Why do azaleas turn yellow

The roots may be pot-bound when you buy them. This is when the roots are tightly matted together. Pot-bound roots form a tough ball that the roots may never grow out of. Cut the root ball or break the roots down four sides of the root ball if the plant is pot bound.

Spread the roots out as you add soil. Also, plant azaleas in beds, if possible, and not individual holes dug in the ground. Till the area well. You do not need to add compost to the soil. Put a three-inch mulch over the entire bed after planting. Water the soil well to settle the roots. Plant in fall and winter for best results. Proper planting and watering are critical steps in assuring success in growing azaleas. Azaleas and other shrubs must be watered for best results.

This is especially true during the first year. Water the soil so as it keeps it moist but not wet for the first six months.

After that, water when soil dries out, wetting the soil to a depth of twelve inches. Thank you for the advice and pics which look exactly like my mature azaleas in my winter garden Australia. Hey Linda…glad the info we provided helped. And thanks for chiming in and letting me know about your azaleas in your winter garden.

We love ours in the Southern states of the US! Take care, D. Thank you for this well-written and informative post. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Why are my azalea leaves turning yellow?

December 4, - Doug Scott. Even evergreens lose their leaves…just not all at once like deciduous plants do. Azaleas set their leaf buds in the fall…and the emergence of these buds prompts molting. Having random yellow leaves scattered throughout your azaleas is normal…these leaves are simply molting. Just wait for new growth in the spring. It may be that your azaleas are just needing a little bit of extra juice…particularly nitrogen. If you notice brown leaves on your Azalea, look for other symptoms to help you diagnose the problem.

Some Azaleas naturally turn brown in the fall. Deciduous Azaleas lose their leaves before winter, and evergreen varieties can drop some of their leaves too. Brown leaf tips or edges can be a sign of potassium or calcium deficiencies.

The Problem: Brown leaves or brown tips and edges can signify that an Azalea is having problems with its roots. Possibilities include root rot, stunt nematode, fertilizer burn, and overwatering or poor soil drainage.

Other symptoms of root problems include pale green or yellow leaves, a wilted appearance, and reduced growth, sometimes of the whole plant or sometimes of just one section. It can become a problem for Azaleas when the soil is too wet, or the plant is stressed.

Leaves will start to curl, droop, and turn pale or brown, or sometimes change to their fall colors at the wrong time. Eventually, the bark just above ground level will turn dark brown or reddish. Stunt nematode, as the name suggests, causes stunted growth in Azaleas, and also brown or yellow leaves, sometimes yellow with green veins.

Nematodes are parasites that live in the soil, and stunt nematodes feed on plant roots. The best way to tell whether your Azalea has nematodes is to get your soil tested for them. Too much fertilizer can damage Azalea roots, causing leaves to turn brown sometimes just at the tips or yellow and wilt, and the plant may appear generally unhealthy.

Compacted or clay soil are the most likely culprit. Roots can drown in too much water, and the wetness can also lead to root rot. The symptoms are similar to those of other root problems.

Unfortunately, Azaleas that get root problems usually die. The name of the game with Azalea root problems is prevention. Keep your plants healthy so that they will be less susceptible to disease of any kind. Plant Azaleas in well drained soil and be careful not to over water.

Only use inorganic fertilizers if you need to. The Problem: If the leaves on some branches of your Azalea are turning brown and dying, you may have a branch dieback problem. The phytophthora fungus that causes root rot can also affect branches, and so can the fungus botryosphaeria.

With phytophthora, leaves will turn pale, yellow, and brown and fall off, with whole branches dying in as little as a couple of weeks. Insects that make holes in stems, like rhododendron borers, can also cause branch dieback. Their wormy larvae live inside branches, where you can see them if you cut a branch open. The adults are small flying insects with long, wasp-like bodies. Remove affected branches, and the rest of the plant may be ok. Carefully get rid of infected parts of the plant to prevent the problem from spreading.

Phytophthora is pretty lethal for Azaleas, but other types of dieback are less serious. The Problem: If a few branches here and there on your Azalea have turned brown, or if the tips and edges of the leaves are brown, winter injury may be the cause, especially if you had unusual winter weather. Split bark and brown or black buds are other symptoms that suggest winter injury. Because the problem mainly has to do with dryness, both unusually mild and unusually severe winters can harm Azaleas, depending on the circumstances.

Wait until the rest of the plant has leafed out and flowered, and at that point, prune off any dead branches. Brown spots on Azalea leaves are usually a sign of fungal leaf spot diseases, leafminer insects, or damage from too much direct sun. The Problem: Leaves covered in brown spots like irregular polka dots probably have a fungal infection.

The spots are sometimes reddish or almost black and may have tiny black spots in the middle. Affected leaves may drop off. The Solution: Prune away the affected areas, preferably right after blooming is finished. If a lot of spotted leaves have dropped on the ground, rake them up. This type of fungal infection spreads in water, so make sure to water your Azaleas at the ground level rather than getting the leaves wet. The Problem: A few brown spots here and there on different leaves and curled brown tips may indicate leafminers.

They usually show up in spring and continue to spread through the summer. Some affected leaves turn yellow or completely brown and drop off. The mines are usually next to the central vein of the leaf. Older caterpillars feed at the tips of leaves, which they curl around them with webbing. What to do. You know how we Virginians love our azaleas. We plant them everywhere for spring color and winter greenery. After talking to neighbors and checking my own plants, however, I found that there seems to be an epidemic of yellowing leaves this year.

A bit of research shows that we can all relax. All evergreens and semi evergreen plants do this, but the molting can seem more pronounced in some years than others. There are several problems, however, that can cause yellowing and leaf drop.