Leaf gall and fire blight are causing problems for gardeners in the Augusta area.

Leaf gall is a fungus that's occurring on camellias and azaleas. It's a condition where new leaves become thicker and larger than usual and may have a pinkish/green color on the upper leaf. The lower leaf will eventually turn white when the fungus is releasing spores. Infected leaves dry and turn brown to black in late spring.

The disease affects only new growth and is always worse in a cool, wet spring.

You need to remove and destroy diseased leaves before the lower leaf surface turns white. This will reduce the inoculum source for next year's infection. Don't leave the infected leaves on the ground after pruning because the spores can spread from the infected clippings.

Fungicide applications are seldom necessary and will provide only limited control. It's too late, anyway: They must be applied as leaf buds swell in the spring, but we have already passed that time.

Because this is not a major disease and not prevalent every year, I don't recommend spraying preventatively unless you have one or two prized plants in a high-profile area. The fungicides that work best contain mancozeb (Dragon Mancozeb Disease Control, Bonide Mancozeb Flowable, etc.) and chlorothalonil (Daconil 2787, Ortho Garden Disease Control).

Fire blight is a bacterial infection occurring mainly on flowering pear trees. This disease can also occur on apple, crabapple, pyracantha, hawthorn, quince, red tip photinia and cotoneaster.

The name is descriptive of the symptoms. Shoot growth and old blooms appear wilted, brown to black (on pear), and look as if they were scorched by fire. It is not seen every year, and is more common in a wet spring. Primary infection occurs during bloom when pollinating insects spread the bacteria from flower to flower.

At this point, the only thing to do is prune the diseased portion out of the tree. Once the bacteria is in the tree, no chemicals can eliminate it. Infected plant growth can cause secondary spread this year and over-wintering of the disease for next year.

Prune as soon as possible, cutting 4-6 inches below the infected area, and burning or throwing away the cuttings. Disinfect your pruning tools after each cut in rubbing alcohol or a 10 percent bleach solution.

I usually don't recommend preventative treatment for ornamentals for fire blight because the severity varies year to year.

Next year, flowering pears can be treated with streptomycin or copper hydroxide every five days during the bloom period to prevent infection. Obviously, this is not practical with large trees. An option is hiring an arborist to spray it for you.

Sid Mullis is the director of the University of Georgia Extension Service Office for Richmond County. Call him at (706) 821-2349, or send e-mail to smullis@uga.edu.