and this is the corm. can I save it/repot it?

akaMEgrower gave you good advice. I saw your question to the Azalea Society of American on the Yahoo! Azalea Group. A couple general concerns: First, fertilizing after early summer can cause problems. Any fertilizer with nitrogen tends to promote new growth and prevent hardening off. Azaleas need to harden off and stop producing buds and new growth in mid summer, not early fall. If they don't harden off, all of this new growth will freeze damage when a frost hits. We came close to a frost last night up in the Fleetwood area. Second, you should mulch these plants with something like pine park, pine needles, or oak leaves. Since these were planted recently and we had a very dry September, they aren't settled in very well. Mulching prevents frost heaving, winter damage and weeds, conserves moisture in the soil, and will keep the roots cool next summer. Third, we had a dry September so watering a new plant was a challenge. First, if you didn't open up the roots when you planted, watering may not do any good. A root ball that is not opened up can dry out and not accept water even if you water heavily. Yours actually look fairly good. But if they tend to look wilted, I would first dig up and replant correctly. Rarefind Nursery in Jackson, NJ, has an excellent set of directions on planting at: How To Plant Here is a link that might be useful: How to care for azaleas

Gill & Crenda are right on. 8" pot sounds too large. It is not that they like smaller pots. The big pot is not necessary, and makes watering - in water retaining soil - more of the problem. Big pot = lots of soil = better chance of overwatering. For so much soil, the plant will sit in a 'muck' for too long, I suspect that's what happened to your plant. Forget the vermiculite (return it if you can - it is nor very good soil amendment). If you have to use C&S soil, please use a small amount of it (20, max 30%) and amend with grit & perlite. Many ppl mix it 50/50, but to make it better draining, decrease soil portion (especially if you have 'heavy hand' with watering can, as I used to too :)

Louise, First, you might want to start a new thread for this. You have jumped in on the tail end of a three year old thread, and a lot of folks may just be looking over it. I'm located in the center part of South Carolina, USA and have very little experience with potting in sphagnum (in this part of the world we tend to prefer the fir bark mixes), so I'll leave potting mix preferences to someone else to comment on. Generally speaking the orchid plants sold in the "big box" stores and florist shops in the USA come double potted. the plant and potting mix are growing in a clear slotted plastic pot that is nested inside the heavy ceramic un-drained outer pot. This is the reason most new growers loose their first few orchid plants. It sounds like your plant was actually planed in the heavy non draining pot, and you have taken all the necessary steps to give it the best chance of survival. If your new plastic pot only has one or two holes in the bottom, consider cutting additional openings in the side of the pot for additional ventilation. Enclosing the pot and plant in a plastic bag increases the humidity around the plant, and this is good. You may also want to consider putting a few holes in the top and bottom of the outer bag to increase air flow. You want to enclose this plant in an atmosphere that has lots of humidity and warmth, and a bit less light than normal until the plant begins to grow. It also needs air flow to prevent any standing water from accumulating around the roots. The roots need to be moist in the potting mix, but not wet. Epiphytic orchids grow in the jungles attached to trees and rocks that are covered with moss, lichens, and other plants. When it rains, they get soaked, but as soon as it stops raining they begin to dry off. You need to duplicate this for your other orchids, but for this one plant that is already having problems, increasing humidity, temperature, and air flow without allowing standing water to collect around the roots is the proper method to deal with it.. This process is slow, and does not always produce the desired results, but when it does, it produces a great deal of satisfaction for a new grower, not to mention the knowledge and experience you have gained from the experience. Good luck. Bill