Hi there,

Wondering if you give out any suggestions for correcting problems with rhododendrons.

We moved to Lexington, KY two years ago and put rhododendrons in front of our house which faces west. We had rhododendrons back in PA for many years and never had problems with them.

The plants do get direct sun from noon until sunset, and it is a bit hotter here in KY than back in PA. We have used the Miracid for azaleas and rhododendrons, which we used back in PA.

There were some brown on the leaves last year, but it has gotten worse this year. Last year was very wet in KY and we did not have to water much, this year has been much drier and we have been watering them every couple days during this very hot and dry spell.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Daryl Cramer

Answer #2 · Brent Wilson's Answer · Like Brooks suggested, it could be leaf scorch due to too much sun or too much water, particularly if the plants are on level ground and if the soil does not drain quickly. Even though the South has been having some hot and dry weather, a deep soaking once or twice a week or so on established plants should be enough. If the soil dries out too much the plant will let you know when its new growth starts to wilt. But I'm not thinking it's a soil moisture problem. If so, I would think both new and old leaves would be effected.

The new growth on the plants look fine. There's a possibility that last years leaves could be turning blackish-brown due to severe cold or a late freeze that occurred on the heels of a warm spell in late winter or early spring.)

Answer #1 · Brooks Wilson's Answer · Hi Daryl,

Rhododendrun do prefer morning sun, afternoon shade, or filtered sun. They also prefer a lot of water with good drainage. Drainage is the key considering that Rhododendrun are very susceptible to root rot and disease.

Rhododendrun, if not planted on a slope, should be planted on a mound. This means to plant the root ball about half way out of the ground and add soil to the top lip the root ball, with no soil on top of the root ball. This will give the effect of planting on a mound, and will provide good drainage.

Sounds to me like you may have a little leaf scald from too much sun, and or root rot from too much water. It's possible that insects may be the culprit. Have you looked on the underside of the leaves to check for insects? If insects are present spray Neem Oil to eliminate them. Neem oil is organic and very safe to use and kills most all insects.

If you could post a picture of the Rhododendrun leaves, I may can help you a little more.

You may end up transplanting the Rhododendrun to a different area with more shade. If so, make sure to plant them as suggested above, and using a compost with lots of organic matter to mix with the native soil.

Hope this helps you.

Brooks Wilson))

Answer #3 · Brooks Wilson's Answer · Now that I see the pictures I'll suggest as Brent did that it looks like cold damage. Did you have a late freeze that followed early warm weather this Spring?)