Camellia dying after transplant

13 years ago

I had a very healthy red camellia bush that was leaning badly, so I transplanted it about 6 weeks ago. I was careful to get as much of the main roots and feeders as possible, and I only moved it about a foot to get it away from a large oak tree root (the cause of the leaning, I think). So, it's still under the exact sun/shade conditions and in the same soil as it was when healthy. However, it's slowly been dropping all of its leaves and only has a few left. I've tried everything I can think of - daily watering, mulching, lightly fertilizing and even adding coffee grounds to the increase acidity - but nothing has helped. Have I lost it or should is there something else I can do? Thanks!

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Comments (4)

luis_pr
13 years ago
It is normally called transplant shock and we can only speculate if it will recover. The older the shrubs, the more difficult it is to recover from transplants. Some leaf losss is to be expected but daily watering sounds like too much water, which can then lead to root rot.

It sounds like it isgetting to be too late for this one but keep trying. I would wait until next Spring before pulling it out. Try the basics: a little sun only (before 10-11am); 3-4" of mulch; try some very low strength root stimulator; instead of fertilizers, use liquid seaweed which is weak and can be used to feed thru the leaves; control daily watering; water only when a finger feels dry or almost dry if you insert it to a depth of 4"; whenever you replant, make sure you place it slightly above the surrounding soil; transplant when the shrub is dormant if time permits; choose a location that is not windy.
panthers75
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the reply, luis_pr.

I guess I wasn't clear on the daily watering. I started that only after it started rapidly losing leaves. It was very hot and dry here around that time, but now it's raining nearly every day.

I'll give it time, try a few of the things you said and hope for the best. If it does drop the rest of the few leaves left, do you recommend that I cut it back to just the main branches coming from the roots? Or should I just leave it alone until next Spring?
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It could use more foliage. Not sure if it lost foliage due to inconsistent watering, cold winters, etc. I could not tell if the camellia is a hybrid, sasanqua or japonica from the leaves. Do you know? Does your pot have drainage holes in enough spots to allow for excellent drainage? The pot should have acidic, very well draining soil (not garden soil). The soil should also be kept as evenly moist as you can -not wet but not dry either-. The foliage needs morning sun only if it is a hybrid or japonica, reticulata. Sasanqua leaves can take more sun though. Mulch will minimize soil evaporation, protect from hot/cold extremes and provide some nourishment as the mulch decomposes. Plastic pots may get too hot in the summer and stress roots in contact with the plastic. Avoid weeds and grass in the pot as camellia roots are only about 4" deep, tiny ad fibrous so they compete with grass/weeds roots. Not sure what fertilizing program you are using but a fertilizer for camellias, azaleas and hydrangeas applied per label directions may be fine. Pinching may be useful to make the plant fill up with more foliage once the cause of the original leaf drop has been addressed.
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Hello, Silvia. I would routinely monitor to see if the symptoms persist or not. A smaller and more limited root system could be making it difficult for the plant to absorb the same amount of minerals needed to support the growth above ground. Here are a few of the basics that I would check: * make the soil as evenly moist as possible. maintain 3-4 inches of mulch up to the drip line and test the soil to make sure it is not wet. Water if the soil is almost dry or dry to the touch to a depth of 4" * the soil should be kept acidic (they will tolerate lightly alkaline soil too); test it with a soil pH kit available at many plant nurseries. * the soil should not be heavily fertilized as this can burn some roots; test the soil for high/low nitrogen/phosphorus/pottasium levels using a kit available at many plant nurseries. * check for salt built up in the soil too; it can cause a brownish-yellow leaf discoloration * make sure the plant leaves are not getting too much sun. If moved from an area where the leaves got little sun to one with more sun exposure, the leaves may temporarily react to the sunlight. If the exposure is not high, the leaves should adjust after a while. * make sure the plant has not sunk below the surrounding soil. * make sure there are few air pockets * the plant is stressed so try not to over-fertilize. * keep an eye for signs of camellia cankers and die back, a fungal disease (see the link below) Luis
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Japonicas may suffer if they get too much sun (Sasanquas can handle more sun). Wind can also cause drooping when the leaves loose moisture faster than the plant can absorb moisture through the roots. Protection from the winds can help remedy the dropping problem. Protection from too much sun can help remedy the browning of leaves. Maintaining the soil evenly moist can help a little with both issues. Aim for 4 hours of sun or less. Summer temperatures, summer winds and lack of Spring-like moisture plus transplant shock (an affected root system) are making the shrubs react this way. In Z10, I would have transplanted them during the winter months but I understand that this is something one cannot schedule sometimes. If they get a lot more than 4 hours of sun, you may need to transplant them again. Temporarily, you can help[ by keeping the soil moist as evenly as possible; block the sun with 35% shade cloth or some other object; protect from the winds with some object. And mulch, mulch, mulch. About 3-4" of mulch. Because the area is windy, I would also maintain about 6" of mulch past the drip line. Stressed plant should not be fertilized so I would not fertilize until next year. It would be ok to amend however, if you have to tweak the soil pH, etc. Make sure the plant remains about 1" higher than the surrounding soil. You may also want to use a stake in case there are sudden strong winds.
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luis_pr
13 years ago
You could prune some of the dried out wood in 2" increments until you hit green. Knowing now that it got very hot and dry a while back, it is possible that the root ball dried out. When that happens with a newly planted shrub, your best course of action is to extract the plant and dump it in a container full of water for about an hour or to use the concept of drip irrigation to water it because a dried out root ball can actually repel water. You can then water with a hose letting small drips out for an hour or two and then resume normal watering. Hint: do not forget to turn off the water!
Janice Harrington
8 years ago
I've transplanted 3 very large (4+M tall) camellias and only 1 survived. I don't think after transplanting you can give it too much water. To do it properly you had to dig around it, encourage more feeder roots to grow and only transplant months later. I did not do that. As I needed to hire help to move them I just moved them. I made a well around the tree and left the garden hose dripping into the well but my husband would often turn it off without my knowledge and for the ones that died they unluckily had no water during a hot day. They would regress from the hot day and just get worse. However, i find that they will regrow from the root the following spring. They were not grafted but it went from a massive tree to a twig. If i were to do it again I would cut all the leaves off the 2 that didn't survive sooner.

Camellia dying after transplant

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Camellia dying after transplant

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