Rhododendron yellow or Pontic azalea: photo of subsorts, characteristic pests and diseases, as well as how to propagate the flower and how to properly care for it?

Beautiful arrangement of window sills with exotic plants in houses and apartments has long been available not only to the "chosen ones", but to absolutely any grower. Everyone is now able to create their own unique design, to come up with their own “highlight”, which will become the real pride of the owner.

Pontic azalea or yellow azalea, of course, can take its rightful place in the individual design. In the article you will see an illustration of the subspecies of this plant, and also learn a lot about it new and interesting. Enjoy reading.

Brief definition

Pontic Azalea - in nature it is a high deciduous shrub of the heather family, reaches a height of 4 meters. Widely distributed in Japan, China, often found in Belarus and southern Russia.

Perfect for growing in the middle lane.

Detailed description

Interestingly, this flower is also called "Yellow Fool" due to the too strong aroma of flowers. Pontic azalea grows rapidly, branches strongly, has good resistance to various diseases. But dry air does not tolerate well.

Leaves - elongated, dark green, ciliated along the edge. Young leaves are released pubescent, but over time, this fluff disappears.
Flowers - large yellow (may be pink or purple), smell very strong (just stupefy). Petals fused only below, slightly bent, collected 10 to 12 pieces in umbrella inflorescences.
Fetus - a seed box of cylindrical shape.
Roots - The root system is superficial.

History of occurrence

Azalea of Pontus was first mentioned in the works of the Greek writer Xenophon (430 BC). Warriors of the Greek army were poisoned with honey collected from nectar growing on the Pontic hills of Azaleas. At the end of the 17th century, the French botanist Joseph Python de Tournefort made a drawing after his expedition and made a detailed description of this Azalea.

How is this plant used in life?

Due to the spectacular flowering and aroma, this plant is successfully used for decorative purposes.
Essential oil with a very pleasant aroma is made from flowers.
Leaves and flowers of Azalea Pontic possess unique healing properties and are widely used in folk medicine.

What is the difference from other types of rhododendron?

It stands out among other species with a bright color of flowers and a very strong aroma. Also, the ability of the leaves to change their color from green to bright orange and red.

Subsorta and their photos

Rhododendron of Pontius has many diverse hybrid varieties, consider the most famous and popular among them.

Cessille

A sprawling bush with pale pink flowers, the crown of the flower is formed in a semicircle.

Coccinhea Specosa

Clearly vertical bush with bright orange flowers, a lush crown.

Nancy Voterer

A plant with large yellow flowers of an unusual shape, all the petals have a wavy, slightly corrugated edge.

Bloom

When and how does this happen?

Flowering occurs in winter and spring.may last one to two months. Flowers are collected in spectacular inflorescences of 12 pieces. During flowering, the bush is almost completely covered with flowers, leaves are not visible.

Care before and after

Most importantly, it is necessary to create conditions conducive to, rather than hindering, the development of the plant. Before flowering, Azalea Ponticia needs moist air, moderately moist soil, good lighting. After flowering, the bush needs pruning, it must be formed.

Attention! Watch the watering, the soil should not dry out.

What to do if it does not bloom?

Maybe you overshadowed the plant, but it needs light. It is necessary to rearrange closer to the light or to provide illumination with a phytolamp. Another reason may be dry air - be sure to moisten the air.

Use in garden design

Looks great in group landings, correctly puts emphasis on its bright yellow color. Also good Azalea Pontic and in solitary landings, revitalizes any space, any corner of the garden.

Step-by-step care instructions

Seat selection - grows well on the sunny windowsill, but can tolerate a small partial shade. It is very useful to put an aquarium next to the plant.
What should be the soil - it should be nutritious, but light and loose, acidic or slightly acidic in composition. The most convenient, of course, is to purchase a substrate in a store. You can add a little perlite to it.
Landing - planting is best in the spring, but, in principle, it is possible at any other time, only without breaking the earthen lump. It’s better to take a ceramic pot and don’t forget about the obligatory drainage layer first. From above, after planting, you can cover the soil with dried coconut fiber or moss.
Temperature - great if the plant will be provided with a temperature "corridor" from 10 to 18 degrees heat. In hot weather, you can achieve the desired temperature using an air conditioner.
Watering - you need a good one, the plant is demanding on soil moisture, but does not tolerate stagnation of water. Therefore, the guideline should be the drying of the top layer of the soil - as soon as it starts to dry out slightly - we water it. Water is required to be soft, you can defend it, you can use the filter.
Top dressing - you need to fertilize Azalea once a week (or two weeks), it is best to use the specially prepared fertilizer “For Azaleas” for this, prepare the solution clearly according to the instructions, an overdose can greatly damage the root system.
Pruning - pruning should take place after flowering, you can shorten all branches by about 1/3 of the part, or selectively prune, choosing a specific shape. Also, you need to periodically during the flowering to remove wilted flowers so that they do not weaken the plant. During the summer we pinch new young twigs, leaving 4 or 5 leaves on each, the crown will become more magnificent.
Transfer - Of course, transplantation costs in the spring or, in extreme cases, in September. It is better not to destroy the lump of land during transplantation (if only in the case of the presence of any pests, root system processing is required). Young plants need a transplant every year, and adults every 3 years.
How to prepare for winter - Starting in October, you need to ensure the Azalea temperature within 10 degrees for the correct laying of flower buds. From January, the temperature should be slightly higher (about 15 - 16 degrees) to stimulate flowering.

How to propagate?

Azalea pontic good propagated by cuttings and seeds.

Cuttings

This method allows you to save all varietal characteristics of the flower.

Cuttings are cut after flowering about 6-8 cm long.
Then you need to dip them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and immerse in light soil.
After about 2 months (when kept under a film and at a temperature of 25 degrees), roots will appear, now they can be transplanted into a voluminous box with pine soil and peat and kept in it for about two more months.

Seeds

In spring, you need to sow the seeds in a prepared mixture of sand with peat to the surface.
Sprinkle on top (spray from the spray gun) and sprinkle lightly with clean sand.
After 3 to 4 weeks (when kept in greenhouse conditions), shoots will appear.
You will need to dive twice - in June and in March, around May, you can plant in separate pots.

Diseases and Pests

Disease - Most often, Pontic Azalea can get sick with chlorosis, root rot, leaf spot, rust. Treatment with Copper Chloride, Bordeaux Liquid and Fundazole will help.
Pests - “main enemies” here: spider mite and rhododendron bug. For preventive measures, you need to periodically wash the plant under a warm shower, because these pests appear only due to dry air. You can get rid of them with the help of "Actara" or "Actellika."

Prevention of various problems

So that no problems annoy the beauty of Azalea, you need to properly organize her service, take proper care of her. And for this you just need to follow the rules of care.

Pontic azalea pleasantly stands out among all the others with its ease of care and unpretentiousness. This species tolerates high temperature, it can do without feeding for some time. And how much bright beauty gives when it blooms! Her sunlight energizes joy and vivacity. Let this plant be one of the first planted on your windowsill and it will provide a powerful incentive for beautiful flowers to decorate the entire apartment.