yellow lower leaves on rhododendron

centuri

my large rhododendrons lower leaves have started to turn yellow  I have started to remove them by just shaking the bush which is in a very large container.I have had this plant for about 8 years and its the first time this has happened .I thought it could be due to vine weavil but after digging a bit around the plant I found nothing

treehugger80

it more likely that the leaves are old and the plant is dropping the oldest, its totally normal!

All plants drop leaves, even evergreens, but with rhodi's the leaves are larger, so its more obvious when they drop.

Fairygirl

Do you refresh the soil every year if it's in a pot? That's very important. It should also be in a good soil based medium, not just compost.

How big is the pot too? It might well be struggling badly if the pot's too small and the nutrients and water are lacking at all. Anything in a pot needs a lot more attention than when it's in the ground.