NOTES ON FORCING AZALEAS 
Unpacking Shipment. When you receive the 
shipment unwrap the plants, slip each one into a 
pot and firm them down. This operation takes only 
a few seconds as there is no tearing off of roots or 
shaking off dirt and other annoying operations which 
chew up time when you buy balled and burlapped, 
bed or field-grown stock. 
After potting give them a thorough watering 
including the tops. In mid-afternoon you can put 
them on the bench in a 50-55 degree house where 
they will force nicely. If you want to speed up the 
forcing transfer them to a house with higher night 
temperature after a week at 50-55 degrees. 
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8 . r 3 
We cannot over-emphasize the necessity of B 
g frequent and sufficient watering. Our Azaleas 8 
§ are grown in oak leaf mold which holds all the § 
B water it needs and sheds the surplus like a tin B 
§ roof. This oak leaf mold, however, being fibrous □ 
§ in nature does not stay moist as long as ordi- g 
□ nary potting soil, especially when standing un- § 
8 plunged on a bench exposed to sun and air. B 
8 Therefore water them more frequently than the 8 
§ other potted stock on your bench. 
Nothing can prevent these Azaleas from § 
8 coming into bloom if you keep them moist.* 
Do not apply any fertilizer or manure to our 
Azaleas while they are being forced, as each plant 
is fertilized by us before shipment. 
They like warm, sunny daytime conditions, and 
syringing the tops helps the buds to break. Keep 
water off the tops after buds break.** 
Azaleas when half opened or even in bloom can 
be held in saleable condition for several weeks by 
placing in cool place out of sun and keeping water 
off the flowers. 
We have prepared a table showing in condensed 
form the time required to bring Azaleas into bloom 
for definite dates during the forcing season (page 6). 
From a Repeat Customer 
Shreveport, Louisiana. 
Leach’s Nurseries 
Riverton, N. J. 
Gentlemen: 
Regarding the 'Azaleas that we have re¬ 
ceived from you beg to advise that they are 
very nice and I am well pleased with these. 
Please book our order for another 1000 
3” pot plants to be shipped in about two weeks, 
and I will write you exact time I want these. 
Would like to say that I have bought from 
most every large grower in the country and 
you have the nicest plants of all. 
*An Azalea plant in bloom is one-third larger than when in 
tight bud. 
**In forcing for Christmas it is advisable to pinch out all new 
growth that appears at the base of the flower buds. 
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