Discoloration of the leaves is not uncommon with the high-maintenance camellia. The leaves can turn yellow, brown or even black. A distinction must be made as to whether the leaf itself turns black or has a black coating.
What to do if there are black leaves on the camellia?
If the leaves of a camellia turn black, the sooty mold fungus, which feeds on lice excretions, is usually responsible. Infected leaves should be removed or cleaned, for example with dishwashing liquid, soapy water or a vinegar-water mixture. Repeat the treatment after a few days.
Why are my camellia leaves turning black?
It is rare for the camellia leaves to turn black; more often, an unsightly black coating forms on them, but this can certainly be wiped off. This is due to soot mold, also known as star soot or simply sooty fungus. This fungus feeds on the sugary honeydew secreted by various species of lice. The main ones that come into question are scale insects, aphids and mealybugs.
In the beginning, small black spots can be seen when infested with sooty mold, which spread in a star shape over time. The damage is actually only indirect, because the fungus only prevents photosynthesis by blocking the leaf pores. Without treatment, your camellia may still lose its leaves because photosynthesis is vital for plants.
Can the camellia still be saved?
If only a few leaves of your camellia are affected, you can pick them off and dispose of them with household waste. As a precaution, isolate the infected camellia from other plants so that neither lice nor the sooty mold fungus can spread to them. If the infestation is severe, you should carefully clean the leaves of your camellia.
To clean the leaves, you can use a detergent solution, a lye made from soap or a mixture of vinegar and water. Make sure to remove any existing lice at the same time. However, chemical agents or neem oil only kill live lice. Therefore, the treatment must be repeated after some time.
The most important things in brief:
- Pick off or clean infested leaves
- Possible remedies: detergent solution, soapy water, vinegar-water mixture
- collect visible lice
- possibly use neem oil or chemical agent against the lice
- Repeat treatment after a few days
- If the infestation is very severe, replace the soil
Tip
If your camellia is heavily infested with lice, just to be on the safe side, replace the soil; larvae could have nested there.
