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Unhappy Rhododendron
snowathlete
Posts: 138
This was put in by father about two years ago. Last spring it was very happy and flowered but this year it's unhappy. my garden is quite alkaline but my dad knows they need acid soil and put some in. Enough? I dot know but the fact the plant was happy at first makes me think he probably did.
I put some Rhododendron feed down but it's not improved things. The leaves are discolouring and it just generally looks a bit sickly.
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Alkaline soil has calcium in it which is what Rhodies can't take. You might be able to make soil more acid but you can't take the calcium out. That's why you don't see Rhodies in alkaline gardens except in pots of ericaceous compost and being watered with rain water because the water in those areas also contains calcium.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have plenty of other rhododendrons and azaleas in the garden which are all fine, all planted the same, with erecatious compost to a pretty good depth. I just don't know for sure that my dad replaced enough of the soil in this case (it's normally my dad doing the planting but it was on this one) or if this one being quite large, perhaps put deeper roots down into alkaline soil.
Unless someone is able to identify the problem as something else, then later in the year I'll have to dig him up and replace more of the soil by the sounds of things.
I already water with rain water when I can, but admitedly I haven't been able to the last couple of weeks because my waterbutt has run dry. The problems began before that though, so I think it's more likely soil, or something else, rather than water.
Thanks for the suggestion but potting it isn't really an option in this case. I can't afford to buy a pot bit enough for this one and swapping out the soil has worked fine for the other ones in the garden, it's great once they are in because they are very pretty plants but are also low maintenance, which is what I need from my garden plants.
Try feeding it with Miracid or I think its now called Miracle grow for acid loving plants.
thanks fidgetbones, I'll try it, might as well give it a go.