Q: I am a landscape professional, and I’ve seen an influx of camellia leaf gall and more azalea leaf gall starting to show up. It is appearing on multiple properties that I maintain from Stone Mountain to Loganville. Is there a cause that I’m missing? What can I do, if anything, to treat for this? I have sprayed fungicide many times but it hasn’t helped. — Joe Moore, Atlanta
A: I noticed some diseased leaves on my camellias today. I’ve had these plants for the past 10 years, and I don’t remember them ever having camellia leaf gall before. Sometimes it takes a random combination of temperature, moisture, and host plant presence to provide the exact conditions for a fungus to grow. We must have had that this year.
The swollen leaves on camellias as well as azaleas are truly noticeable. The best treatment is to pick off all the affected leaves before they turn white and spread spores to healthy plants. The diseased leaves must be removed from the garden and not dropped to the ground.
Research on chemical control is sparse. Copper fungicides, thiophanate methyl and mancozeb are somewhat effective, but it is extremely difficult to get the fungicide into the leaf bud. The spray must be done in early spring. Frankly, it’s not worth your time to spray. The disfigured leaves are only ugly for a month. They will dry up and fall off the plant. Pro tip: Lace your belt through the handle of a small bucket. It will hang just right to put the diseased leaves in it with two hands.
Q: I was told to cut my misshapen myrtle completely down to the ground. What do I do next? Suckers have already started coming up. Will the main trunk grow back? — Teresa Daniel, North Carolina
A: Neil Sperry, the radio host of “Texas Gardening,” has forgotten more about crape myrtles than I will ever know. His advice to grow a new trunk for a crape myrtle is to cut it completely to the ground and let eight to 10 sprouts come up from the stump. Let them grow for 12-18 months. When the sprouts are 5 feet to 6 feet tall, choose six or seven of the strongest, straightest ones and cut the others clear to the ground. The shoots will be quite limber.
By the end of the second growing season, those should become sturdy and able to stand on their own. At that time, choose one, three or five of the strongest trunks, and cut the rest down to the ground. As the trunks grow taller, gradually remove side branches to the height you want the foliage to start. You’ll have spotty blooming for the next couple of years, but before you know it, your crape myrtle will be blooming like crazy.
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