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Struggling azeleas
Philip Kay
Posts: 2
Hi, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I planted a dwarf azelea last spring and it did well throughout the summer. However, it is now looking rather tired. It is very woody at the base and the growth on the branches is patchy and some of the leaves are turning brown and "dieing" Am I'm not looking after it correctly or could it be suffering from a decease or pest? It is sited in full morning sun in soil in a prepared bed of "azelea" compost I have not pruned it yet Cheers
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Posts
I think Morning Sun is quite bad for azaleas. What water are you watering it with? Is it from the tap?
Azaleas like to be watered with rain water. Tap water is too hard.
Hi philip, I find that azaleas often take quite a bit of time to settle in. mine took around two years before it looked settled and healthy. mine also sounded just as you described but it's fine now. Suggest good watering, but not over watering, and perhaps a gentle feed with specialist azalea feed. They are one of the few plants I use specialist feed on. Hope yours recovers.
I was going to say that now is a good time to give them a specialised Azalea feed
They can cope with their heads in the sun if their feet are happy. Get the soil healthy and ensure it has enough moisture and it should recover. I think lots of plants/shrubs may have suffered with the extremes of weather in the last year - very hot summer and very wet winter. If you think there might be an issue with a pest/disease, you could put a pic on and we can hopefully offer further advice.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Think I will treat it to some feed and maybe some mulch this weekend and use water from the butt from now on. Can't do much about the location so will see how it gets on!
Ill try to put a pic up tomorrow if I can work it out!
Cheers
Do i need to cover my azalea becuse of cold weather? The leaves seem to have darkened since the weather has changed?
No, Azaleas are tough, just make sure not to over water