Trying to save a deciduous azalea (apricot, very pretty), my late husband's favorite.
My deciduous azaleas have struggled for many years in the garden. One died and the other is half dead. I suspect they were planted in a bad spot with not enough water. I hoiked out the survivor, put it in a big clay pot near the house in a sunny spot as a make-shift nursery when I noticed a light green fungus growing in the crooks of all the branches. I gently scraped most of it off with my fingernails and water it thoroughly often. It's putting out new leaves but they shrivel and die. Advice ?
Answer
Fay, it sounds as though you might have the dreaded azalea scale. Do the stems have a burned, black look? That is often followed by greenish fungus which is actually there because the branch has died and so is living on the dead tissue. It would be best to send us a picture of your plant with a photo of the whole plant plus a closeup of the branch. You can send it by email to askagardener@pennhort.org. Or you can send a sample of it to your local cooperative extension service. contact them at 610.489.4315. Could you be overwatering? Does the pot have good drainage, good, porous soil? It is important to find out what the problem is for sure, of course, before you try a treatment that won't do any good. ep