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Camellia japonica is a real eye-catcher in the garden, but just as susceptible to many pests. We show you how to identify diseased camellias.
The camellia (Camellia) is a relatively hardy pot plant. If you should let your leaves or flowers droop, or show other lesions, it is usually because something went wrong in the care. We will tell you how such mistakes can be avoided and which pests and diseases pose a threat to the camellia.
Camellia: Animal Pests
You can find below which animal pathogens can make life difficult for your camellias, as well as tips for effective control.
Thrips (Thysanoptera)
The thrips, also known as thrips, is a tiny pest that is sometimes barely visible to the naked eye. It preferentially affects indoor plants, so it is a problem for camellias in winter. The damage usually manifests itself in silvery, brown to black lesions on buds, leaves and green shoots, which are caused by oviposition and thrips excrement.
To control: Controlling thrips is relatively easy. Sometimes just spraying the plant with soapy water is enough to scare away the thrips. If the infestation is not too severe, you can simply sit out the problem. The thrips often cannot cope with the conditions outside the house, which is why the pest infestation regulates itself when the camellia is put outside again.
Caution: Although thrips are easy to control, they can survive in the soil in a pupated form. Under certain circumstances, this can lead to large populations, which could later cause major problems. Thrips infestation is a common problem, especially in commercial cultivation.
You can find more information on thrips control here.
Scales (Coccoidea)
The small, relatively flat-looking lice are among thephloem-sucking insects and damage your camellia with punctures from their proboscis organ. Just like thrips, they are primarily a problem for houseplants and potted plants. Scale insects prefer the softer undersides of leaves to suck on the sugary plant sap. A sure sign of scale insect infestation is sticky honeydew.
To combat: With scale insects it is more effective to prevent an infestation by taking appropriate measures than to react to it later. So keep your camellia in good he alth and ensure optimal conditions. With a light infestation, the little animals can still be collected, but with a stronger infestation this is hardly possible. If a severe infestation occurs, there are both biological and conventional pesticides on the market that can help.
Ocean weevil (Otiorhynchus)
The vine weevil damages the camellias in two ways: on the one hand, the adult beetles tamper with the leaves by eating the edges of the leaves, on the other hand, their larvae are often found in the shallow soil of the tubs and damage the roots there. So if you see leaf damage, it is highly likely that the soil in the pot is also infested with vine weevil larvae.
To combat: Normally, vine weevils only cause damage that your he althy camellia can easily compensate for. However, if yellow leaves and limp-looking shoots appear, you can think about a crop protection treatment. Note: Carry out the treatment in the dark or in low light conditions, as the vine weevil avoids the light.
You can find more information on controlling the vine weevil in our plant protection article.
Tip: Our Plantura organic pest-free neem is a biological and highly effective means of combating thrips, scale insects and vine weevil larvae.
Camellia: Fungal Pests
A fungal pathogen can also damage your camellias.
Camellia plague (Sclerotinia camelliae)
The camellia plague was previously only widespread in Asia. For a short time she has also been up to mischief in Europe. The infestation by the harmful fungus manifests itself in the flowers, which begin to rot from the inside out. Of theThe most effective way to get rid of camellia plague is to remove the affected flowers. This is sufficient since the fungus only spreads systemically via airborne spores and not within the plant. So far, camellia plague is the only fungal disease that has been shown to affect camellias. It goes by many synonyms, including the names camellia blossom smut, camellia blossom rot, and tree rot.
Camellia yellow and brown leaves: what's wrong?
From time to time, your camellia may not be at its best. Frequently, it is not diseases that are troubling the beautiful plants, but external abiotic circumstances. We explain the possible causes.
Bud Fall/Leaf Fall
The dropping of buds and leaves is mainly caused by fluctuations in the water supply and large temperature differences in a short period of time. The camellia cannot adapt to the constantly changing conditions, resulting in deficiency or excess reactions. Very frequent switching can also be a reason for the fact that the external conditions are constantly changing. Usually, however, it is care mistakes or fluctuating weather conditions that affect the plants more.
Rot Appearances in Camellia
Just as bud and leaf fall can be a manifestation of improper care, rot can also occur. Excessive humidity and waterlogging and the corresponding temperatures create perfect conditions for fermentation processes. In addition, over-fertilization can cause the tissue to lose its resilience, making the plant more vulnerable.
Generally speaking, the camellia loses its leaves after two to three years, which is why isolated leaf fall is not a concern. If the symptoms accumulate and no obvious reasons can be identified, it is advisable to first adjust the maintenance measures before immediately assuming a pest infestation.
In order for your camellia to be as robust and disease-resistant as possible, you should fertilize the plant regularly. You can find out everything you need to know about fertilizing camellias in our special article.