |
#6
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Azalea question (not blooming)
Alexander Pensky wrote:
* Fertilizing. Nitrogen promotes leaf and branch growth and discourages flower bud production. It can also force late season growth that gets killed or stunted by frost damage. Phosphorus promotes flower bud production and hardiness. Potassium is necessary for well being. Nutrient imbalance is a possibility. Azaleas need sun to set flower buds. If your plant has too much shade, then that could be the problem. For nutrients, if the foliage is a nice green, I would just fertilize with holly-tone now. A shot of superphosphate (about a tablespoon) may help also. If the foilage has some yellowing, then you need to go through the process of finding the cause. It could be too acid, not acid enough, to much clay, no boron, too much boron, etc. -- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning |
#7
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Azalea question (not blooming)
Stephen M. Henning wrote:
Azaleas need sun to set flower buds. If your plant has too much shade, then that could be the problem. Sun during what part of the growing cycle? My plant is more or less an understory planting for a huge oak tree about 30 feet away in the yard. So, it gets several hours of full sun in early spring, while it is leafing out and (not) blooming, and the oak hasn't leafed out yet. But in summer, after the oak leafs out, the azalea is in bright dappled shade most of the day, only an hour or two of full sun. |
#8
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Azalea question (not blooming)
Alexander Pensky wrote:
I wrote: Azaleas need sun to set flower buds. If your plant has too much shade, then that could be the problem. Sun during what part of the growing cycle? My plant is more or less an understory planting for a huge oak tree about 30 feet away in the yard. So, it gets several hours of full sun in early spring, while it is leafing out and (not) blooming, and the oak hasn't leafed out yet. But in summer, after the oak leafs out, the azalea is in bright dappled shade most of the day, only an hour or two of full sun. I think this may be your major problem. Not enough sun to set flower buds. The sun requirements of each variety is different. By a process of elimination, you have just about eliminated every other problem. Azaleas sets buds in the summer and early fall. It will need sun then. They are easy to transplant, especially when dormant. You might want to move it more into the sun to see if that snaps it into blooming. -- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at: http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning/rhody.html Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at: http://members.aol.com/rhodyman/rhodybooks.html Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning |
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