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hi, i love rodadendrums, but they don't like me.. I feed them only about once a year with miracle grow but it grows sparser every year and i lost one this year..what am i doing wrong. had them planted in different areas of the garden.. soil seems fine and rich..
Rhododendrons like a cool moist climate and an acid PH. They do best in partial shade.
If the soil PH is too high, the climate too hot or cold or dry, they will not thrive.
They do well on the west coast, north of southern California. I believe they also grow well on the east coast in areas not too hot or cold. They grow poorly in between.
Fertilizer will not make them happy in a place they do not like.
Location: somewhere close to Tampa, but closer to the beach
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....While its absolutely true that all rhods.,as well as most azaleas must have some degree of acidic,rich soil...the degree of how acidic..and the degree of sun tolerance can vary among different cultivar types..
..A great example,..out here in central calif. many azaleas and rhododendrons have a tough time in our heavy clay soil..yet some like our native azalea,aren't overly bothered by it as long as its not too heavy...and this great plant fails miserably back east where many others thrive...
..Another example are the exbury/knap hill group of azaleas...they also can do well out here,even in full sun in acouple sunset zones,and aren't as picky about soil conditions..
..There are also some groups of azaleas which were developed to grow in the hot and humid souteast,down to central fla. Still, there is the Viryea group of rhododendrons which cannot stand temps. much below 30
degrees...
..My best advise is to evaluate your soil,not just for the PH content but also for drainage..which can also contribute to failure with many of these plants...and when using a fertilizer..always use one designed for acid loving plants,if you aren't already.
I had one planted under a fiberglass overhang. The rain water drained there also. That bush was lush,full and beautiful. I have never seen one as full. Others that I have seen around here seem to lose the bottom leaves with only leaves near the top portion of the bush. So I figure they need a lot of water and only bright filtered light.
My rhodie in PA became much happier after I started trimming it - not exactly sure why - trimming/pruning was the only extra attention I gave it. It was there when we bought our house and looked quite bedraggled. For the first couple of years I trimmed at any time of the year rather than properly just after bloom, and I'd frequently pull off the yukky-looking leaves whenever they appeared. It was sheltered on its west side by the above-ground pool deck. The top of the bush received sun all day long, but because of the decking, its base got light up until mid afternoon and then was shaded.
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