Azalia Dieing

My azalia is about 10 years old and a limb at the time is wilting and dieing. What causes this?

Do you have a picture? How big is the limb? Is it half the plant or just a small limb? Were you digging nearby? Could you have damaged the roots? Were you spraying something nearby?

If it is a well established plant, I would check out all the things that Gardenerme has said, also, have you been able to get enough water to the roots, does it need a feed, Acidc food is what they need, as they like acid soil, have you added any manure or compost to the usuals soil around the roots, as this would alter the soil these plants like, I think you have had a really hot summer this year from what I gain from the news on TV, so maybe it it suffering from that, once the soil dries out around the roots of Azalias, it takes a lot of time and water to get it moist again, so stick your finger in the soil beside the roots to check how dry it is, but for now, you may have to prune the dead shoot of as if it is a desease you find is the problem, then you dont want it to continue to spread further up the shoot or onto the rest of the plant, deseased wood should be burned so it dont spread, the best way to check for dead wood on a shrub is by scratching away a tiny bit of bark with your finger and if the under wood is white/green then it should be OK, if it is dull and brown/grey, then it is dead so chop it off just below this damages area. wish you could send a pic for better help, good luck. WeeNel.

Since your azalea is 10 years old, it's possible that, over time, the soil has built up around the roots (grass clippings, etc.). Azaleas like the top portion of their roots slightly exposed so they can get air, so a buildup of soil could certainly cause it to begin to die.

The major part is dead and I have cut it off. There is only one large limb still alive. Nothing around the root part. I had not kept it watered and it is extremely dry here. I just could not water everything. It takes me over an hour to water now. I had to cool between waterings today. 106 was the high. Dangerously hot. I will replace it this fall.

I would honestly say your Azalea has been neglected and in need of some mulching around the root system (not up the trunk, but just spread about the root area) also there are some bugs that can tunnel into the trunk/stems and cause the stems to die back, usually if you see this in plenty time, you can cut the dead bit back and save the rest from being eaten away, the best thing to do with the bits you have cut away is burn them so nothing spreads to other areas of the garden, earwigs are common for burrowing into the bark and branches of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, as are some caterpillars looking for a home to lay eggs, but you would normally see the tiny tunnels/sawdust in the base of the branches just laying on the ground, I would try save the plant you have as with proper care and no further die back, it will soon throw out new shoots, however, in your heat, I don't think you will have any more luck with a new plant next year as this one will still need proper care and watering, they don't like hot sun for long periods of time, I am afraid you are not alone in your problems with the change in our climate, even in Europe some areas are struggling with the changes to the weather. good luck anyway. WeeNel.

The limb still on it is holding its own. Not much of the bush left. This has been the hottest and driest summer we have ever had. Very unusuall. We have had 12 days of 100 or above. Sure has been hard on me. Thanks for all the help.....gn

Sounds like your adverse weather has caused the shrub to get too dry and it has gave up the fight, I would still work on trying to keep the remaining shoot well watered for the rest of the season, mulch around the roots and try get it to throw out new shoots for next year, you never know, with the right conditions given by you, it could turn out to be a winner, good luck. Weenel.