AusBonsai

Hi everyone, I recently acquired this little azalea from a friend although I'm not sure what is wrong with the leaves.. see photos.

Is this going to fix itself with Spring round the corner or do I need to intervene?

Thanks in advance.

Costa

I think you have a bad case of azalea lace bug. They are tiny little sucking bugs usually under the leaves. Silvery leaves arre caused by them sucking the sap out of those leaves.
They are quite hard to kill with contact sprays because they are hiding. I've found systemics much more effective but with a small bonsai you might have a better chance with a low toxicity contact persticide. Try to avoid systemics when the plant is flowering as they are believed to affect bees feeding on the flowers.
You will probably need to repeat sprays every couple of weeks to catch any that were hiding and the new ones that hatch out after you spray.

Make sure to spray under the leaves as well not just on the top.
Cheers
Kirky

perhaps neem oil spray once a week while it is still cool---bad for suckers and ok for bees--no withholding period on organics

Hey Costa,

Here a few shots of my garden azaleas. I have no ability to grow bonsai Azalea but somehow my garden azalea always flourish... go figure.

You asked whether it fixes itself or whether you need to intervene. I find new growth is generally in good health but will quickly be taken over by lace bug if you don't intervene. Generally I find alternate spraying with pest oil and nature soap (or equivalents) controls the lace bug and new growth will mean your trees are pristine sooner than you may imagine. Also, I am posting (photos below -inc. lace bug) to let you know that lace bug, while not aesthetically pleasing, should not inhabit flower production too much. (Note: I am not a horticulture expert - just my experience growing azaleas in the garden.)

I am envious of those like Rudi, Anthony and others that grow Azalea bonsai - they are a beautiful flower.

Cheers,

Mark

To control lace bug, I spray 2 times a year with confidor.
Yep can be bad but better than losing trees.
Lace bug infestations over long periods can adversely afect the trees health particularly in small pots.


Nice flowers Mark

Ken

G’day Ken, what are you going to use when you can’t get confidor?
Cheers
Kirky

Thanks for your replies everyone, I'll get on the case with spraying both sides of the leaves and hope to see some positive results in the coming months. Much appreciated.

Costa

some big chains have stopped stocking confidor, but I haven't seen any indication bayer will stop manufacturing it or any evidence that its use is linked to bee hive collapse. Which I think is the reason why the big chains have stopped stocking it.

The damaged leaves are permanently damaged so they will not recover good colour. With effective treatment the new leaves will be better. Old, damaged leaves will fall off at some stage.
Be vigilant from now on. Need to notice the early signs and treat to prevent it getting this bad. As mentioned, many growers treat routinely to prevent the bugs getting started rather than waiting for them to appear.