Any ideas why most of the buds on my white rhododendron die off without flowering?

it only usually has one or two flowers

Any ideas why most of the buds on my white rhododendron die off without flowering?
if flower buds are formed and then turn brown, cause is usually frost. To avoid frosted buds, protect opening buds with fleece or plant later flowering varieties. Esp. azaleas. There is also a disease: bud blast fungus which is characterised by black bristles on the dead buds)

-if flower buds do not form (flower buds are fatter than growth buds):

-some varieties, especially species, take many years to flower.

-if planted in too much shade, will not flower well: move to sunnier spot.

-fertiliser applied after late June: this encourages leaves, not flowers.
Reply:might be the frost its been very windy as well icy wind does a lot of damage in the garden
Reply:Its not frost damage. If it was, more than just the unopened flower bud would be damaged, including some tips of branches as well (frost is non-selective when it comes to damaging plants). From your description of the buds dying off before they open up to bloom, I would be willing to bet that your plants are suffering from what is know as "Botrytis Blight" (botrytis cineria). It is a fungus which attacks plant shoots as well as opened and unopened blooms during cool,wet, humid, winter/spring weather. To control this disease, you need to make sure you prune off any diseased shoots, leaves, or buds. As the buds are forming in mid summer/fall you can spray the plants with the fungicide called "Daconil" which is available at WalMart, Home Depot, and Lowes garden centers. A couple applications in late winter /mid spring is warranted also. This should help control the problem. Pruning and thinning the plants after they bloom to "open" them up to better ventilation will also help to combat Botrytis Blight. Here is a link in PDF format explaining this disease. Pay particular attention to page 2 as it has pics and info below the pics that applies to your situation. Page 6 has a list of susceptible plants... Hope this answers your question. Good Luck...

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/...



...$Billy Ray$
Reply:1. It may have lacked sufficient water at the time the buds needed it.

2. It may possibly have some bugs on it causing the buds to drop.

3. Rhododendrons are acid loving plants - perhaps it needs more ericaceous compost around its roots.

4. May be some food might help it, particularly if it is in a pot and the compost has been there a while.