rhodadendrons

[eddyjack]

could anyone help me i have a rhodadendron in my garden been there about 8years and always had beautiful red blooms but this year all the leaves are curling up it gets watered regular could it be it needs a good feed it gets fed regular with miracle grow but will it need a special feed thanks for any advice

[Jess]

Hi Eddyjack.

Have you been watering it with hosepipe/watering can?
They are acid lovers, meaning they need soft water or rain water. Is your tap water soft? (as in no chalk)

As for the Miracle gro, it is not the best thing for it. If your ground is acidic then you shouldn't need to feed it much, if at all. If your ground is not acidic I doubt it would have survived this long! Your soil could be borderline (neutral) in which case the best thing you can add around the plant is pine needles. Until you find some add a cup of vinegar to a can of water each time you water.

[Kisal]

I have a deep purple rhodie that began to look that way. I gave it a light sprinkle of commercial rhododendron/azalea food about a month ago, very lightly raked it into the soil (be careful with this, as rhodies and azaleas are shallow rooted.) Then I watered it very well. It has put out tons of new growth, and after it flowered, I pruned back the entire shrub by about 1/3. It's looking very good now, and should put out more new growth during the summer on which it will set flower buds in late summer/early fall. That's according to Greer Gardens, anyway.

[eddyjack]

i have just fed it with some rose food and took dead leaves off just have to wait and see what happens been there 8years and had great results till this year tnx for the help much appreciated

[Kisal]

Don't hesitate to prune your rhodie. They love to be pruned! Cut back any bare or lanky looking branches, and you'll have a wonderful plant again. The best time to prune them is right after they finish flowering. The flower buds are set on new growth in late summer/early fall, so if you prune now and give the plant lots of tender loving care, it should be full and beautiful by next spring and produce many flowers for you.

[Jess]

Eddyjack rose food is no good for an ericaceous plant. It contains the nutrients a rose needs not the nutrients a rhode needs. The two plants need completely different things.

Plants vary in their pH tolerance and the foliage of so-called acid lovers, such as rhododendrons which prefer a pH of 4-5, can turn yellow if the soil pH is too high. This happens because the alkaline conditions reduce the solubility of iron and manganese, so the plants cannot absorb enough of these elements to remain healthy. You can solve this problem by applying chelated fertilisers that contain iron, copper, manganese and zinc in a sequestered form that remains soluble at higher pHs but, as I said, if your rhode has been happy until now you must have a soil that is on the acidic side. All you need to do is stop using tapwater that has chalk in it, use rainwater if possible and add a little vinegar to green the leaves back up. You do not need to feed an acid plant if your soil is acidic.

[eddyjack]

pk thnx very much any advice is always welcome

[eddyjack]

ok thnx very much any advice is always welcome