Camellias are often the anchor of the garden . They tolerate tall with glossy evergreen leave and graceful , eye - catching blossoms that appear when everything else is still in its wintertime rest .
They behave as both a stalwart background flora and , at other time , a salient focal point .
There ’s no question in my mind about why camellia are at the top of so many growers ’ serious - of lists .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Another reason people ca n’t get enough of camellias ? They ’re generally problem destitute . They do n’t often succumb to diseases , and plague are rarely a significant trouble .
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Do n’t get me incorrect . It ’s not like camellias never have disease problem . But when they do strike , it ’s unremarkably something we can safely disregard or treat well .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
If you ’re assure something weird going on it ’s crucial that you are capable to place the problem , or in this sheath , the specific disease .
That ’s how you ’ll know how much you should panic and what steps you’re able to take to furbish up it .
If you want a quick refresher ongeneral camellia precaution , see our guide . Here are the diseases that we ’re perish to discuss in this article :
7 Common Camellia Diseases
There are a few physiological disorders that mimic diseases , and these are worth a ready note as well before we start .
Scab is n’t technically a disease , it ’s a physiological experimental condition . But it wait like a disease has set in , with corky , irregular brown slur that look on the undersides of leave-taking .
Typically , the job start up as H2O - soaked lesions on the underside of the leaves , but we rarely mark strikebreaker at this stage . It ’s not until the corked growths develop that most of us realize something is go on .
It ’s pretty common and appears in areas with piteous drainage and poor gentle wind circulation .
Sunscald or sunburn is also common . Leaves that are face south or southwest will take on a papery tan or browned appearing .
This often happens after you ’ve had a cloudy full stop follow by warmth and sun . Or it might occur after you cut back a nearby tree or shrub that was providing shade .
novel folio will be better adapted to the change and will come in healthy .
A want of nitrogen or smoothing iron can also do the leaves to turn yellow . Once the plants are fed , they ’ll reclaim and grow new , healthy leaf .
Now , permit ’s examine our first potential disease :
1. Algal Leaf Spot
The algal plant pathogenCephaleuros virescenscan sometimes be found on camellias , but typically only on those that are alreadystressed by some other pestor disease .
In order for this disease to really take hold , it needs two thing : direct sunshine and stacks of moisture .
When both are present , rear silvery - green , grayish - viridity , or tan situation and splotches train on the leave-taking . It can also have spots on bow .
If a damage branch or sprig has a wound that the algae can enter through , it can make cankers that result in swell . This swelling cuts off water to the eternal sleep of the area , and the branchlet or stem turn might pall .
This pathogen may infect hundreds of plant species , so it ’s altogether potential that other specimens in your garden might be infected as well . It does n’t appear west of Texas or in the northern part of the US , so if you ’re hold up in California , consider something else .
A small field of infection can be treat with pruning , but for a larger area or if the camelia evidence symptoms throughout , apply a pig fungicide every two week until no new symptoms get .
Copper fungicide is one of those things that I always keep around . It works on so many fungal disease , include a few others on this list .
If you do n’t already have some , I highly commend break up some up .
Lots of well - known garden brands like Bonide and Monterey make their own .
Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide
Arbico Organics carriesBonide ’s Liquid Copper Fungicide in 32 - ounce ready - to - use sprays , 16- and 32 - ounce ready - to - spray bottles , and 16 - snow leopard concentrate .
2. Dieback and Canker
For those subsist in the Confederate States of America or along the Atlantic coast , dieback and canker can be a knockout issue . This disease have it away it red-hot and humid .
The fungus that induce this disease go by two name : it’sColletotrichum gloeosporioideswhen it ’s in its nonsexual country , andGlomerella cingulatawhen it ’s procreative . I ’m sure growers dealing with this trouble have some other pick names for this disease as well …
When present , the bow of the camelia will form cankers that might strangle the tips , or might cut off food for thought and water to little stems , make their last .
Unless you ’re in the habit of checking your plants close every few day , which is n’t a defective idea , you probably wo n’t recognize anything is happening until you notice that some of this year ’s novel maturation is suddenly wilting .
A short while by and by , the leaf turn dull unripened , then leaden yellow , before they turn reddish - dark-brown and leave out off .
The disease can attack older branches , too . In this case , the leaves will turn brown , but they ’ll delay on the branch rather than dropping . If you crouch the branch , it will be brittle and will bust rather than bending .
If you scratch off the barque , you ’ll acknowledge that the Ellen Price Wood underneath is discolor .
Most of the clip , the canker is n’t seeable , but it ’s potential that you might see a sunken canker just below the dying expanse .
If a canker forms on the main trunk , your camellia will die . Fortunately that ’s rare , and you ’ll likely just have to deal with some dead branchlet or small branch on an otherwise respectable industrial plant .
Still , you do n’t want to give the disease a chance to become a serious job , so handle it the moment you see it .
First , rationalise off every symptomatic twig and outgrowth back to the next largest ramification . Then , spray the integral flora , top to bottom , with copper fungicide .
You wo n’t involve to reapply unless you have a period of high humidity or rain within the next few weeks . If you do , reapply the copper fungicide on a dry daylight .
To avoid spreading the disease , always clean your puppet with hot soapy pee between plants .
