How to save a dying rhododendron. These are lovely, enchanting plants that have a wide array of colors, from dark red to lavender.
The plants are able to survive for many years and provide the home or garden with beautiful scenery; however, they can become ill or infested by bugs and may also contract diseases.
To help your poor rhododendron fend off these dangers and guard against any further potential damage, you should remove the areas where pests can potentially access the plant-like leaf bases, stems, and buds, along with regularly spraying with a strong blast of water to knock aphids off their host.
With the proper knowledge and tools at your disposal, you may be able to nurse your poor little rhododendron back to health.
How to save a dying rhododendron
The only way to revive a dying rhododendron is by cutting away dead and dying tissue late in the dormancy process.
In most cases, that’s shortly before the buds open in early spring. Here are some tips you can follow to help save your rhododendron:
Find any Dying Tissue
Taking care of your plant is important, whether it be a houseplant or your garden-variety rhododendron.
When you see dying or dead patches of plants on them, you can cut the area away so that the plant starts to heal itself.
However, there are times when the injury seems too severe and cannot be saved by simple pruning alone so if that’s the case, then don’t hesitate to discard it altogether and try to replace it with a healthier one instead.
Check for Unhealthy Leaves
If you happen to see any leaves that have a yellow coloring or that have large veins on them, you should spray the iron with those leaves because this indicates a lack of iron in the plant.
Get Rid Of All The Insects Around The Plant
There is no point in spraying your plant if there is absolutely nothing to spray. The most effective thing to do in the first step will be to check if there are any insects around in the first place.
The best way to go about this is by simply looking, but if you’re unable to identify that there are insects crawling around your plant, then you will have to take a more thorough approach to remove bugs from your garden naturally.
Place Your Plant Under Sunlight
When your plant is dying, you need to get it sunburnt. However, avoid full sunlight immediately after the morning (there are some folks who claim that you should do this with an already-healed plant in order to try and lighten its leaves; this is a dubious assertion).
Only expose your plant to direct sunlight during the late mornings. In other words, be warned of those tempting rays of sunshine found later on in the day.
Changing the Soil
When you find your rhododendron dying, do a test to see if the soil is right for it. The most common mistake gardeners make is to let the soil stay wet too long.
This kind of plant isn’t going to thrive if its roots are damaged by the water they’ve absorbed.
Dig up one of your rhododendron’s roots and look at the end that was underground; this should give you an idea of what kind of soil it needs to be healthy.
If you notice any sort of black mold or root rot, then chances are good that your plants’ needs aren’t being met in their current environment and you’ll need to transplant them into better soil ideally clay loam with plenty of humus content.
While shopping for new garden tools is admittedly fun, you should resist the urge to get too many
shovels and trowels will help keep down expenses and make sure that your fruits and vegetables don’t end up back in some dark corner unused.
Watch out for Fungus
Additionally, you can check underneath the plant’s leaves for any signs of discoloring, as this is a telltale sign that there might just be some fungus threatening to take root.
If you do notice this occurring then you’ll want to get some fungicide ASAP and apply it for best results.
Using fungicides during late summer and spring alone (compared to when your plant is already under attack) is a great way to sterilize your plants before they start growing weak and unhealthy with the disease.
Conclusion
If you follow these steps, you’ll know exactly how to save a dying rhododendron! The steps aren’t that hard to follow and the best part is that they are extremely effective.
With these steps, you now have the answer to, “how do you bring a rhododendron back to life?” Well, don’t worry about it. What else do you need? All that’s left is for you to take action right away.
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