Azalea problem

stuhanson1982 · May 2017

Hi everyone.

I'm relatively new to gardening but have always been a huge fan of Azaleas.

I purchased 3 last year and created a good space in my garden for them,

I set the soil to their preference (acidic) and last spring / summer they looked fantastic.

This year I feel there is something wrong.

The picture shows on the left a very healthy looking azalea and as you move right they get worse and the end one looks on his last legs.

When i water them I do them all at the same time and the same when I give them feed.

Is their a chance the right side Azalea may be having its water and nutrients 'stolen' by the other plants behind it?

Help / advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Pete.8 · May 2017

Are you using rain water or tap water to water them? If you're using hard tap water that wont help.
How did you 'set the soil' to be acidic? If the soil in your area generally isn't acidic you'll struggle to make it acidic as soil is a strong buffer against pH change. The only way to get acidic soil if the surrounding soil isn't acidic is to have raised beds with acid soil

If it's none of the above, then hopefully an azalea expert will offer better advice

Fairygirl · May 2017

I think you've answered your own question. It's dry. Soak them thoroughly, then mulch. If they're in a bit of a rain shadow too, be prepared to water more often, especially in dry spells, the late summer when buds are forming, and when it's windy.

The acidic soil thing is misleading too. They don't need acidic soil, they just don't like alkaline soil. Pete is right - you can't fundamentally change your soil. If you have unsuitable soil, you need to use large containers or raised beds to make the soil more suitable.

Azalea problem

Posts