Why Are My Camellia Leaves Mushy? (2024)

FAQs

Why Are My Camellia Leaves Mushy? ›

Mushy leaves signal distress; look for discoloration and droopiness. Overwatering and fungi are common culprits; use terracotta pots for better drainage. Prevent with balance: Proper watering, air circulation, and regular care.

Over-watering the camellia can cause wilting and yellowing of the plant's leaves. Camellias need a moderate amount of water when they are first planted.

🚰 Water Woes: Over and Underwatering

Camellias throw a fit with too much or too little water. Signs of a water tantrum include wilted, yellow leaves, and a general look of despair. Balancing soil moisture is like walking a tightrope—it requires focus and precision to prevent a leafy plunge.

Leaf gall is caused by a fungus, and results in the formation of off-colored, thick, fleshy leaves in early spring, shortly after bud break. Through April and May, the galls are obvious and range from greenish pink to rose in color. During the growing season, the galls shrivel and turn black, and eventually fall off.

Yellow leaves and wilting may signal camellia root rot. Inspect roots for discoloration, mushiness, and odor. Prune and disinfect to treat and prevent further root rot.

Watering. Camellias are fairly drought tolerant but need irrigation during extended dry periods; 1 inch of water should be applied every 10 days to 2 weeks. Camellias also need 1 inch of water per week during flowering. They are sensitive to overwatering and succumb to root rot when kept too wet.

Giving an old camellia a makeover

Cut off all branches from the lower reach of the trunk. Cut out any rubbing or crossing limbs from the remaining upper foliage. Remove any weak or twiggy branches. Feed camellias with fertilizer specifically labeled for acid-loving shrubs after bloom time and again in the early summer.

Aphids feed by sucking sap from the plant veins and excrete 'honeydew', a clear, sticky fluid which can coat the leaves and eventually become colonized by black sooty mould. Eventually as the plant growth hardens they will move on, but not before having distorted the foliage and formed copious amounts of honeydew.

If your camellia does die back, cut back to healthy growth. If the whole plant appears dead, cut hard back to 10 cm from the ground and give it till autumn to regenerate - which it will do if the roots are healthy. If you have a camellia in a pot, it is vital to stop the roots freezing.

Feeding Your Camellia

As they prefer to be grown in an acid soil, camellias have a high magnesium requirement and once a year Epsom salt (a tablespoon to a gallon of water) can be given along with topdressing the soil with cottonseed meal (about a ½ inch sprinkled on the top of the soil).

What is the best fertilizer for camellia? ›

If your camellias are younger and you want them to concentrate their energies on growing for a few years, try a fertilizer that has a nitrogen content such as 12-4-8 or 10-10-10. Scale insects, "crawler" stage, will move from last season's old leaves up to new succulent growth.

Water your camellias regularly when they are newly planted (the first 18 months) and water through the summer months as this is when the flowers are produced. Aim to keep the soil moist and check it with trowel about 10cm (4in) down – if it feels dry at this level, water well.

Check soil moisture to prevent overwatering or underwatering Camellias. Root rot and drainage are critical to Camellia leaf health.

Use coffee grounds as mulch for acid-loving plants — roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, hydrangeas and camellias. They like coffee grounds for the natural acidity and nutrients they add to the soil. Sprinkle coffee grounds around areas of ant infestation to deter them.

As you noted, camellias prefer acidic soil. Along with azaleas and rhododendrons, camellias can't deal with soap build-up. Adding vinegar won't balance out the pH.

If your camellia does die back, cut back to healthy growth. If the whole plant appears dead, cut hard back to 10 cm from the ground and give it till autumn to regenerate - which it will do if the roots are healthy. If you have a camellia in a pot, it is vital to stop the roots freezing.

The primary symptom of excess moisture is wilting or yellowing of lower and inner leaves. If excess water continues, plants may show other drought symptoms, such as scorch, leaf drop, and/ or plant death. Plants should be watered when needed.

When a plant is first becoming overwatered, leaves turn yellow. If soil doesn't have a chance to dry out before you water again, leaves start to wilt. When overwatering is the problem, wilted leaves are soft and limp. (If too little water is the issue, wilted leaves are dry and crispy.)

Brown, crisp and curling leaves

Curling, crispy or lightweight brown leaves are another sign of underwatering. Unfortunately, brown leaves are common in both overwatered and underwatered plants. But again, overwatered brown leaves are usually soft and limp rather than crisp and crushable.