brown leaves on camellia
Sara
3 years ago
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Dry and brown Yuletide Camellia leaves
Comments (4)It could. That is how I found out that my sprinkler had been turned off (when we had a rainy spell). I just forgot to turn it back on. Sometime during a dry spell in winter, I noticed that a Kanjiro had dry and browned out leaves. Checking the soil, I noticed it was dry and then discovered the sprinkler was off. Oops. The shrub recovered of course....See MoreCamellia leaves are browned
Comments (7)I guess it's been a year. I'm having another Spring outbreak of mites. That, or I have them year-round and notice the wounded leaves more as the new green ones appear. This spring, I've sprayed the leaves with a hose a couple times (apparently spider mites don't like moisture), plus last weekend I sprayed neem oil (as a safe miticide). I'll see if those help. As luis_pr mentioned, I'll spray the neem 3+ times. I've read that eggs hatch roughly every week so spraying once a week should help. Sharing my Internet learnings about pruning and lady bugs: Articles have instructed me that camellias should be pruned for enough air flow to reduce diseases -- basically enough branch spacing for a small bird to fly through, which indeed matches the many camellias of a local private garden. I'll see what I can do to improve airflow without sacrificing too much privacy screening from the neighbors. Also, apparently buying adult lady bugs doesn't do much against mites. They devour larger prey like aphids. I didn't have any aphids so they all flew away. I may try ordering ladybug larvae this time both so they'll eat the smaller mites, and since they can't escape as quickly....See MoreMature Camellia losing all of its leaves
Comments (8)June is a month when camellias shed some leaves but I would hesitate to consider this as a cause if you are seeing large defoliation of the trees. Thus, I would research these issues in this order: soil moisture problems, root problems or fungal problems unique to California called Sudden Oak Death. Research how well the soil remains evenly moist. Periods of dry soil, followed by moist soil and back to dry soil are not good. So use the finger method for 2-3 weeks: at about the same time, early in the mornings (6-8am), insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and determine if the soil feels dry, moist or wet. If the soil feels dry, the plant should be on schedule to receive water on that day. If it feels moist or wet, the plant should not be on schedule to get more water. Note these differences on a wall calendar and review them after 2-3 weeks. Then take appropriate action (such water more often or less). If temps change + or - 10-15 degrees and stay there, retest with the finger method to see if you need to weak things. Also, while checking, be on the lookout for locations with standing water after it rains or after the sprinkler or drip irrigation do their thing. If it does not drain in a few hours, the soil may not be draining water well and that can trigger some root rot issues. If you are getting issues on one side only, consider if you have some underground visitors (voles for example) causing problems to the roots. Look for tunnels. Other fungal issues that can cause loss of leaves are Camellia Dieback and SOD (Sudden Oak Death; also called Ramorum Blight; currently an issue in CA). For info on Camellia Dieback, go here: https://www.americancamellias.com/care-culture-resources/insects-and-diseases/camellia-canker-dieback For info on SOD, go here: http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/Oomycetes/Pages/SuddenOakDeath.aspx Because your plants have been in these locations so long, I would also recommend a soil analysis to look for mineral (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or minor elements) deficiencies. Local plant nurseries can give you hints on how to do these; university programs may also do these tests for a fee....See MoreCamellia leaf browning and curling
Comments (5)Assuming you have not run into any pests/insects, I would monitor the soil moisture and make sure that the plant is not getting too much sun (a common problem of japonicas this time of the year). Browning from edges inwards typically hints at the need for more water. When I looked at the pics, the top mulch looks dry (but I can't tell how it feels underneath). The normal amounts of water usually have to be increased here when Summer arrives so make sure you have increased yours too. Water deeply, not often. Example: newly planted shrubs get 1 gallon of water per watering in Spring and 1.5g in the Summer. I then switch back to 1g in the Fall/Winter (if it rains about 1", you can skip watering). If your soil is sandy, increase the amt of water by 50%. To monitor the soil for soil moisture problems, use the finger method daily in the mornings for 2-3 weeks. Insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and see if the soil feels wet, moist, almost dry or dry. Then water if the soil is almost dry or dry. Every time you water, make a note on a wall calendar to indicate that you watered on that day and, after 2-3 weeks, see about how often you were watering? Every 2 days? Every 3 days? etc. With this information, set the sprinkler or drip irrigation to water 1.5 gallons of water in the Summer every 2/3/etc days. If temps change 10-15 degrees and stay there, re-use the finger method again to see if you need to tweak things. Luis...See MoreSara
3 years agoluis_pr
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSara
3 years agoSara
3 years ago
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