My Azaleas have been damaged, Help please!

This is a photo of my Huge 20 year old azaleas , they have bloomed every year for me since I moved here in 2000. This year they started to bloom a little later than usual but were so full that you could hardly see the stems. This photo was taken last year. I didnt get a chance to get a decent one this year, because just this week from one day beauty to the next day dead blooms and burnt looking leaves. It seemed at first that they had been frost bitten, but weve had days up into the 80's and warm nights.

This is the way they look today!

You can see in this photo the plant on this end still has thelast of some surviving blooms. The next one, as you go down the 150 or so foot row of azaleas and so on get progressively worse.
I called the County Extension Agent and described what was going on and he was as baffled as I am. He said that it couldnt be diease but sounded like some kind of Herbicide had been sprayed on them. Could I have sprayed them with herbicide by accident? No I do Not spray anything on them EVER! Never had to!

The leaves are burnt and spotted almost moldy looking, but not mold! they are crisp around the edges. the blooms look melted and are disentegrating.

Any one else have this problem or have any ideas on how to save My Azaleas?

This message was edited Apr 27, 2009 9:09 PM

You know, I noticed one of my azaleas looking a little fried today. I looked under the leaves and found what I suspect, after googling, to be Azalea Lace Bug. Check out this link: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/azalea_lace_bug.htm

The damage in their photo looks similar to your's.

Good Luck!
Danita

Thanks Danita! I havent seen any damage to the underside of the leaves and didnt notice any "buggy" leavings but the photos do look exactly like my plants. Will have to do another examination.
Your quick reply was much more helpful than the county agent! I knew I should have alerted "Daves" Agents first!!

I've been away from Georgia for several months, but have kept up with the weather. The late cold spell (crisp edges on your azaleas) accompanied with lots of rain (moldy spots) and then heat could be the cause. The buds would have already been affected before they opened and so, even though days were warm, the damage was done. I don't thing they look all that bad and guess they will rebound next year. Azaleas are remarkably resilient here.
Laurel

I hope you are right MayPop. I just dont understand how they could have been full of blooms and looking absolutely beautiful one day and then the next look as if they had been frozen in 80 degree weather! Right now they have completely dropped their blloms , or I should say melted off their blooms because that is what they did, mushed off. The leaves are now dropping and the stems look as if they are dying back.
Im thinking about just cutting them back , but Im afraid to, for fear I might just finish them off.

Some of mine have done the same thing . digger

Mine are doing the same, at least the flowers are. I think its the hot weather. The leaves look OK and new ones are growing.

Could it be heat related? It may be time for most of the blooms to drop along with old leaves which is perfectly normal.

Pruning is probably a good thing - encourages new growth. I've sheared my azaleas in the past to within 12 to 18 inches of the ground for house painting or just to get them back in bounds and within 3 years they were back up to 6 foot. Do it soon so it won't affect next year's blooms.

You do have some lace bugs as evidenced in

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6472559

Lace bugs won't kill the plant but do make the leaves unsightly. Anyone know of a good control for lace bugs? Would Bayer's Tree and Shrub Care work?