Homemade Potting Mixes for Azaleas

Potting Mixes

• Azaleas are acid-loving flowering plants that thrive in organically rich potting mixes with a pH between 5.0 and 5.5. Combining equal parts commercial potting soil, peat moss, coarse horticultural sand and perlite creates a simple, homemade potting mix that meets your azaleas' soil requirements. Mixing two parts commercial potting soil, two parts coarse horticultural sand, two parts peat moss, one part leaf mold and one part aged manure provides azaleas with even more essential nutrients. Azaleas perform well in either of these mixes. Which to use is the gardener's discretion.

Potting Azaleas

• Careful container preparation and potting practices are essential to your azaleas' long-term health. Select a pot or container large enough to accommodate the roots and has at least four 1/4-inch diameter drainage holes in the bottom. Place 2 inches gravel, broken pottery pieces or marbles in the container's bottom. This facilitates healthy drainage and reduces the amount of potting mix washed out each time you irrigate. Fill the container with the homemade potting mix. Plant the azaleas so the root ball's top sits 2 inches above the mix's surface.

Outdoor Azalea Care

• Azaleas grow and bloom best in sites with partial sun exposure. Position potted azaleas in a site receiving two to three hours of direct sun per day, and bright, filtered sunlight the rest of the day. Potted plants receive drying winds from all sides. Frequent watering prevents the potting mix from becoming too dry. Irrigate your potted azaleas two to three times per week from late March through August keeping the mix evenly moistened. Apply supplemental irrigation to the potting mix's surface. Avoid overhead irrigation, which invites botanical disease. Fertilize potted azaleas with a product specially formulated for acid-loving plants. Apply the first application in early May and a subsequent application at the beginning of June.

Indoor Azalea Care

• Azalea's low-light requirements make it well suited for growing indoors, and its colorful blooms brighten up indoor home landscapes. Place your potted azaleas within 3 feet of a window that receives bright, indirect sunlight for six or more hours per day. Water indoor azaleas at least once per week, keeping the potting mix from drying out. Feed your azaleas with a half-strength application of an acid-loving plant fertilizer every other month while the plants are actively growing and flowering.