Rhododendron Help

Mine is not well. Doesnt matter where i put it, its leaves go yellow but never dies off completly.
First i had it in a semi shaded spot in the border, flowered but never looked happy. Leaves often turned yellow and a bit of die back. I thought maybe too wet or lacking acid so moved it to a tub in a ecricacious mix compost. This was last summer, still looks ropy now. Leaves yellowing although some new growth at the base.

Any tips ?

G

 

sounds to me, like your ground isn't ericaceous enough. One way of helping would be to put dead pine needles/conifer leaves/general leaf mulch on the ground and let them rot.. this will improve the ericaceous soil by acidification. It will take some time though.. might be a year or so. Those leaves generally won't revert back to green, so watch what happens to the new growth colour.

 

But the plant is in a tub with ericacious compost and the leaves are still going yellow

 

Some of my Azaleas were doing this.
Every 2nd week I watered with a weak solution of white vinegar. Worked a treat.

 

Whats in the vinegar that makes them like it ?

 

It is highly acidic.

There is also iron sulphate (available from a garden centre) which is supposed to help.