Feeding azaleas and camelias

[Mother Bear]

I read recently that you shouldn't feed azaleas during the winter months. That is why my azalea has looked pretty poorly this season and no flowers. My lovely camelia which had about 20 blooms last year has only produced one flower this year...would that be because I fed that too in the winter months, and didn't wait until the growing season had started?
Any advice appreciated, ta.

[justine]

No i dont think this should have bothered the plants to much.It is still early i the season yet.if you want try some miracle grow plant food, i have used it in the garden on plants that looked like they had uped roots and they have flourished..

[Anne x]

Azaleas

My local Garden Centre was telling me that its been a bad year for Azaleas we have 3 in lovely bloom and 2 that look as if they have gone to seed also my sister in lothian region had no flowers on hers at all this year and they were established plants

[gardeninginagale]

It's not a case of "shouldn't feed" during the winter months. It is simply that, whether it is an evergreen or deciduous azealea, it is dormant during the winter months. Even evergreens have a period of dormancy. Feeding during the dormant season won't do any good, but neither will it do any harm.

More important is what you feed it with. Both azaleas and camellias are ericaceous, ie lime-hating, and general purpose fertilizers are unsuitable. In fact, general fertilisers like Miracle Gro and others of the ilk can be toxic to ericaceous plants. Ericaceous fertilizers are readily available in the Garden Centres. Go for one of these.

However, if the plants are in pots, and you have been feeding general purpose fertilizers, the damage may have already been done. Re-pot into Ericaceous compost, feed with an Ericaceous feed, and I'm sure they will recover.

[Mother Bear]

Thanks for all that info. The azalea in question is in a pot of ericacous compost and was fed only ericacous food....I'll just keep my fingers crossed for next year!
Any reason why the camellia only had one flower....again in a pot of ericacous compost and fed ericacous food.

[gardeninginagale]

A couple of thoughts on your camellia -

Firstly, do you prune it? And if so, when? Camellias flower on the previous season's growth, so only ever prune it immediately after flowering, otherwise you will remove next season's flower buds.

And secondly, perhaps it is overfed! Too much feeding can produce foliage at the expense of flowers. Keep it pot-bound and starve it for a year. A wee bit of stress prompts most plants into producing more flowers.

[Mother Bear]

Thanks gardeninginagale for your expert advice! It is only a young plant 2-3 yrs at most, so I don't think I have ever pruned it...but I will now know when to do that. I think I must have over fed it. I do tend to 'over feed', 'over water' etc......so must learn to do these things in moderation!
Another question for you....growing seeds...flowers mainly....some plants you just know to 'pinch them back to encourage bushiness'. Does this apply to all flowers or does it depend on the flower? Is it a case of using common sense??
Thanks again and happy gardening to you.

[cockerel]

Give your camellias LOADS of water after flowering right through to the winter. This builds up the buds for the following year.I was given this advice from a good gardener.
After doing the washing up, I pour about half a basin full on my camellia 3 times a week.
Don't do this in winter, unless it's a very dry winter.
I repotted mine this year and almost used the wrong compost.
(use ericacious)
I had 30 flowers on mine and it's only 3 years old.

[gardeninginagale]

growing seeds...flowers mainly....some plants you just know to 'pinch them back to encourage bushiness'. Does this apply to all flowers or does it depend on the flower? Is it a case of using common sense??

Firstly, Mother Bear, thanks for your kind comments.

All annual flowers, particularly half-hardy annuals, benefit from pinching out. You are absolutely right. Commercial growers do this as a matter of course. But I often forget to do it, and often don't have time. And in my experience it doesn't matter a great deal. Un-pinched-out (new word?) flowers will produce the main flowering stem, and after flowering produce flowering sideshoots. Same result, only perhaps a week or two later.

Just another example of there being neither rights nor wrongs in gardening, only experiences.

In fact, that's so true, I think I'll go and make it my signature, if I can work out how.

[Mother Bear]

Yes, gardeninginagale...a very good signature that, and very true! I see you haven't managed to put it on yet!...prob been too busy in the garden!!!