On Apr 25, 10:09 pm, "JimR" wrote:
1. There are a lot of variables that you haven't addressed, such as the
type of soil you have, how long you're watering (ie, how much water are you
putting out at one time), etc.

Type of soil I actually am not sure about, which is why I didn't
mention it, but also why I said the rhododendron has done well in this
location for years. I don't think the ph of the soil is really a
problem, although not knowing what type of soil we have is definitely
one reason I'm confused about watering. It seems like we have several
different kinds of soil in different areas of the house. The soil
where the rhododendron is seems sandy, but I'm hardly an expert.

From the tone of your post I infer that you don't have mulch around the
rhododendron.

No - and I had planned to do this. I don't have much mulch in this
area because it's right up against the house, and everybody advises
against putting mulch next to your house in my area because of the
risk of termites. But I can put a little bit down, I guess, and just
keep the radius fairly small.

But the plant did well without mulch before. It's not like I removed
mulch and now it's dying.

Suggest one application of a good slow release azalea fertilizer before the
plant goes into bloom and a second application after flowering has
completely finished. That should do it for the year. Miracle-gro every two
weeks is way over-kill, especially for an old established plant.

The Miracle Gro is being used on the other plants, which are new and
growing, but I mentioned it because I thought it might be dribbling
over a bit. (The MG package says once every two weeks for most
plants.) I've only actually fertilized the rhododendron with the
Holly Care, and I used less than recommended.

If the plant is mulched and you have sandy loam, water about twice a week if
there is no rain, for 30-40 minutes with a good garden sprinkler or
installed irrigation system

See, from this, it sounds like I'm not watering enough. I water this
plant (and the tree) usually once a week, and less if it rains, and I
don't water them for 30-40 minutes, that's for sure. I water them
until the ground looks like it can't hold any more water, i.e. puddles
start to form and don't immediately disappear. That's usually within
5-10 minutes. Sometimes I just go out there with a gallon can of
water and empty it.

Should the soil be getting completely dry between waterings or should
it be kept moist? And how deep are the roots of a rhododendron?