Azaleas and Rhododendrons?

How do I take care of my azaleas and rhodos? I moved into this house 2 years ago and there are tons of them. They bloomed beautifully for the first year. This year, there are barely any blooms on them.





I havent fed them anything except miracle grow which I watered on top of them once this year and once last year. Also, my husband cuts them in the fall. Is there a special way to cut them? The Rhodo that we have was cut last fall and now there are only brown branches showing on most of the plant - and then some leaves on the top.





Did I completely kill them? Please help! I will do anything to bring them back to life again. I didnt realize how much care needed to go into this...

Azaleas and Rhododendrons?
Hi:


Rhododendrons and Azaleas are two beautiful plant specimens. They grow naturally in zone seven, where I live. I am a landscaper and designer.





I agree with the first answer on the Rhododendrons. Let them grow in their natural form and no need to trim them, unless they have dead branches.





Azaleas should be pruned after they are done blooming. There are some deciduous Azaleas and some evergreen Azaleas. The Encore Azaleas will bloom twice a year, so don't prune the Encore until after they bloom in the fall.





As far as feeding the Rhododendrons and Azaleas, you can give them Holly Tone, which is great for acid base plants. You can also loosen the soil around them and add some organic mushroom compost. This is an organic fertilizer that will last up to one year. It doesn't smell great, but your plants will love it.





As far as properly pruning, make sure your husband always cuts at an angle. If you prune a branch straight across, you could damage the branch. I will link you to the properly pruning page of my website. There is some photos and tips for properly pruning your trees and shrubs. I will also link you to the site map, as this page has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other information that will help you. There are some gallery pages, and variety of more plants section that has information on different plant specimens. Good luck to you and have a great day!


Kimberly





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...





http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c...
Reply:OK, don't do anything to them this year; except fertilize them, let them recover, that is why I included the links for pruning.





Don't trim them back at all leave them alone. They are acid loving plants so if you do fertilize them use an acid one.





Here is information on care and pruning when necessary.


Bookmark these links for next year.


http://www.flounder.ca/FraserSouth/basic...





Deadheading is different than prunning; please read.


http://www.flounder.ca/FraserSouth/basic...





http://www.flounder.ca/FraserSouth/basic...











Brand of fertilizer I prefer They have tips at there site too.





http://www.scotts.com/smg/brand/miracleg...
Reply:Sounds like your husband cut off the blossems for this year. They really don't require any trimming. Instead of Miracle Grow, use Muracid. They are acid loving plants and will benefit from it.