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45-year old azaleas harmed by sodium hypochlorite #122149

Asked April 17, 2013, 1:36 PM EDT

Hello: Last summer we had our roof cleaned of algae and other gunk and the runoff from the chemicals in the roof damaged my old azaleas. I watered like crazy but about a third of the azaleas died back. I cut out all the dead wood this spring and the rest of the bush is looking fairly good. I mulched with leaf compost. I wondered if I should fertilize but I'm hesitant to do that because of the heavy chemical load already in the soil from the sodium hypochlorite. Your thoughts? How should I best care for my beautiful plants? Many thanks. Pat

Chester County Pennsylvania

Expert Response

Hi Pat:
I think I would hold off of fertilizing. You may want to have a soil test done to check on the pH and the nutrient levels. The Penn State Extension office has them for $9.00. Not sure how close you are to it: http://extension.psu.edu/chester

An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 24, 2013, 11:05 AM EDT

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