Can my dying rhododendron be saved?

Lena N

Hi

I wonder if anyone can offer some advice on what my rhododendron seems to be dying from please?

She was really healthy over spring and summer but since autumn her leaves and buds have turned brown and crispy and have fallen off. I watered her pretty consistently over the summer and when I planted her I added lots of stones at the bottom of the pot to help with drainage.  I've felt the compost in the pot and it's moist.

Could it be some sort of disease?  Any suggestions would be much appreciated. (Sorry but I'm not sure how to rotate the image when posting from iPad).

Thanks in advance

 

Lena N

Ah that's a shame.

Thank you for your help though Verdun

Alan4711

Lena N rather than sling it why not cut it back and give it a chance to recover, cant hurt it and you might get lucky,as Verdun says you might have to cross more than fingers but sometimes it works nothing to lose, if or when it does get dry enough to need water give it a crushed  aspirin. B Lucky,

Lena N

Hi Alan

Thanks for your message. I'm unsure how to go about cutting it back as the branches lower down look unhealthy (perhaps even dead wood) and whenever I've pruned shrubs in the past I've usually cut back to a pair of buds. I'd like to give it a try though as the way I see it is I can't possibly make it any worse! How far would you recommend cutting back to please? Is there a way I can check if the branch is still alive or dead?

Thanks again 

Dovefromabove

You can scrape the bark gently with your thumbnail - if it's green beneath the surface the branch is alive - if it's brown it's a goner.

Lena N

Thanks