matsu

Janel: Azalea are the most sensitive trees I know of when it comes to overwatering and root rot. How and when you water will depend on your specific climate and, of course, the tree itself. I see you're in zone 9 and perhaps in LA. I too live in zone 9, Houston (zone 9a). Our climates may be similar with high temps, humidity and annual rainfall. High humidity, even with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, really retards the rate of water usage by the tree and evaporation from the soil itself. That said, I think you're right to have taken it out of the peat based soil as it certainly retains too much water, at least for my climate. I tried pure kanuma before and it also retained too much water, particularly when I used the small grain size (1/8" to 1/4"). If you have it in pure Kanuma, you'll still need to be very careful with watering. Wait until the top 1/2" or more of the soil is dry before watering. If you get a lot of rain and can't control the watering precisely, you may want to consider putting it under a shelter where it gets the sun it needs but is protected from rain. All this really depends on your specific climate. My current azalea mix is 2/3 pumice and 1/3 Kanuma, all in the medium (1/4" - 1/2") size. On smaller trees, I top dress with the same mix but with the small grade size. The top dress is to try to keep an even moisture level in the soil as the top dries much faster due to evaporation. As an alternative, you can place spagnum moss on the surface to minimize the evaporation. All the best and good luck. Regards, Paul

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Regards, Paul