Episode: #5 30/09/2006
Presenter: Judy Horton

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We all love spring colour and when it comes to spring and flowering shrubs it is hard to beat the magnificent show produced by azaleas. In recent years many people have put azaleas into the too-hard basket because they are so often spoilt by pests and diseases.

One of the worst is a fungal disease called petal blight. It affects flowers, turning them brown and they hang on the plant like sad flags. Not a good look at all.

What can you do about this horrible disease? First pick off all the infected flowers and pop them into the bin as it helps to stop the disease from spreading. When you are watering, try to keep the leaves and flowers dry because the disease loves moisture.

There is some other help at hand. Before the first flowers have opened right out, you can start spraying with Bayleton, it is a systemic fungicide that gets right inside the emerging flowers to protect them, but it is important to spray again every couple of weeks.

Azalea leaves can also be spoiled by insect pests. The sad thing is that, once the leaves are damaged, they stay damaged forever. Confidor will take care of most insect pests but it is much better if you start using it in spring just as the new growth is starting. That means you will have green leaves that stay looking good for the rest of the season.

Nutrition problems can spoil the leaves too. Iron deficiency, which shows up on the new leaves, can be a particular problem. Sometimes this problem happens because the soil isn?t acidic enough. Azaleas love acid soil.

Yates Leaf Greener will give plants a quick shot of iron. Just snip the top, pour into a full watering can and water onto the plant.

Generally, though, you will keep azalea plants in good condition by feeding them with a fertiliser like Thrive that has been developed especially for the lovely plants.

Featured Product

www.yates.com.au

Bayleton Garden Fungicide
Best azalea petal blight control available - stops the spread of existing petal blight and prevents re-infection.

• Ideal for dollar spot control on lawns.
• Systemic action - active translocates around the plant working from the inside out protecting the plant.
• Acts as both a protective and a curative fungicide kiling disease already in the plant and preventing new outbreaks.

Bayer Confidor Insecticide

• Used to control aphids, azalea lace bugs, greenhouse thrips, mealybug, soft scale, hibiscus flower beetle, sap sucking bugs, psyllids.
• Systemic action - absorbed through the foliage and moves throughout the plant to control insect pests - works from the inside out.
• Good for spot treatment of pests.
• Low toxic, water based formulation.
• Soft on beneficial insects such as ladybirds

Thrive Camellia & Azalea Potting Mix

• Ideal for containers and garden grown azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and other acid-loving plants. Also can be used for blue hydrangeas.
• Formulated for acid-loving plants.
• The pH of the mix is 4.8 ? 5.8
• Organic based mix improves soil quality.