Hello, teri419. Because your most recent purchase from two weeks ago is also browning, I am suspecting a moisture issue (too much or too little). Insert a finger to a depth of 3-4 inches in several spots around the base of each plant and see how the soil feels. If it is dry then the plant needs water and the leaves may brown; supply more water. If it feels moist then they are fine. If the soil feels wet, reduce the amount of water or else the leaves can brown out because the roots rot.

Azalea/rhododendron roots are quite small and found in the top 4-6 inches or so of your soil. That is why these plants require good drainage (no standing water) and good soil (no heavy clay soils). Sandy soils are fine but they tend to loose moisture fast so keep an eye on the plants water needs. In order to prevent fungal infections on the leaves or flowers, always water the soil, not the leaves. Check the moisture daily until you notice that the soil is "constantly moist", never wet or dry. To aid you, use 3-4 inches of mulch around them and keep an eye on moisture levels during the critical flower bud developing months.

Feel free to prune out any dead twigs you may now have and keep the area under the plant as clean as possible since this prevents fungal infections. Buds for next year will develop around July so do not prune after mid-summer.

The downspout could be an issue if the water does not drain well and accumulates near your plants. Next time you get some rain, check where the water is going and where it may be accumulating. Then see how well it drains near the azaleas and take appropriate action.

Luis

Thanks for the tips Luis. I'm going to assume that they are not getting enough water since it hasn't rained until last night since I planted them. But I will wait until this rain stops and drys up and test the soil moisture as you said.

When you planted the azaleas, did you loosen the rootball well so roots could reach out and begin to establish into the surrounding soil?

If they are planted from containers with the rootball intact in its pot shape, it can be very hard to wet the potting medium again once it dries out...the soil immediately around the plant can be moist but not the roots themselves.

You don't say what form of fertilizer you are using 'once a month'. Azaleas and rhododendrons have low nutritional needs compared to many shrubs, it's easy to burn their fine surface roots, or damage them scratching in a granular type fertilizer.

Hi Morz8,

When I took them out of the container, I kind of made an incision all around the sides (I do this to all my container plants, read it somewhere). I have been using a fertilizer called Nature's Bloom (I think), it's specifically for flowering shrubs and container grown plants. The directions say to fertilize every three weeks. When I checked the azaleas this morning, the two new ones have buds that are looking good and ready to open, but the older one has some buds that are slightly brown.

Every three weeks really does sound like a lot to me...if you have even average fertility in your soil it should be enough to support your azaleas.

I have clay that is high in organic content and I top dress with compost each Spring....I've never fertilized a rhododendron or azalea once it was taken out of the container.

And I looked up Natures Bloom to see if I could find the label content, but could not....

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Goheen - Fertilizing

Thank you. Speaking about clay soil, how do tell the difference. I think my soil in my front yard is different than the back yard. I notice that when I dig a hole, the soil does not look or feel like bagged soil...it's more of a reddish brown and kind of clumpy...would that be clay soil?

It is possible. A local nursery or Agriculture Extension Service can help with that. Clay soil comes in various colors (reddish brown is one; shades of brown; black) and drains water very slowly.

There is a technique used to determine if the soil drains slowly and this could also help decide if you have clay soil: dig the planting hole twice as deep as the size of the plant pot, fill the hole with water, wait one hour and check the hole. If the water did not drain completely in one hour, you probably have clay soil and need raised beds to address drainage issues.

Luis

I have fairly young azaleas and I live on the west coast of Florida. They do bloom here. My leaves are getting these large brownish/rust color areas. Does anyone know what that might be?

Not the best photo, but that's what it looks like. Thank you.

Alene, it's hard to tell from that photo. Can you provide a photo of the shrub itself and not just a single leaf. providing a better idea of the overall involvement and parts of the plant affected....Thanks

Will do! Thanks.

My hands are a little shaky.

I have the same problem....what makes this rust color