A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Cacti and Succulents Indoors Azaleas look like they are dying?

We planted these azaleas when we moved to Maryland about 10 years ago. They thrived well until the last year or so. Not sure why they are looking this bad and wonder if we should prune them heavily or just dig them up. Suggestions will be appreciated!

Dry weather can cause it but so can rhododendron borer pests. If you take a dead branch and break it open, do you see any little pests inside?

I think you need to cut back and treat differently depending on if you see bugs or if it's fungal disease.

Thank you all very much . I dont see any pests when I break the branches BUT my vision is not what is used to be! LOL!

I agree with Bestofour, cut it back and fingers crossed it might come back.

Just realized that I never closed the book on this. Had to eventually remove all the azaleas. Never determined why they died but I did realize that they did fine for several years UNTIL I put down rubber mulch. Perhaps toxins leached from the rubber.

Sorry to hear that they did not survive.

Sorry about your plants. I've found rubber mulch doesn't work that well because it doesn't add any nutrients to the soil and can compact the soil which does all sorts of bad things, inhibits air circulation around roots for one thing. Live and learn.

I wouldn’t dig them up just yet. There’s quite a bit of dead wood, but I can still see some healthy green growth, so they may have a chance. I’d start by cutting out the branches that are completely dead and do a scratch test on some of the larger ones - if there’s green underneath the bark, that part is still alive.

I’d also check the leaves and the undersides for any signs of insects or disease, and have a look at the soil around the roots. Since they were doing well for about 10 years, I’d try to work out what changed over the last year or two before removing them.

I’d probably prune out the dead and badly damaged growth first rather than doing a really heavy cut all at once. Then see how much healthy new growth they produce this season.