This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Azalea fighting for its life -- Id like to help
stejack2000
Posts: 1
you can see in picture 1 -- this azalea is trying to fight off some insect/disease /something and I dont know how to help. The second photo is a picture of some nasty branches I cut from the bush yesterday-- note the greenish substance on the dead branches.Anyone know how to help ? thanks 
0
Posts
The greenish substance look like lichens, which themselves are not harmful to the plant but it may mean that you do have another problem as they don't usually appear on healthy plants.
The most common cause is likely to be that the drainage is poor which can lead to root rot or fungus [e.g. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/azalea/phytophthora-root-rot-azaleas.htm] or could be due to a lack of air circulating around the plant. It should respond well to a hard prune, ensure you cut all the ill branches out completely and hope it recovers. I wouldn't know how to treat any kind of root issue, I'm afraid.
You may also find helpful [https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=411]