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Rhododendron leaves: why they turn yellow
Rhododendron leaves are kind of indicators of plant health. As soon as they lose their former appearance, you should pay attention to the flower, find out the reasons and immediately eliminate them.
Why do rhododendron leaves turn yellow
There are a lot of reasons why a shrub can begin to turn yellow. To find out, you need to carefully examine the plant for pests or mechanical damage.
Rhododendron leaves are the main indicator of health
The most common causes of yellowed leaves in rhododendron are:
- Improper watering. The shrub, although hygrophilous, does not tolerate excessive waterlogging. Therefore, as soon as the first alarms appear, manifested in a change in the appearance of the foliage, you need to check how dry or wet the soil is. If the soil is dry and literally crumbles in the hands, the plant needs to be watered. If the earthen lump is too wet, then perhaps the reason is an excess of liquid.
- Mechanical damage to the root. Making such manipulations with a flower as loosening and removing weeds, you can accidentally damage the root system, which is close to the surface. This will lead to wilting and yellowing of the crown.
- Harmful insects. If, upon visual inspection, gray and black holes are found on the leaves, this indicates an invasion of black thrips. Any other formations on the crown may indicate the presence of a spider mite, slugs, moths, etc.
- Diseases. The shrub is susceptible to many fungal diseases, which are manifested by the formation of small spots on the leaves. Further, these spots grow rapidly, destroying the entire crown. You need to react quickly when they appear.
All these reasons are easily and quickly eliminated in the early stages. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the appearance of the decorative planting.
What to do if the leaves of the rhododendron began to turn yellow
As soon as the cause of the yellowing leaves is identified, you need to immediately begin to eliminate it. Depending on the problem, the following help can be provided:
- Insufficient watering is eliminated simply, the plant must be moistened. In order to further prevent drying out of the soil, the soil is covered with a layer of peat as mulch. If the land is waterlogged, then it should be dried, excluding watering the soil in the near future.
- In order to prevent mechanical damage to the root system, weeds should be carefully manually removed and the soil should not be loosened. If the plant has already suffered, then you will have to cut off the yellowed branches.
- Spraying the shrub with a 0,3% nicotine solution will help to cope with the invasion of black thrips. To control other pests, you should purchase specialized plant protection products.
- Since rhododendron diseases are caused by fungi, at the first sign it is necessary to resort to the help of specialized antifungal agents, which are sold in every gardening store and are presented in a wide range.
As a preventive measure against planting problems, it is recommended to irrigate with acidified water, fertilize the soil and prune on time.
With proper care of the plant and when creating optimal conditions for its growth and development, problems with yellowing of the crown should not arise. But if the plant still lost its former appearance, then you need to start healing immediately.