Dealing with Azalea Plant Diseases: Identification and Treatment

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Robby

Azaleas are popular flowering shrubs that add a beautiful pop of color to any garden However, like all plants, azaleas can fall victim to fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases Learning to properly identify and treat azalea diseases is key to keeping your plants healthy and thriving. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore some of the most common azalea diseases, symptoms to look out for, and effective treatment methods.

Common Azalea Diseases

Here are some of the most prevalent diseases that affect azaleas

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is one of the most widespread azalea diseases. It manifests as a white or gray powdery coating on leaves, stems, buds, and flowers. As the disease progresses, affected parts may become twisted and stunted. The coating is made up of fungal spores that thrive in warm, humid conditions.

Leaf Spot

Leaf spot can be caused by various fungal pathogens. It starts off as small dark spots on leaves that expand, eventually turning the leaf brown or black. Severe infections can lead to defoliation. Leaf spot thrives in wet, warm weather.

Bud Blight

This fungal disease attacks azalea buds, often killing them before they have a chance to bloom. It’s identified by brown rot on flower buds and is worsened by high humidity and overcrowding.

Petal Blight

Petal blight manifests as small, water-soaked spots on azalea flowers, causing them to brown, shrivel, and stick together. The fungal pathogen is spread by splashing water and thrives in cool, wet weather.

Canker Diseases

Fungal cankers cause sunken, dead areas on branches and stems. Canker diseases eventually girdle branches, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients. Azalea shoot blight is a type of canker disease.

Crown Gall

Crown gall is caused by a bacterial pathogen that leads to rough, woody galls or tumors on roots and lower stems. The bacteria enter through wounds and cause abnormal cell growth. Infected plants are stunted and decline.

Root Rot

This fungal disease rots roots, making them turn soft, brown, and mushy. Plants with root rot become wilted and stunted. The fungus spreads in overly wet soils.

Identifying Azalea Diseases

Keep an eye out for these symptoms to identify azalea diseases:

  • White powdery coating on leaves, stems, buds, or flowers
  • Dark spots or blotches on leaves
  • Rotted, blackened flowers and flower buds
  • Distorted, curled leaves
  • Canisters, cracks, or sunken areas on stems
  • Galls or tumors on lower stems and roots
  • Mushy, rotten roots
  • Wilting, yellowing, or stunted plants

Early intervention is key to saving infected azaleas, so inspect plants regularly and act quickly at the first sign of disease. Scrape away bark to check for cankers and rotted wood.

Treating Azalea Diseases

If you suspect your azalea has a disease, take these steps:

Remove Infected Parts

Prune out any parts showing disease symptoms, including leaves, flowers, stems, and branches. Remove 5-8 inches below visible symptoms when pruning cankers. Throw out the infected material – don’t compost it. Sterilize tools after each cut.

Improve Air Flow

Overcrowding creates the humid conditions most azalea diseases need to thrive. Space plants at least 3-6 feet apart and prune nearby trees and shrubs. Remove weeds and ground debris.

Water Carefully

Water azaleas at soil level instead of overhead. Make sure soil drains well and avoid overwatering.

Use Fungicides

Apply appropriate fungicides at the first sign of disease and as directed on the label. Organic options include neem oil, sulfur, compost tea, and copper sulfate.

Treat Root Rot

Repot plants with root rot in sterile, well-draining soil. Cut off all diseased roots first.

Disinfect

After handling infected plants, wash your hands and disinfect tools, pots, and gardening surfaces to prevent spread.

Improve Soil Health

Mix in compost and mulch azalea beds to improve moisture retention, aeration, and microbial activity in the soil. Healthy soil grows healthier plants.

With prompt treatment, many azaleas can make a full recovery from disease. Be vigilant, identify symptoms early, prune infected parts, and use fungicides if needed. Preventing overcrowding, overwatering, and plant injuries can also deter azalea diseases and maintain the health of your plants.

dealing with azalea plant diseases identification and treatment

Insect pests of azaleas and rhododendrons

  • Bark scales are a type of soft scale and an infestation is indicated by clear sticky honeydew with attendant sooty mold (black fungus) on leaves or stems, yellowing of leaves, and twig dieback.
  • This scale is most obvious from May through June when white egg sacs may be found in twig forks.
  • Heavy infestations over several seasons may kill plants.
  • Overwintering immature scales (nymphs) are less than ⅛-inch long, gray, and are usually found in twig forks.
  • The females appear totally white when they produce their white, waxy egg sacs.
  • This scale primarily attacks azalea and rhododendron but also has been found on Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica), maple, arborvitae, willow, poplar, and hackberry.
  • There are two generations each year in Maryland.

Azaleas can tolerate low populations of this bark scale without significant damage. If there are no yellowing leaves, no treatment is necessary. Consider hand–removal by squishing the scales to prevent populations from increasing.

Beneficial predators and parasites will usually provide adequate control of light bark scale infestations. Examine egg sacs for holes that will indicate control by parasitoids, and look for predators such as ladybird beetles.

To control heavy infestations, spray dormant plants with a 4% rate of horticultural oil to kill developing nymphs on twigs. If necessary a 2% summer rate of horticultural oil may be applied in July after all of the eggs have hatched.

Systemic insecticides applied to the soil are also highly effective but follow cautionary warnings on the label to protect pollinators visiting azaleas and rhododendrons.

Key points about azaleas and rhododendrons

  • Rhododendrons and azaleas offer a wide range of flower colors in the spring and are one of the most popular landscape plants in Maryland.
  • All rhododendrons and azaleas are members of the heath (Ericaceae) family and the genus Rhododendron. There are evergreen and deciduous forms of both.
  • Pinxter flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides), a deciduous shrub, is one of several azaleas native to the Mid-Atlantic area. Pinxter flower is very susceptible to deer browsing.
  • Other related landscape plants in the heath family that require similar growing conditions include Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), doghobble (Leucothoe), and blueberries (Vaccinium).
  • Where growing conditions are unsuitable, azaleas and rhododendrons are susceptible to the disorders and diseases described below.

How to Identify and Treat Gall on Azaleas

FAQ

How do you treat azaleas with diseases?

Prevention & Treatment: Remove fallen leaves. Keep leaves dry when watering plants. Fungicide sprays during periods of high humidity will prevent serious foliage damage. Fungicide sprays recommended for azaleas include copper hydroxide, copper-based fungicides, thiophanate-methyl or chlorothalonil.

What does a sick azalea look like?

Initial symptoms consist of slow growth, slightly off-colored foliage, and drooping or wilting of the foliage, especially in mid-day. As the disease progresses, more dramatic above-ground symptoms develop, which include twig and branch dieback and inward curling and drooping of olive-green leaves (Figure 8).

What is the common azalea fungus?

Azalea gall is a common fungal azalea disease caused by the fungus Exobasidium vaccinii. It causes distorted and abnormal growth in the form of swellings on the stems, leaves, and flowers. These galls often occur in spring and the leaves can become curled and fleshy.

What does azalea petal blight look like?

Symptoms. The disease starts as pale marks on coloured petals and brown marks on white petals. The spots enlarge rapidly and by the end of the day, the whole flower has collapsed into a brown, mushy mess. Affected flowers may hang on the bush.

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