OK I researched and have decided it is petal blight. So the help I need is what do I do until next bloom season. Have any of you used petal blight fungicides? Have you any suggestions on which brands worked well for you? Any suggestions on the methods you used?

I know I need to clean up and dispose of as many of the effected blooms as possible now and also clean out all the mulch under them. I will be needing to put new much around them for our hot south east Texas summer.

These are two azaleas I planted for my 92 year old aunt and I would like to keep them healthy and well for her. Any tips and suggestions and time tables will really help.

Hi, ladybug77575. If you noticed spots on the petals (white spots on non-white flowers; brown spots on white flowers) that grow bigger until the flowers rot down & then look water soaked, then you probably have petal blight fungus.

Sanitation and proper watering techniques are the primary recommended solutions to this fungus. Dispose of trash under the plants (flowers, stems and fallen leaves) in the trash once bloomage has ceased. Replace the existing mulch with new mulch. Water the soil, not the plants, so as to keep the soil moist, not wet. Make sure the plants are not crowded so as to prevent good air flow around them.

For severe infestations, the Azalea Society of America recommends this spray program: Drench the soil area under plants with Terracolor in January. Spray with either Thylate or Benomyl when blooms begin to open and continue throughout the blooming season. Bayleton may be used when the buds show color. By the way, those are the trade names of the fungicides (not the active ingredients) that you can use.

Good luck with your azaleas,
Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Azalea Diseases

It is Azalea petal blight. It is a fungus, so it basically starts from scratch each year and gets worse as the bloom season goes on. For this reason, many people have abandoned later blooming varieties that were severely affected and planted earlier varieties that are not affected as much. The sprays for petal blight are very strong and need to repeated often.

On thing that really helps is to pick off all diseased blooms before they have a chance to transmit the disease to other blooms.

Flowers exhibit small spots which enlarge rapidly and appear water-soaked is a symptom of Petal Blight, Ovulinia azaleae Petal Blight. The flowers turn brown and wilt. They remain on the plant. Wet weather in spring often results in serious damage from the petal blight fungus. Some fungicides provide control if applied when or just before flower buds open. The best fungicides are a combination of chlorothalonil and benomyl or Mancozeb or Bayleton or triadimefon. During moist seasons, control may be difficult for late blooming varieties. Sanitation practices such as deadheading and removal of diseased material my improve control. In the northwestern US, Ovulinia is present, but similar symptoms can also be caused by Botrytis cinerea which is less damaging to the flowers and easier to control.

Botrytis Blight, Botrytis cinerea: Azalea and rhododendron flowers can be affected by this disease. The disease is characterized by a gray powdery fungal growth over the flower. A mass of gray spores may be produced on the leaf surface. Infected shoots bend over at the lesion and may remain crooked or die back. The fungus will kill the flower. Purple varieties are more susceptible to this disease. True resistance is not available as Botrytis is an opportunistic pathogen. To help reduce disease incidence, growers adjust plant spacing to reduce humidity and increase air circulation.

Azalea (Rhododendron mucronatum). 'Sekidera' var. 'Indica Rosea'is said to be petal blight resistant. I don't know if it is suitable for Texas. You might check around for varieties that are resistant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ovulinia Petal Blight