The pathogen needs a damage area on the plant through which to enter , so do your best to keep pests away and avoid damage your camelia .
3. Flower or Petal Blight
If your camellia looks healthy otherwise but the heyday are rapidly turning brown and falling off after make grow browned spots , it ’s likely you ’re looking at the effects of flower blight , also known as petal blight .
cause by the fungusCiborinia camelliae , it usually commence as minuscule brownish spots before the edges of the petal turn brown .
That brown spreads to the centre of the petal , and the flower will decrease from the plant . All of this can befall in as slight as 48 60 minutes .
Beyond strip you of all those adorable flowers , this disease is specially unwelcome because the fungus hold up in the stain for yr and can spread on the wind or body of water .
That think of once you have one infected camelia , it ’s not too retentive before you will likely have multiple infected plants .
You most often see this onC. japonicaplants and cultivars , not because they ’re more susceptible , but because the flower undetermined during the same clock time of year when the pathogen is most active .
4. Leaf Gall
Leaf gall is a disease that truly stand out . It causes the foliage on the camelia to develop scandalmongering , cream , pinkish , light common , or red galls .
The leaves become chummy as the contagion spreads . If you did n’t bang better , you might mistake them for succulent leave . They eventually start to peel , revealing a white DoI . This is the fungusExobasidium camelliae , which causes the disease .
The leave will eventually fall from the plant and land on the ground , where the fungus lives during the wintertime .
Leaf gall is usually seen onC. sasanquaand its cultivar , especially those grown in humid conditions .
Typically , pruning off the infected leaves before they begin peeling and release the spore is enough to control the problem .
To acquire more about this disease and how to call it , interpret ourcomprehensive guide to camellia leafage gall .
5. Phyllosticta Spot
Also known as purple - bordered spot or optic place , Phyllosticta dapple is a fungous disease induce byPhyllosticta camelliaein camellias .
As the alternate name suggest , this disease starts out as royal , semi - circular splodge on the allowance of the leave . As the spots expound , the margin stay violet while the shopping center turns papery tan or gray-haired . You might also see calamitous fungal spot on the stagnant area .
This disease can be confused with sun singe , which causes grey or tan papery lesions . bet for the royal border and the presence of the black-market fungal trunk to affirm eye point .
This disease is especially common in country with a humid , temperate climate like the Pacific Northwest .
Unless you have a young camelia that is otherwise stressed , it wo n’t vote down your shrub and might not require any treatment .
The easy way of life to address purplish - bordered spot is to draw off septic leaves , but you’re able to also treat it in the same path you ’d treat flower or petal blight .
6. Root Rot
Camellias infected with the fungusPhytophthora cinnamomiwill begin to waste underground .
The roots will change by reversal black and mushy , and are no longer capable to take in nutrients and H2O for the rest of the plant life to practice .
When this materialise , the upper parts of the camellia start to droop . If the ancestor continue to molder , the leave might plow soft and lily-livered , and the plant might not grow well .
The older foliage is usually the first to go , followed by the younger growth .
This can happen over one farm season , or it might happen tardily over several year . If you were to dig down into the territory , you ’d see that not only were some of the roots rotting , but the infected plant does n’t have any smaller feeder roots either .
C. sasanquaand its cultivar are insubordinate , so either choose one of these or one withC. sasanquarootstock if you have challenging filth that does n’t drain well , or if waste has been a problem in your garden in the past .
7. Viruses
So , here ’s the thing . You never need a disease to reverse up in your garden . Diseases are , by definition , bad . But I kind of do n’t hate this one .
Camellia ring - office virus 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 ( formerly referred to as camellia variegation computer virus , camellia infectious diversification virus , and camellia jaundiced mottle virus ) causes the leaves or peak ( but not both ) of plant in this genus to bend chickenhearted , pale park , or white , to diverge academic degree .
Some of the patterns that seem , which are totally random , can be quite striking . leave might have white-hot and yellow dappled margin , or the entire foliage might show symptom .
Sometimes signs of the computer virus disappear altogether and plant are symptomless , and sometimes one leafage will have chicken blotch while another nearby will have white lines .
If I could reproduce some of these patterns without launch the disease , I would . In fact , some growers intentionally introduce the virus to young camellia to see what they can get .
The virus that cause this discoloration are spread through cuttings and by grafting infected textile onto non - septic plants .
Once a plant is infect , there is nothing you could do . But since it does n’t propagate readily , you might as well leave it and enjoy what you see . Rarely , a plant might be slightly less vigorous than it would otherwise , but that ’s the worst that might happen .
Do n’t confuse the symptoms of this disease with signs of low nitrogen or low branding iron , which get leave to call on whole jaundiced .
This disease endure out from those physiologic problems because it causes patches of colour to appear , not solid lily-livered leaves .
Show Diseases the Door
I have sex a plenty of the great unwashed who have torn outfussier plants like rosesto interchange them with reliable camellias . I get it .
Camellias are somewhat tough and , as you may see , even the diseases they do experience are seldom fatal or spoiled enough that you need to pull the plant .
Being able to identify a disease is n’t the only thing you want to know togrow handsome , happy camelia plants . If you ’d wish to flesh out your knowledge even further , you might come up these guides helpful :
Photos by Kristine Lofgren © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more inside information . ware photo via Arbico Organics . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
