Azalea

[cat woman]

I had 4 Azalea's in pots, this year 3 have died even though I'd planted them in the correct compost and used Azalea/ Camilla fertilizer mix. The only solution I have come up with is that the 3 which have died are in terracotta pots and the other one which is healthy is in a plastic pot, dose anyone think or know that maybe the frost in the winter has damaged the roots. Thanks in advance for any information.

Best Wishes cat woman xxx

[lindapinda]

Hi Cat Woman! I have just lost a previously healthy azalea too.It was late flowering from a plastic pot,but,doing well.Over the last couple of weeks though,the foliage has drooped,and root system then went brown,

[cat woman]

Hi linda, So my thinking that the terracotta pots was to blame for them dying was "pie-in-the-sky" so to speak, I think that I will go to my local Garden Center where I bought them and ask the head gardener his advice.

Thanks for your reply. Love cat woman xxx :-)

[Plocket]

If you've still got the plants Catwoman it might be worth checking for vine weevil larvae - horrrible little white thingies that eat the roots of your plants. They are very keen on azaleas and rhododendrons, and pot plants in general. It might be worth checking your remaining plant too.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0600/vine weevil.asp

[Plocket]

For some reason the link isn't working (I can never get it right on this site!!!) - delete the "</p>" from the web address and then it should work.

[cat woman]

Hi Plocket, I had post-mortum on one of my dead azalea's today when I got home from work, there was a few wood-lice at the bottom of the pot but no white eggs, but I did notice that as I was digging the compost off the roots it seems to very dry and fibrous almost like the roots had disintegrated. xxx

[katerich48]

Azeleas do die off - they are spring flowering the flowers go first then the leaves - but they come back again year after year, so maybe yours aren't actually dead, my daughter has two that are three years old both are in big china/stone pots...