Problem with Azaleas

I live in Atlanta and have at least a dozen Gumpo azaleas. They were fine for many years but then I got die back. It would start with a major stem and spread to the adjacent one even tho I removed all bare stems. After 3/4 of each azalea was dead, the remainder survived. A couple of Gumpo I purchased about 10 years ago are in perfect health and about 4 times too large they are so healthy.

What could have caused the die back? Do I need to do anything to the soil if I want to replace them?

Hi Beth, I'm sorry to hear about your azalea troubles. A bit more info, if you don't mind, please? How old are the azaleas that are having the die-back problem? What sort of sunlight do they get? Have ya got any new neighbors recently... ya know, with dogs? any new excavating going on in the area, maybe? Any changes at all in their environment? Have you seen anything on the plant itself? Anything on the branches or leaves? Any discolouration or holes? Any changes in watering or feeding them? How have your temperatures and weather conditions been since this started? Where along a major stem would this start? From the inside, working outward?

I'm thinking maybe a fungal infection, or borer maybe, though it might be too early for those. Then again, the way the weather's been this year, it might not be too early. Got any pictures you could share with us please? Scrape back some bark on an affected branch to see what the wood looks like underneath the bark. Dark chocolate brown is a pretty good indicator of a fungus, one specific to the Rhodie family. Though your variety is pretty resistant to it, it's still a possibility.

If it is that fungus, there are steps you can take to fix that problem and not have to replace them, or the soil.

Thanks for the info Speedie. I planted them about 40 years ago under a dogwood and as foundation in the backyard under the eves facing east. The die back started about 5 years ago on an outer side limb. The leaves would turn yellow within a week and drop starting from the base of the limb. I trimmed off the twigs as this occurred but it progressed. The limb was then brittle.

10 years ago I planted some around a lower patio between holly ferns and tea shrubs against walls. The same thing happened to them after about 5 years - I replaced them a couple of years ago. Does this sound like fungus? The foundation azaleas need replacing but I need to start with prevention.

Hmmmmm, I would start with making sure the drainage is good where they all are growing, ... and here's a thought: When this started happening, were you having any major temperature swings around that time, or the Fall/Winter/Spring prior to? Sometimes that might cause problems as well, but not show up until later in warmer weather. Just another thought. If you've got a trusted nursery near you, you might consider taking a cutting of the affected area to them and have 'em look at it for you to see what they think.