Rhododendron problems! Help!!!

Cliecost

Hi,

I have had this Rhododendron for a few years. It's not grown much since we got it but this year was the first it had a few flowers, not lots but some.

The flowers didn't last long, which I assumed to be normal, but now it looks like it does in the image below.

Every year there is bites taken out of leaves (I assume by ants or wasps ect...) but now they also look yellow and brown.

Can anyone help???

Thanks for any help!

ljonski

Are you watering it well?- needs a lot during Summer.
Is the soil around it acidic?
Is it planted too deep ?
It actually looks fairly healthy to me.
Weed underneath and surrond with small pieces of twigs underneath. HTh

Good advice here!
http://www.glendoick.com/glendoick-garden-centre-details.php?PageID=65

Cliecost

ljonski wrote: »

Are you watering it well?- needs a lot during Summer.
Is the soil around it acidic?
Is it planted too deep ?

I did in the first two years but not the past year.

I have no idea what the soil is :huh:

It was planted deep enough to cover it's roots.

ljonski

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/soil_testingyoursoil1.shtml#top

Brunbjorn

All info given so far is valuable; as for the holes in the leaves, this may be damage caused by vine weevils (blackish-brown beetles that emerge at night and chew holes in the edge of leaves of rhodos, and many other plants)

These beetles disappear into the soil during the day and are not so easy to find.

You could always try leaving pieces of folded sacking or corrugated paper beneath your shrubs: the weevils will burrow into them, and then you can get rid of both insects and hideouts together.

There also used to be an insecticide called HCH which I used long ago which worked.

Best of luck - not easy to deal with 'late diners' :cool:

Cliecost

Brunbjorn wrote: »

All info given so far is valuable; as for the holes in the leaves, this may be damage caused by vine weevils (blackish-brown beetles that emerge at night and chew holes in the edge of leaves of rhodos, and many other plants)

These beetles disappear into the soil during the day and are not so easy to find.

You could always try leaving pieces of folded sacking or corrugated paper beneath your shrubs: the weevils will burrow into them, and then you can get rid of both insects and hideouts together.

There also used to be an insecticide called HCH which I used long ago which worked.

Best of luck - not easy to deal with 'late diners' :cool:

They sound like right irritating little bug-gers!

silvasava

Rhody's like an acidic soil. Looks like it could do with a 'perk up'. I would suggest mixing some sulphate of iron into some compost & spreading it underneath the plant. Take care not to let it touch the stem. The iron will then be washed in by the rain (eventually) or failing that give it a good water with a liquid feed designed for ericaceous plants. They do prefer rainwater if you have any. I have clay soil & all my Rhody's and Camellia's are in tubs so they have to be supplemented every year to keep them in good condition - good luck!