Azalea help needed

[Glenda]

Hi people,

I had 4 very healthy azaleas. Stress the had. Two of these were pruned heavily in a workshop around July to begin styling. Both have now died, even though they have been treated exactly the same and sit next to the two reamining healthy ones. What could I have done wrong? They were planted in soil and when the first one died and the second was looking sick I replanted all of them into diatomite. The two healthy ones haven't missed a beat, but the other continues to fail. The two healthy ones I got from B&#%(@gs and the other two from a different nursery. Could they have been in trouble to start with? When I replanted them, all were rather root bound,

I don't want to loose the other two, so adivce is desperately needed.

Glenda
EDIT: the two healthy ones were labelled indica, but the other two were not identified other than azalea.

[Michael]

hi glenda

imo you may have worked the two deceased to early in the season being july as u said.ive repotted i month ago and the growth has outweighed my expectations,even to the point that ive taken most branches of for a complete restyle and mines going great.hope this may help


mick

[nealweb]

Sorry Glenda, bit confused. You had 4, pruned 2 heavily and they have both now died. The healthy 2 haven't missed a beat but the other continues to fail? The other is the fifth one??
I don't know if it was the heavy pruning that killed the two departed ones but if the two healthy ones are doing fine then it sounds like they are happy. Putting them into free draining diatomite sounds good. I wouldn't change much unless they also start to go downhill. Part shade if its very sunny, protection from strong drying winds. Lots of water, not tooo much fert. If removing large limbs then leave a stub for a season. Always seal wounds well. If possible combine heavy top pruning with some root pruning I reckon. watchh them carefully. Maybe the weaker ones died and the strong ones are living and will be best for you, who knows

Good luck!!!

n.

[Glenda]

Sorry Glenda, bit confused. You had 4, pruned 2 heavily and they have both now died. The healthy 2 haven't missed a beat but the other continues to fail? The other is the fifth one?? n.

Sorry Neal. One died, one is almost dead. Has a few shrivelling leaves left.

Glenda

[Tony Bebb]

Hi Glenda

Mackay?? Were they done in workshop and did you root prune them?? May have been timing as July not great. Water the sick one with seasol or superthrive and hit it weekly. Are the wilting leaves soft? May have rot fungus in your humidity. If kept too wet after potting it will contribute. Treat with fongarid and treat the healthy ones as a precausion.

Tony

[Glenda]

Hi Glenda

Mackay?? Were they done in workshop and did you root prune them?? May have been timing as July not great. Water the sick one with seasol or superthrive and hit it weekly. Are the wilting leaves soft? May have rot fungus in your humidity. If kept too wet after potting it will contribute. Treat with fongarid and treat the healthy ones as a precausion.

Tony

Tony - sorry to say they were done in said workshop. I did not root prune them at the time, nor when I repotted the three remaining. There has been no new shoots since pruning, and the existing leaves are slowly withering and falling off. I need to do the scratch test to see if there is any green. The first one died within a month of the workshop. Have been watering them regularly with seasol, but not weekly, which I will do.

Glenda

[Michael]

would slip potting them into the garden and let them go u think guys for awhile help

[Glenda]

would slip potting them into the garden and let them go u think guys for awhile help

Not an option at my place, Michael. They would die very quickly that way. My husband gets over-enthusiastic with the whipper-snipper, anything not in a pot gets whipper-snipped off. It is his onlt fault

Glenda

[Glenda]

Well, I did the scratch test today and the second azalea is definitely dead. RIP azalea.

Glenda

[Loretta]

Well, I did the scratch test today and the second azalea is definitely dead. RIP azalea.

Glenda

Hell Glenda, I hope they weren't the ones you bought with the nice thick trunks.
Loretta

[Glenda]

Well, I did the scratch test today and the second azalea is definitely dead. RIP azalea.

Glenda

Hell Glenda, I hope they weren't the ones you bought with the nice thick trunks.
Loretta

They were - nice thick SINGLE trunks, too. Oh well, you live and learn. They are the only plants I have lost so far - I guess I'm not doing so bad.

Glenda

[Gary Bee]

G/Day! Glenda,

I had the same experience with a rather large and old azalea and only binned it to recycling heaven last week.

For 18 months the plant slowly died branch by branch despite seeking the experts to save the darn thing.(I had great plans for that plant)

Our recognised Azalea expert in Sydney, Brenda Parker advised me that there are some older species of Azalea (and this Azalea was at least 40 Years old) which will not tolerate heavy pruning. She advised that all wounds have to be sealed IMMEDIATELY or the cut branch/es will die right back to the base.

Brenda also commented that the lifelines - ie roots relating to certain cambium sections and branches on Azaleas are quite specific and heavy root pruning can kill a given selection of lifelines running up the trunk resulting in whole branches and sections of the trunk dying back, Kaput!

I suspect either or both conditions may be the case with your two "angels" -- It wopuld be ineresting to know if their wounds were sealed IMMEDIATELY as you cut and styled the trees?

My condolences Glenda, it always hurts when you lose a tree or two!
May I say that Brenda has the most breathtaking collection of Azaleas, the best I have ever seen in Australia.
She is a true sensei of this beautiful species.
Regards
Gary
<](:-))

[Glenda]

I suspect either or both conditions may be the case with your two "angels" -- It wopuld be ineresting to know if their wounds were sealed IMMEDIATELY as you cut and styled the trees?

Yes Gary, the sealand was applied within 2 minutes of the cuts being made. I used a paste that comes in a green tube with Chinese or Japanese writing on the tube - no English. The past itself is a grey/green colour, and dries similar to dark bark.

Glenda

[Glenda]

So - when can you cut back hard on an azalea? I read another post on here by Arthur(? I think - the topic was Sumo azalea if I remember correctly) who said in Japan they work on azaleas in their winter. When can you bare-root, and when can you root-prune? I don't want to loose any more!

Glenda

[Gary Bee]

G/Day! Glenda,

The advice from the experts is to repot azaleas immediately after flowering, each year.
This seems to be the go!

I must admit I did this in September after 4 years of not repotting and all my "other" azaleas have not looked back.

Only the pampered 40yo "Oldie" carked it!

I even repotted my Gumpo in September and it flowered in November...... I admit I was very lucky not to lose it as it started to wilt
so I immediately cut off all the flowers and tip pruned, then in the seasol (again) then in the shadehouse and it looks OK now. Phew!
I might leave it under 50% shade cloth for the rest of this summer.

Regards
Gary
<](:-))