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Planting Azaleas under Maple Trees ?

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Oct 14, 2012, 08:15 PM
murphman
Planting Azaleas under Maple Trees ?
Hello, Back in the spring I planted 6 Azaleas underneath 2 Maple trees. Over the summer despite watering the Azaleas, 3 of them have died. Where should I relocate them to? I appreciate our suggestions. Thank you, Murph
Oct 14, 2012, 08:38 PM
ga.karen
Get a soil test before you plant them any place. They need acidic soil.
And mine do best planted near a tall pine tree or where they get at least 1/2 day sun.

One other thing...when you planted them did you seperate the roots and spread them in you planting hole? All roots need to be spread when planted to learn to search for nutients & moisture....if left in the "ball" they may only grow in circles & end up dying.


"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
Oct 14, 2012, 10:40 PM
mgt
And, they may be competing with the maple trees. Maple roots are quite shallow. I'm surprised you were able to dig under the maple trees.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've decided to quit my job, drop out of society, and wear live animals as hats."
Oct 15, 2012, 08:01 AM
KimmSr
Where in the world are you?
What kind of soil do you have"
What was the soils pH?

Azaleas, like all members of the Rhododendron family, are understory plants of the forest but not the deep forest. They need a soil well endowed with organic matter that is evenly moist but well drained. I have seen Azaleas and Rhododendrons growing with Acer (maples) species in some botanical gardens, even though all the experts say no to that.
http://www.capecodextension.or...%20Rhododendrons.pdf


The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
Oct 15, 2012, 07:48 PM
murphman
Thank you for the helpful information. I live in southern New Jersey. I will get a soil test. (Hard to find a garden center in our area that performs soil test's but I will look for one.) I had a similar problem with 4 Rhododenrons until I transferred them to a woodded area. Thanks again, I appreciate it. Murphman
Oct 15, 2012, 09:21 PM
ga.karen
Murph...call your local county extension office to see if they do soil tests.
Mine collects them & sends them to the UofGa. for the testing. We get the results in about a week and ours only cost $6 ea. through them. Our office also has a soil probe you can borrow to collect your samples. Make sure you take up dirt from several places in the area & mix the dirt all together for you sample. Ours also has little collection bags to put the sample in for shipping to the U.


"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
Oct 16, 2012, 08:04 AM
KimmSr
Murphman, Rutgers does soil testing in New Jersey. They are one of the more expensive university labs, but you do get knowledgeable recommendations for correcting problems that you probably would not get from other sources.


The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
Oct 17, 2012, 06:29 PM
M-ma
PA here. Our azaleas did fine on the east side of the house. Morning sun.
South and west side---not good.
One on north side (partially shaded late afternoon) doing fine.
Azaleas and rhodos need water: gallon every few days during a drought.
Oct 17, 2012, 08:34 PM
murphman
Thank you for the soil test suggestions. I will look into each of the suggestions. Thank you ! Murphman
Oct 17, 2012, 11:22 PM
Florida Farm Girl
The extension service is a wealth of information, mostly free for the asking. They'll have lists of plants and trees for your area and should be able to answer lots of questions. Make use of them.


www.floridafarmgirlsworld.blogspot.com


Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.
Oct 21, 2012, 08:23 AM
murphman
Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. I relocated the Azaleas and had a soil test performed to help in deciding where to plant the bushes. This message board is very helpful ! murph
Oct 25, 2012, 12:55 PM
M-ma
You're welcome.
Yes, I've found excellent suggestions here.

Someone in OK a few years back really helped me with the simple suggestion of gypsum. Really helped me solve a problem.