Since you asked, I will tell you one thing you are doing wrong is the spelling: rhododendron and azalea You can tell if they are going to bloom now. They should have two different types of buds. The smaller buds are foliage buds. The larger buds are flower buds. If there are not flower buds, here are some possibilities: * Pruning. The buds are formed in late summer and early fall so pruning then or later is not advisable since it will remove flower buds. New leaf buds will form in the spring, but new flower buds won't form until the next year. * Variety. Some plants will never bloom. Some rhododendrons that come from the seed of a hybrid plant will look good but will never produce flowers or will produce very poor flowers. To come true to the parent plant, a hybrid may be propagated by cuttings or tissue culture but not from seed. A good hybrid seedling only comes about once in a while. For that reason it is important to know that you are getting a good named variety or a good species. * Fertilizing. Nitrogen promotes leaf and branch growth and discourages flower bud production. It can also force late season growth that gets killed or stunted by frost damage. Phosphorus promotes flower bud production and hardiness. Potassium is necessary for well being. * Weather. Cold weather can kill flower buds. Usually you see the brown buds in the spring. Cold spells in the fall or spring can damage buds that are not hardened off. Bud blast (blooming in fall or winter) uses up good buds which are then not available at the normal blooming time. * Age. Most rhododendrons take 2 to 3 years to bloom from a rooted cutting unless forced. Some take longer and some bloom sooner. From seeds the plant may take 1 or 2 additional years. * Sun & Shade. Some rhododendrons need full sun to bloom and others can take fairly dense shade. In general, the more sun the more flower buds but also the greater exposure to damage from desiccation in summer or winter. More shade produces tall spindly foliage and less flowers. * Inspection. You can usually tell if the plant has ever bloomed. A rhododendron that has bloomed will have the seed pods on it unless it has been dead-headed. If dead-headed too late after blooming, new flower buds can be damaged.

Sharing my tools to remove peat from tender roots. Is just a matter of choice or what you already have at home that does the job. So you do not have to purchase them. The sharp tweezers uses to loosen the peat with the tweezers open just stab the peat and twist gently left n right. The hook tweezers for raking. The snip just for trimming dead roots. The bush, I used #4 & 8. #4 is soft brush, #8 is harder. Uses, #8 brush to removed when you just un pot the plant, usually the top of the peat and work your way down. Normally the fines roots reside at the lower part and bound the shape of the pot. Here #4 brush are used, I have 2 of them because sometimes the peat are not totally dry. Wet brush dont work so well as dry brush. Hope this helps.

I've seen this in my area, expect it to be the work of a skeletonizer (leaf miner). But I searched "rhododendron leaf miner" and what not particularly ample information I did get didn't include depictions or images that fit what you are seeing with certainty.

Looks to be a water issue - too much or not enough Mostly likely this year, too much! This has been one of the most trying years for growing eh, 'mesoclimatic' plants in the Mid-Atlantic region...in my little corner at least. Even though the monthly rainfall figure look impressive - over 6" for each month MJJAS, we've had long, hot dry spells punctuated by tremendous downpours. I don't think I've gotten any rain this summer from a rainfall event of < 1.5 inches! And I've had several > 3" rain falls. This borders on the worst possible scenario for root rot sensitive plants, and some have bitten the dust. For me, fortunately, my established rhodies have been OK. But ca. 10 years ago I started planting all of them on slope or mounds, or moved them to slopes or mounds. By the time root rot is causing visible symptoms like this, it's almost always too late.