Why nobody talks about rhododendron root rot until it's too late

Just lost a 12 year old rhododendron in my front yard near Portland because I didn't catch the root rot early enough. Soil was too compacted and wet from all the rain last spring, and by the time the leaves went yellow and droopy, the roots were already mush. Has anyone else dealt with this or found a way to prevent it from spreading to the other bushes?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_hunt24d ago

The same thing happened with my neighbor's azaleas a few years back. It makes you wonder how many things in life we don't notice until they're beyond fixing. That root rot is sneaky, just like small cracks in a house foundation or a slowly leaking pipe behind a wall. You don't see the damage until it's spread too far. For the other bushes, try improving drainage around them and maybe pull back some of the soil to let the roots breathe. Sometimes the best prevention is just paying closer attention to what's happening right under the surface.

uma8964d ago

Oh, I feel for your neighbor, @john_hunt2. Azaleas are so finicky about their feet getting too wet, it's heartbreaking when they go like that. Reminds me of a patch of rhododendrons I lost a couple years back, they looked fine on top but the roots were just mush when I dug them up. It really is like those hidden problems, you don't see them until the whole thing just gives up. Hope the other bushes can bounce back with a little more air around their roots.