What is wrong with this rhododendron?
Brenda Danilowitz
6 years ago
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Brenda Danilowitz
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Brown and spotted leaves on Rhododendron
Comments (6)I'd wait until your normal pruning time. Most of the leaves in the photo of yours do not look too bad. You can cut back to the point where you see a green swelling of new growth or just let the browned leaves fall off naturally. The latter course results in naked stems which won't look great, but if you pinch out the growing point on lower branches to encourage bushiness, it will soon fill in. The extremely curled leaves on the neighbor's plant may mean that the stems themselves are too damaged to recover. Cut these back to a growth point on live tissue - might as well be done now....See MoreWhat's wrong with these rhododendrons?
Comments (5)The deformed fall bloom is normal for fall bloom, but fall bloom is not normal. Quirky weather will trigger fall bloom in some plants. These buds are lost from next springs bloom. Do not fertilize now. You should not fertilize after June 15. The yellow leaves are normal. After 2 or 3 years the leaves turn yellow and fall off. The curled leaves are a problem. Typically this is caused by one of the following: Drought: Drought can cause entire branches or entire plants to die. We have had several years of drought here and we observe that if rhododendrons and azaleas are not watered during a drought some plants will die, but others will just have one section of the plant die. It seems to be the plants way to conserve what little moisture it has. Prolonged drought weakens plants and often results in the appearance of fungal cankers on the branches of older azaleas. Look for branches that wilt in hot, dry weather in late summer and be sure to water azaleas if drought drags on more than a few weeks. Prune out the affected branches to stop the spread of fungal canker diseases. Borers: If a Rhododendron Stem Borer, Oberea myops; Dogwood Twig Borer, Oberea tripunctator; or Rhododendron Borer, Synanthedon rhododendri, is in a branch, the entire portions of a plant beyond (away from the roots) will wilt and die. Borers only affect the portion of the plant away from the roots from the borer. If the borer is in the main trunk, then the entire plant will wilt and die. The plant can be save by cutting off the area with the borer and letting the plant regenerate from the roots. There are no conventional insecticides that will kill stem borer larvae once they are inside the branches. The best control option for homeowners with only a few plants is to prune out and destroy wilting branches in early spring or late summer. Since you bought the plant in mid summer, it may be root bound. You should have opened up the rootball when you planted it. Otherwise the roots will be wrapped around each other and will eventually strangle each other. Whether the plant was balled-and-burlaped or potted, make sure that the plant is getting wet. Rhododendron guru Harold Greer noted: "Quite often a plant will get completely dry and then no matter how much water you apply, the rootball will just keep shedding it. The top of the soil may seem wet, and the soil around the plant may even be very wet, but the actual rootball of the plant is bone dry. This is especially true for newly planted rhododendrons, and it is the major reason for failure, or at least less than great success with that new plant. It is hard to believe that a plant can be within mere inches of a sprinkler that has been running for hours and still be dry, yet it can be SO TRUE!" And most importantly, the plants must be well drained. Wet roots will die of root rot. They need good drainage. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow rhododendrons and azaleas....See MoreWhat Is Wrong With This Rhododendron (Horizon Monarch)
Comments (9)The movement of water in planting media of various types is a surprisingly complex subject. The Gardenweb Container Forum contains a great deal of information about the subject. In general, the more dissimilar the new medium is from what a rhododendron has been growing in, the more difficult the transition. Many commercial rhododendron growers do use pure bark as a planting medium in pots, but what they use contains particles of many different sizes which retains water more effectively than highly screened bark intended for orchids, many of which are epiphytic growers. This coarse bark mainly retains water as a thin surface film which rhododendron roots have great difficulty accessing. The 5-1-1 mix of Container Forum fame is a good mix for rhododendrons in pots, but must be changed every 3 years or so. Whenever you are trying to establish a rhododendron in a new environment, avoid direct sun, try to maintain high humidity, water - if needed - with a trickle at the plant base from a hose. If you still get wilting leaves, don't hesitate to soak the rootball again if it is dry. Submerge in water, pot and all, for a half hour or so. Re-dig, soak and re-plant ones in the open garden....See Morehelp!! What is wrong with my rhododendron?
Comments (4)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....See MoreBrenda Danilowitz
6 years agoMike McGarvey
6 years agoKyle
6 years agoBrenda Danilowitz
6 years agoshoileygal
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoMarie Tulin
11 months agoshoileygal
11 months ago
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