Marianne's Response
Rhododendrons with not many blooms
HI! Can you guess why my Rhododendrons haven’t bloomed very well this year? Some are older that I started by layering and they’ve bloomed well in previous years. Others are newer and only had a few blooms. I have about a dozen of different varieties. I fertilize with alfalfa meal late winter and add compost and mulch around them. I keep them weeded. They are situated on the edge of fir trees, but have some hours of sunshine. Thank you!
Posted by Kathy Strain on May 27, 2020
Marianne's Response
If your rhodies bloomed well in past years and this year they have less blooms I would suspect the weather. A dry autumn will cause some flower buds to turn to foliage and a cold winter can kill off the flower buds. It sounds like you are really taking good care of the plants with alfalfa meal and compost so just blame Mother Nature and expect a better show of blooms next spring. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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