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Potted Azalea needs help

jackie638jackie638 Posts: 8
in Problem solving
I have a potted evergreen azalea, 2 years old, more than half of the leaves have turned brown & crispy. Is it the snow and recent frost we’ve had in Edinburgh that’s likely to have caused it? How can I help the plant? Thanks

Posts

  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited April 2021
    Late frosts can zap the blooms, foliage and even cause severe damage in the form of bark split if the sap is flowing & weather turns cold enough while the plant breaks dormancy early, is actively flowering or has developed the flower buds in preparation for blooming. When late frosts are forecasted, you can bring the pot inside or evaluate how the plant is doing and do nothing if it appears to be dormant and the temperature dip is small or take action if it appears to be breaking dormancy. You can water deeply the night before, maintain mulch around the plant and use some form of frost cloth or blankets to protect a plant in "grow mode", being careful that the weight of any protection does not break branches. Try not to fertilize until chances of frost in your area have passed. Going forward, wait for the plant to develop new foliage in a few weeks and maintain the soil as evenly moist as you can (water if the soil at a depth of 5-7 cm feels dry or almost dry). The state of the flower buds is another story: if they brown out, they are history; hopefully it was a minor dip late at night and the temps went back up afterwards during the day. The snow will help insulate. If this cultivar produces blooms several times throughout the year, future blooms will not be affected.
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