That is one of the oldest leaves on the plant. The first that will show yellowing from excessive watering. IME Nitrogen deficiency will normally show up in new growth, new leaves first. As any plants grows/ages it is normal for the oldest leaves to begin to slowly yellow and die off but in this case it isn't a very old plant. Have you had lots of rain lately? If so then that would explain it. If not, then you may be over-watering the plant. From the pic that sure looks like a small container for a crookneck. Dave

Exactly Wes! Thank you:-) It doesn't need to make sense to me because I know why I started this thread. But does it make sense to others? The roots do have 20/20 vision and don't need help, but it is the diseased leaves that need a prescription! Those members left here feeling at blame with the demise of their plants when in was actually a disease problem not brought on by them personally, Privately one did e-mail me and I made her realize it was a fungus issue she was dealing with. Even if she potted it into a well draining mix, she would still loose that plant. Once she treated for fungus, it stopped dying. I did recommend a different supplier who could provide the same plant yet another friend here had lost twice, 'disease' free, and now realizes it was not her mx or watering habits that were at fault, and is very successful with the plant she has always wanted grow. I am a proponent of good cultural habits and excellent mixes as many know, but these are not going to solve a fungus issue that already exists on the leaves of their plants. How to 'avoid' these fungal problems was discussed here in this thread which was very informative and may have opened many eyes to which I am grateful. My goal was to look at plants with leaf issues from a different perspective at times, and to understand it's important to take into consideration 'fungus' as a culprit too. Some to quickly blame the mix although it is true that the mix plays a key role in the vitality of a plant as I have always discussed. Most times, it can be obvious with what's going on with a plant by the tell tale signs above the soil line and many are helped remarkably, especially here, but there are always those minute plants that fall through the cracks with the not so obvious signs, or masked symptoms that can easily be mistaken for something else that I wanted to make every one aware of. Sometimes the most subtle things can cause our plants demise, and no stones should be left unturned. I just wish being here to express one's concerns and suggestions as I have done was not at times mis-interpeted. But I guess that is what comes with the territory and I accept that part in trying to help others here. Stush, thank you for your wonderful and kind words. Hoping all is well these days for you. Woodnative...Thank you for all that insight. It just goes to show you that one has to be aware of the fact that every time leaves show us signs of distress, it could be just about anything. I am glad we are aware of this now. Rhizo! You are so right! None of them plants for me this year. In fact, I will be buying the Guinea ones that don't get affected at all. I will also be growing plants less effected my disease or get the from a nursery that stands behind their product and doesn't make me feel like I am the one at fault for loosing plants to a disease which they sold to me in the first place and hopefully others have gained insight here. Mike This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Fri, Dec 28, 12 at 8:28

Dear lsst, I don't know whether this is any consolation, but I also garden in Zone 7b (SC) and have about forty young seedling camellias in gallon-sized plastic pots that look similar to yours. The leaves are spotted and brown around the edges. I'm hoping that they're showing cold damage and will recover in the next few weeks. The seed parents of our seedlings are 'Berenice Boddy,' 'Christine Lee,' 'Imura,' 'Leucantha,' and 'Lady Vansittart.' A few are from unidentified seed parents. A few of our older camellias that have been in the ground for a number of years show a little cold injury, most noticeably a variegated 'Adolphe Audusson.' We've also had a poor blooming season due, I think, to the drought and a couple of periods of extreme cold during which we experienced a couple of nights with temperatures near ten degrees Fahrenheit. 'Governor Mouton,' which is, for us, normally a spectacularly beautiful and dependable variety, had, at best, a mediocre showing this year. Our forty-four-year-old 'Governor Mouton' was fairly pretty, but not up to par. However, its foliage looks fine. Our camellias that bloomed best this season were two 'Magnoliaeflora' japonicas, a 'Flame,' an 'Adeyaka,' and a 'Pink Perfection.' I've got to make a trip out to the northside of the yard to check on the 'Diddy Mealing' and the 'Turandot' japonicas. Our very late blooming 'Pink Champagne,' or 'Camellian,' japonica has a number of swollen pink buds that look as though they will be gorgeous. However, the nearby 'Eleanor Hagood' and 'Yuki Botan' have had poor quality blooms. 'Imura,' which normally blooms well for us, has had a poor season. And even 'Berenice Boddy' hasn't been up to par. One of my favorite seedling camellias that is about forty years old was on the verge of opening a huge number of blooms just as one of the cold fronts swept through. It was blackened by the cold. It came up underneath a 'Lady Clare' and a 'Governor Mouton' in my aunt's garden in the 1960's and produces a profusion of imbricated and rose-form dark pink tinged purple medium-sized flowers. But not this year. _Mais c'est la vie_. Another sad note is that our 'Lady Clare,' which in normal years blooms from November till March, also bloomed very poorly this year. In the past few days, however, I've noticed a number of fresh blooms on it; and its leaves look fine.

Some follow-up information... Zone 6 in southwest Virginia. I only gave them a small bit of diluted MG Tomato fertilizer a few weeks back when I transplanted them into their large 10 gallon pots. I also gave them some egg shell powder in their hole when transplanting them, along with about a half teaspoon of epsom salt. We had some hot temperatures about two weeks ago followed by alot of clouds and rain since. They get morning and evening sun (under some trees). The tomatoes that are coming out of the buds look healthy and unaffected... they are marble sized. Thanks again.