Weather permitting, some of the earlier varieties will begin blooming late this month. If you traditionally have problems with azalea lace bugs , you might begin a spraying regimen now. Basically, there are three blooming periods, early, midseason, late . On the average, April 15th is about peak time for the early blooming varieties. This is the best time for mulching.
Good mulches are pine needles, pine bark and oak leaves.
Should you experience petal blight , spraying should begin about the last week of April. For this problem try a mixture of bayleton and maneb . As with all chemicals, follow the manufacturer s directions exactly . MAY This is the month for the late blooming, large bloom varieties. These will include the popular satsukis and the newer robin hills, harris hybrids and north tisbury hybrids .