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Azaleas Sign In/Join 
posted
I planted azaleas 6 yrs. ago, they never have bloomed and have not grown that much. We are in zone 7 - they are in part sun/part shade. Have fertilized them in early March. Do you know why they are not blooming?
 
Posts: 341 | Location: Amherst, VA USA | Registered: Jul 25, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Found this for you on the usda gardening site.
quote:
Too much nitrogen in early summer may encourage vegetative growth at the expense of flower bud formation, so limit fertilizer applications to the fall or spring or skip the fertilizer all together. Although azaleas are well adapted to partial shade, deep shade produces spindly, weak growth and few flower buds. Azaleas usually won't flower well if planted under trees with dense foliage, such as maples, beeches, and pines. Plant in the diffused light under widely spaced, high-crowned trees like oaks and tulip poplars. Deer and rabbits may eat many of the flower buds as they browse in the winter, particularly if the weather is harsh and other food is scarce. Flower buds can also be damaged by cold, dry winds, particularly when warm winter weather is followed by a period of bitter cold.


Hope it helps.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've decided to quit my job, drop out of society, and wear live animals as hats."
 
Posts: 7250 | Location: Black Creek, WI Zone 5 | Registered: Sep 18, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks for you input. I planted the azaleas under dogwood and redbud trees. They are near the woods. They get equal amounts of sun and shade. Wish me luck. (I am good friends of deer off and liquid fence.)
 
Posts: 341 | Location: Amherst, VA USA | Registered: Jul 25, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Good luck, I hope you can get it to bloom for you.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've decided to quit my job, drop out of society, and wear live animals as hats."
 
Posts: 7250 | Location: Black Creek, WI Zone 5 | Registered: Sep 18, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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East side and what was said above.
Not good in shade. Morning sun is what they want.
Fertilize after spring bloom. That's when you prune, too--a couple of weeks after the last bloom drops.
 
Posts: 5849 | Location: western PA | Registered: Sep 20, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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What is the soil pH where the azalea is planted?
What kind of soil is this Azalea planted in?
Azaleas, like all the other Rhododendrons, are understory plants of the forest and eveloved growing in acidic soils well endowed with organic matter that are evenly moist but well drained. Depending on your climate Azaleas can take sometimes more, and sometimes much less then full sun. The flowers you see this year were formed last year, providing the plants are growing where they are comfortable and have all they need to grow strong and healthy.


The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
 
Posts: 7930 | Location: Twin Lake, MI USA | Registered: Aug 19, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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No bloom, stop all fertilizing until it does bloom.
This applies not only to azalea but to any flowering plant.
Any type of fertilizer, including compost, should be cut back to induce the plant to produce budding.
 
Posts: 328 | Registered: Mar 22, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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My child is not growing so therefore I should stop feeding my child until it starts to grow.


The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
 
Posts: 7930 | Location: Twin Lake, MI USA | Registered: Aug 19, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Any type of fertilizer, including compost, should be cut back to induce the plant to produce budding.


Compost is ALWAYS good! It isn't heavy on N, it is much more balanced and our soils NEED the organic matter!
Besides, that is what nature does, compost...look in the woods & you can see!


"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
 
Posts: 2921 | Location: SW Ga. 8a/b | Registered: Apr 21, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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