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Some expert advice on a struggling azalea
firstforgardening
Posts: 16
I would really appreciate some advice on how best to rescue one of our azalea trees.
About 2 months ago some leaves on a couple of branches started to brown, the leaves on those branches now are completely gone.
More leaves are starting to wither and brown now also although only slightly. Id estimate that about 70% of the leaves are still green so i hope its not too late.
Our soil is probably neutral / slightly alkali, we've used 2 tester kits although they don't seem to work.
We planted 2 azaleas and 2 camellias next to each other in Spring 2021 with lots of ericaceous compost, they get afternoon sun only. All have been fine up until a couple of months ago, they all flowered this spring and seemed to be healthy. The other azalea is doing much better although it also has some leaves starting to curl and brown in places over the last few weeks. The 2 camellias seem to be fine and still have all their leaves although 1 does have slightly yellow leaves.
Some unknown insects are munching on the leaves a little bit but that is the case for half the plants in our garden so i'm guessing its not the root cause of the trees poor state.
We did go through a short period of not watering them more than once a week approx. 2 months ago. That was due to me reading that Azaleas like to be in fairly dry soil conditions which i have since learned is not the case!
I'm really unsure what the cause is but assume it is either the soil converting to alkali
or the short period of getting less than ideal amounts of water.
If any azalea owners could advise what they think is the problem and the best solution that would be great. We're planning to remove our azaleas and Camellias and keep them pots with ericaceous compost but not sure if that needs to be done now or in Autumn
Thanks and sorry for the long email!
About 2 months ago some leaves on a couple of branches started to brown, the leaves on those branches now are completely gone.
More leaves are starting to wither and brown now also although only slightly. Id estimate that about 70% of the leaves are still green so i hope its not too late.
Our soil is probably neutral / slightly alkali, we've used 2 tester kits although they don't seem to work.
We planted 2 azaleas and 2 camellias next to each other in Spring 2021 with lots of ericaceous compost, they get afternoon sun only. All have been fine up until a couple of months ago, they all flowered this spring and seemed to be healthy. The other azalea is doing much better although it also has some leaves starting to curl and brown in places over the last few weeks. The 2 camellias seem to be fine and still have all their leaves although 1 does have slightly yellow leaves.
Some unknown insects are munching on the leaves a little bit but that is the case for half the plants in our garden so i'm guessing its not the root cause of the trees poor state.
We did go through a short period of not watering them more than once a week approx. 2 months ago. That was due to me reading that Azaleas like to be in fairly dry soil conditions which i have since learned is not the case!
I'm really unsure what the cause is but assume it is either the soil converting to alkali
or the short period of getting less than ideal amounts of water.
If any azalea owners could advise what they think is the problem and the best solution that would be great. We're planning to remove our azaleas and Camellias and keep them pots with ericaceous compost but not sure if that needs to be done now or in Autumn
Thanks and sorry for the long email!
0
Posts
If your soil is slightly alkaline, it will quickly overcome the ericaceous compost and turn it alkaline. Soil is a strong 'buffer' - i.e. it resists change to the pH.
So if your azaleas are struggling a bit with the soil, then a drought and really hot weather comes along - they're not going to be happy.
Azaleas grow naturally on the edges of woods and forests, so they like dappled shade ideally and a moisture-retaining soil.
If you intend to move them into pots, I'd usually say Autumn would be best, but as they are struggling where they are it may be better to do it sooner rather than later.
When in the pots, if you can use rainwater that would be ideal.
Also use a fertilizer suitable for azaleas - I use Miracle Grow for Azaleas.
I don't have any azaleas, but I use it for my blueberries that are potted in ericaceous compost.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I think the azaleas need to be potted to be safe.
The Azalea family are shallow rooting, so they need regular, and consistent water. In dry areas, that becomes difficult, and the problem is that that the harm can be done long before the plant shows signs of failing. Once a week wouldn't be anywhere near enough for newly planted Azaleas, especially if you're in a drier location. When you add in the fact that there are other shrubs as well, the competition for that moisture is even greater, and the Camellias will be taking more of it at the expense of the Azaleas.
A decent soil [neutral to acidic] with plenty of organic matter - manure, leaf mould, good compost etc, and good moisture retention is what they like best, although they also need adequate drainage. The evergreen Japanese ones can cope with sun if they're right at the roots, otherwise, a shadier site is best. Again, in drier areas, shade is always going to be easier.
If the soil isn't suitable, you'd need to have them in specially built beds so that the soil can be made appropriate.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The spot is very shady but it definitely sounds like lack of enough watering by a bad plant parent (me!) and the soil being slightly alkali.
Do you think acers will fare better in this flower bed? We have several acers we’re planning to plant next spring. Ive been told acers are less fussy than azaleas with soil conditions.
Some acers are fine in full sun, others prefer some dappled shade.
You can get an idea of your soil type from here-
http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/#
Click on the Search tab and enter your postcode, the click on View Soil Information
For my location it tells me that my soil is slightly acidic and acers grow well here -
Soilscape 18:
Slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils
(I'm not sure the seasonally wet bit applies any longer...
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.