HOW TO CURE AZALEAS OF LEAF GALL – There is nothing worse for a gardener to discover leaf gall on their Azalea shrubs. Leaf gall is caused by the fungus Exobasidum vaccinii and it mostly infects young spring growth, with coloration of light green, white, pink or brown. In this guide we provide you with easy to follow steps on how to curse Azalea leaf gall which is easy and unlikely to cause any long lasting damage to the plant.
Step 1
Check over the leaves of your Azaleas carefully. You can spot leaf gall disease as this fungus appears white, pink and even brown blobs on the leaves. If you do spot leaf gall then take action immediately. Leaving leaf gall to spread will only result in more work and can, if left untreated, serious damage or worse kill the plant.
Step 2
Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the fungus. Take a sharp pair of garden Secateurs or scissors and cut away any leaves that have been infected. If you miss any leaves that are infected it will spread again, so you must ensure that all the leaves that are infected are removed.
Step 3
DO NOT put the diseased leaves in your compost heap. Find an area in your garden away from other plants and burn the infected leaves. Like any type of fungus it will thrive in warm and moist conditions and if you do place it in your compost you run the risk of spreading the disease further… So Burn It!
Step 4
Once you have removed all the leaves and burnt them, check the Azaleas in your garden again in a week or so. Remember to look over the plant carefully so as you don’t miss any leaves. If you do spot any leaf gall disease then repeat these steps.
This method will cure your Azaleas of leaf gall but it can take a bit of time and it does require diligence to ensure you don’t leave any infected leaves behind that will promote the spreading of the disease.
