Pensacola News Journal

For: Saturday, April 13, 2002

By: Daniel E. Mullins

Extension Horticulture Agent

Santa Rosa County

Spring Azalea Care is Important

Evergreen azaleas are our most popular landscape plants and spring is the time for several important maintenance practices. By mid to late April most plants will be finished flowering and these jobs can be done without damaging the delicate blossoms.

Pruning: Make pruning cuts only if necessary, not from habit. Pruning should be done to remove dead or diseased wood or to remove unusually long, unsightly branches. Allow plants to grow to their natural shape, rather than hedging or making green balls of them.

Fertilizing: Choose an “Azalea-Camellia” type acid forming fertilizer and follow label directions when applying. Standard garden fertilizer should not be used on azaleas, as it often contains a form of nitrogen that is poisonous to the roots. Avoid placing fertilizer near the base of stems. Water thoroughly following the application to activate the fertilizer and to prevent burn.

Mulching: Add enough mulch to maintain a 2 to 3 inch depth beneath plants. Use coarse organic mulching materials such as pine needles or bark. Pull mulch 2 inches away from the base or trunk of plants in order to prevent crown rot.

Evaluate: This is a good time to take a close look at the health of your azalea plantings. Following is a checklist of questions.

• Are plants stunted, with few leaves and covered with those gray, scaly or hairy lichens? They could be receiving too much sunlight. Azaleas prefer filtered light and struggle when placed in full, glaring sun. If this is the case, consider moving them to a more shady location.

• Are leaves yellow, with green veins? If so, the soil might be too alkaline or sweet for these acid loving plants. Try using organic mulches, fertilizing with acid forming fertilizers and making supplemental applications of iron. If this doesn’t work, replace the azaleas with plants that grow better under alkaline soil conditions.

• Do plants die within 6 to 12 months after planting? You are either planting too deep or this is an unusually wet spot. When transplanting azaleas, the top of the root ball should be at, or slightly higher than the surrounding soil grade. When placed deeper, root and stem rot occurs. Avoid planting azaleas in known wet areas of the landscape.

• Are extremely old plants beginning to die off? I am convinced that the life span of evergreen azaleas is limited. In some cases, even under good growing conditions, old azaleas sometimes decline. Close examination reveals various root rots and other symptoms, but nothing other than old age is found to be the cause. Consider replacement in such cases.

Question of the Week: My centipede grass lawn has suddenly turned yellow. What could be the cause?

Answer: I’m betting that you fertilized within the past 2 or 3 weeks, and also that you have used a high nitrogen containing fertilizer. Centipede naturally has a problem taking up iron from the soil, even though there is normally plenty in even our sandy soils. This is probably iron chlorosis brought on by a heavy application of fertilizer.

Apply either a liquid or dry formulation of iron to counteract this condition. Follow label directions when applying, and lighten up on the fertilization. More centipede lawns are being destroyed from the over application of high nitrogen containing fertilizers than from any other cause. I have never seen a centipede lawn that starved for lack of fertilizer.