Azalea....should I give up on this one?

Hi all,

Just wondering whether you think this is dead/diseased etc? I'm not sure whether to dig it up or not. It's looked pretty much like this since i moved into my new house late july time.

I've noticed a lot of the plants in the front garden are acid loving plants such like rhodos and hydrangea.there's also a skimmia which isnt looking great.

I've tried special feeds, mulching with ericaceous compost etc but no improvement noticed over the last few months.

The chap we bought the housefrom was a very keen gardener and I assume he tested the soil and found it acidic-hence the acid loving plants?!

Could it be a soil ph problem? Too hot/dry as its very sunny? Really unsure how to make it look any better! And should i get rid of this azalea?

Advice and thoughts appreciated as always.

 

I wouldnt give it up just yet. Maybe its just needing a bit more tlc. A bit more ericaceous food now and in the spring. A bit of seaweed feed might help scattered around the roots and as a foliar feed in the spring too.

A spray for black spot control may also help it.

If that fails its cheaper to dump it and replace it.

 

Thanks @WeeTam do u think it has black spot? Funnily enough it's in between two roses that i'm trying to cure of blackspot (or at least control) could it have passed from them?

 

I've been very curious about the soil ph but haven't got a testing kit so used this cabbage water method i found online...

http://preparednessmama.com/testing-your-soil-ph-without-a-kit/

I'm amazed at the results actually (without wanting to sound like an advert/scam/junk post).

I tested the soil and result is blue (alkalis), to check i then did the same witth some ericaceous compost and it turned pink (acid)....so maybe the guy didnt know what he was doing and has planted loads of acid loving plants in alkali soil!!

Results below:


Maybe this is why the rhodos etc are not doing well after all! Combined with how dry it is as i have read they like moisture.

 

These guys need plenty water and food so they form next years flower buds now. I say this while mine suffer from lack of food and watering

I find black spot jumps onto other plants by my black spotted roses so everything gets a spray just in case.My red robbin gets black spot as do my rhodies .

I like your soil tester,might have to do that myself,cheers

 

If its the old Azealia its quite likely to be deciduous so the leaf drop is not a problem.
I've found those so called feeds for acid loving plants to be mostly rubbish, they just contain a very small amount of iron, mostly just more nitrogen.
Its best to go for adding sequestrene or chelated iron in the spring on slightly alkaline soils.

You just need the one treatment each spring, trying to actually change the soil type long term is not going to happen, but having said that, the addition of any organic matter will really help the situation.

As to the soil test, I think it might just be a bit easier to buy a kit.

 

So going to have a potch with the cabbage water.. thanks for the link

Just a thought could you bung the acid lovers in pots as you got ericaceous soil?

 

I honestly wouldn't bother feeding you Azalea. I grow dozens of them and Rhododendrons too and never feed any of them. They flower very well. I am trying to read the label on yours, is it an Exbury hybrid? if so it is deciduous and therefore absolutely normal to have lost it's leaves now. It looks from the photo that your plant has a few quite possibly flower buds as they look quite big (leaf buds are smaller than flower buds). Unless you are desperate for the space I would leave your plant until the Spring and hopefully it will look fine.Most Azaleas like plenty of sun but not too dry. They can be quite obliging/tolerant re alkali soil, much more so than many Rhododendron and other acid loving plants. Azaleas move really easily as they are surface rooters. If the shrub isn't looking too good next spring it may be that it is planted too deep. I'd maybe lift it and replant using TONNES of Peat or even better leaf mould if you have it.

 

Ha ha, yes, I've ordered a kit online, but didnt want to have to drive all the way to the shops today-luckily had a red cabbage in the fridge

yes, whatever happens, i'll try potting them before getting rid...hate to chuck anything out!

i think the name refers to knap hill or exbury hybrid....apparently deciduous after I've done a bit of googling....thing is, its not had any leaves on since we moved in, in july this year...no leaves have grown or subsequently fallen.

I really need to get the soil to retain more moisture, think that will be key to improvement