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Sick plant pics (and ID!)

16 years ago

Just over a year ago I moved into a home with 3 camellias. Two in the back yard are doing great, one in the front is looking yellowish and sickly. The blooms are just getting started but look mostly OK so far, but some brownish tint to them.

When we moved in the poor thing was shaped like a topiary ball. I pruned it a bit and let it be free and it's put on at least a foot in height in less than a year. It has dappled sun/shade and gets plenty of water (I'll xeriscape when the camellia dies, but not before). The "back side" is mostly dead--I think it's too close to the house, but it lets us watch the birds from indoors--but the front side is presentable.

Any idea what is wrong with this plant? Or what exactly it is? (Or why my photos are sideways...sorry!!!!)

Ideas are most appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (5)

luis_pr
16 years ago
Could you have "competition" for water between the camellia and the other shrubs? The roots to the right might not get enough water and that side is then affected. Root fungal diseases could also be causing problems too. Try watering only the soil; and water only when the soil feels dry (or almost dry) to the touch at a depth of four inches. Add four inches of mulch to conserve moisture.
peggye
16 years ago
I was interested in reading this. My camellias have black and white spots on the tips of their leaves. The nursery said that it was due to underwatering or overwatering or chemical burn. I think I fertilized too late in the season, so both could be a problem. My concern now is whether to take off all the leaves and leave the bark or not. Can't seem to find an answer for that. Any ideas?
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I have tried cutting the "damaged" parts of the leaf off but almost every leaf is involved so I got scared I was going to murder it. Also, I removed alot (but not all) of the damaged leaves one time and the problem just seemed to slwoly return. I repotted it a year ago in peat and topsoil mix and I have to admit, the roots looked pretty scraggaly, but I thought after I repotted it, that it would perk up... but it really hasnt changed. I live in Jax Fl so we have good weather most of the year and I have large oak tree canopies in my yard, so they get good filtered sunlight all day (i use a greenhouse for the 2wks of winter;) I want to plant it into the ground... but felt like it was to small and not healthy enough to stand it..... so all in all... I just am not sure. could be anything. but I think I will take your advice and strip the leaves and hope for the best. thanks
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Amendments like the cottonseed meal and the kelp meal need a lot of time to break down and become available, so they may be of no help to your plants this year. However, the plant behind it looks perfectly healthy, so your soil probably has enough nutrients to support a thriving plant life. Most soils do. This particular plant just needs a little extra help in the fertilizer department. I would forget about slow-acting amendments in this case and pick up a small package of cheap, water soluble fertilizer that contains nutrients that are available to the plant right now. Something like Miracle-Gro, Peters, etc. Those fertilizers contain both the major and micro nutrients that plants need, and the plants can make use of it immediately. Dilute according to package directions and give that plant the food it needs. And/or dilute even more (package directions) and use as a foliar feed. Other than that, most of us in the Northeast are having very slow progress with our plants. It's been rainy, cloudy, and not very warm/hot yet. I have a plant that looks like yours, and all my other plants have been taking their sweet time in growing. It's hard to be patient when our growing season is so short. This plant should eventually catch up, but that involves that patience thing again. [I'm not really good at patience myself.] Even the squash, which germinated back in early to mid May, are just kind of sitting there and not growing much. We need more sunshine and more elevated temps. Let's hope those things get started soon. All the rain hasn't helped either. Even in well-draining soil plants can have a hard time taking up nutrients when the soil is damp all the time. My roses, which have been happily established for more than 10 years, are looking a little chlorotic from all of the rain too. This will hopefully pass soon and we should have some happy plants in the near future.
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Might it be Plumeria pudica? White flowers, similar to plumeria but not scented and the plant is evergreen. See leaves for a match? https://www.flickr.com/photos/shubhada_nikharge/6013962129
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Hi Rebecca, I think you might have had already ID-ed your own plant correctly. It looks like a very weak and etiolated thyrsiflora. These plants are very resilient and are quite difficult to kill, unless you give them constant attention and overwater them. My question is how does the roots look like when you potted it up? As you said it was only a cutting when you received it. If there is no roots in existence, your plant will eventually wilt into nothing. If you do ever see signs of roots, do not pluck off the lower leaves until they are completely dry, as that what these plants do, they cannibalize their lower leaves to produce more energy for its stem and roots. If you pull away semi-wilted leaves, you are essentially removing food from the plant that it still can utilize. My last piece of advise is, stay away from recycling organic soils. Use sterilize new soil as much as you can if you want to grow plants in containers, or sterilize the soil yourself by adding boiling water to it and microwave the soil for about 3-4 minutes - cool it then plant your plant into it. I'm also afraid to say you might be drowning your plant with too much DE powder. It looks like a pudding covering the soil, that's not how soil should be for healthy plants. Happy Growing. Bernard
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longriver
16 years ago
From the pictures, I think you have a typical common appearance of camellias in a home. Gardeners who are very particular in camellia cultivation will produce lush plant and beautiful blooms. If you have a chance to attend the meetings of Northern California Camellia Society (now is off season), held at Walnut Creek or to Redwood City. You might get a chance to see and to get helps from many camellia experts.
threepeas
16 years ago
I am very interested to learn more about illnesses and camellias, we had three, now down to two, they are only approaching one and half years...
The leaves yellowed, fell off and pretty much was a swift death. Currently I want to catch the other two before death sets in. Yellowing is occurring of the leaves. I have not noticed any insect life on any part of the leaf or trunk. Does anyone have information on possibly it being from root disease?
Very ignorant to camellias as much as I adore them!
threepeas
16 years ago
I'm so blind, I had some spider mites, that I found under a few leaves, and the tiny holes were from some other bug that likes to suck out the fluid from the leaves, so now I'm on an insecticide routine and will continue this treatment until I see it come back to the beautiful camellias I once had. I'm just hoping that I don't lose the really sick one. But I have to say, by this photo, mine looked exactly like it. I collected all the yellowish leaves and examined them...do check to make sure you don't have bugs living all over you camellia. Truly, I was shocked as I looked for signs of bugs before and saw nothing, however the spider mites are so small and almost translucent I couldn't even tell they were there. I really thought I had a root issue. I don't think you have a water issue...

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