TEN OAKS NURSERY AND GARDENS 5 
day’s sunlight. They will grow in the shade, but will 
benefit from some sunlight. Dappled shade is best. 
CULTURE AND CARE—Because the greater mass 
of azalea roots is found in the top few inches of soil, 
cultivation with hoe is not advisable. You will not 
only cut the roots, but disturb the mulch of peat moss 
that we advised you to keep around the plants at all 
times. Pull any weeds that grow by hand, and shake 
off the peat that clings to their roots. Water heavy 
during July and August for your azaleas are making 
buds at that time for the following year. If your water 
comes from a deep well, and you are in a limestone 
country, add a little sulphur to your soil every Spring 
and Fall. Much damage is done by sunshine following 
a night of low temperature. This can be prevented by 
shading in the late Fall and Winter with burlap on 
stakes, lath frames, pine branches, or trimmings from 
your evergreens. 
FEEDING AZALEAS—Use only special fertilizers, 
made by all the reliable firms, for azaleas only, or 
cottonseed meal is excellent food. Sprinkle lightly 
around each plant out to the furtherest branch and 
water heavy at once, twice a year, March and late May 
or June. Do not disturb the mulch by hoeing or raking 
the food into the soil. 
PRUNING AZALEAS—Little pruning is needed for 
garden azaleas other than to keep the long unsightly 
shoots off and a regular shaping up according to taste, 
but all pruning must be done before June 15th, or 
better still, just after the last flowers have died in the 
Spring. 
AZALEA PESTS AND DISEASES—Healthy plants: 
that have been well fed and watered have few pests,. 
but if you have neglected the above, here are a few 
that you may have to put up with. White-fly—Use 
Volek or a similar oil spray on underside of leaves. 
Lacebug—Use one ounce of nicotine sulphate and two 
ounces of powdered soap to five gallons of water. The 
under side of the leaves must be well sprayed. May 
and June are the worst months. Leaf Minor—Hard to 
control, try one ounce of lead arsenic to two gallons of 
water and apply often. Scale—A Volck spray 1 to 60 
in May and June clears this up. Thrips—Use a nico- 
tine-derris spray. Red Mites—In warm weather two 
dustings with sulphur separated by an interval of ten 
days give effective control. Chlorosis or Yellows—Dis- 
solve one ounce Epsom salts in two gallons water and 
sprinkle over the plant and soil thoroughly; two weeks 
later use one ounce of iron sulphate to two gallons of 
water the same way, and you will have your plants 
Azaleas like Oaks; they don’t like Maples. 
