How to feed rhododendron in spring for successful development and lush flowering
Knowing how to feed rhododendron in spring, you can grow a beautiful and healthy plant. It is a luxurious shrub that, under suitable conditions, is covered with flowers of various shades. However, this beautiful plant is quite capricious in terms of growing. If you do not feed it on time, then you will not wait for a lush flowering. Not any fertilizers are suitable for rhododendron, and certain rules must be followed when applying them.
How to feed rhododendron in spring
Mineral salts have a good effect on the plant.
All fertilizers can be divided into three categories:
- Organic fertilizers. They can be applied both in the form of solutions and mulch soil around the plants. For these purposes, manure is useful, preferably in the form of slurry, it is possible with the addition of superphosphate. Manure itself is allowed to take any (pork, cow, horse). You can also use bird droppings, peat, compost. Half-rotted manure is simply laid out on top of the soil in a layer of 5-7 cm. Rhododendron reacts especially well to the introduction of horn shavings or flour, they are excellent sources of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds.
- Mineral fertilizers. The simplest mixture is to take one tbsp. l. superphosphate and potassium salts, mix with 2 tbsp. l. ammonium sulfate. This amount is enough for a square meter of land. Good results are obtained by the use of universal remedies Kemira, Pocon.
For clayey areas, iron chelate is required. At the beginning of spring, the plant needs fertilizers rich in nitrogen, for example, potassium nitrate. It is also beneficial to water rhododendron with solutions of ammonium sulfate, magnesium or potassium. They adjust soil pH well. Of the compounds containing phosphorus, superphosphate or potassium phosphate, as well as phosphorus fat, are suitable for bushes. Dry fat is scattered over the ground as soon as the snow melts. They will penetrate the ground when it is watered. - Growth stimulants as well as flowering. When introducing drugs Zircon or an Epin plant will actively develop a rhizome, bloom luxuriantly. The products can be used for spraying. In addition to them, for rhododendron, you can use Ecogel-antistress, HB-101 or Emerald, Ferovit.
In addition to them, there are biological preparations (Roda, Azalea Azet) based on beneficial microorganisms.
Rules for the introduction of drugs
When applying dressings for rhododendron shrubs, certain rules must be followed, otherwise there will be no benefit from fertilizers.
Horny flour can be used to fertilize rhododendron. It contains a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus, without which the flower cannot develop normally.
Mixing tips:
- If the plants are young, then they can only be fed with liquid fertilizers. Dry or granulated are contraindicated for them. When making solutions, the plant will quickly absorb them into the rhizome. Before the procedure, you need to water the shrubs well, you can use acidified water (for a bucket of water 2 tablespoons of food grade citric acid).
- Granular fertilizers cannot be used for regions with cold climates.They will penetrate the soil towards the end of summer, this will cause vigorous growth of branches and foliage on the shrub. As a result, he will not have time to prepare for winter, and may freeze.
- Ash as fertilizer is categorically contraindicated for rhododendron: it changes the acidity of the soil. This leads to the fact that the flower is sick more often, especially chlorosis, which is difficult to treat.
- Excessive phosphate fertilization leads to poor absorption of iron compounds by the plant from the soil. Lack of the mineral also provokes chlorosis. More often young flowers suffer from it.
- Any fertilizer should not be applied during flowering. Until the shrub blooms, it is not fed.
- All nutrient compounds must be applied in not too hot weather, and even less so in dry soil. This can burn the rhizome. After it, the bushes take a long time to recover, they may even die. It is better to water them with solutions in the early morning or late in the evening.
While the shrubs are blooming, foliar dressings are not applied to them, they are not even sprayed with plain water. From this plant will shed all its flowers and unopened buds.
Rhododendron needs mandatory spring feeding in order to form a sufficient number of buds. They are especially necessary for young shrubs. If the plant lacks any element, it will immediately signal a change in the color of the foliage.