Suddenly the leaves on your camellia droop, turn yellow or brown, and then fall off. No wonder you're worried now. After all, this attractive plant should soon bloom profusely and delight you with its splendor of color.
Why is my camellia losing leaves and what can I do?
Answer: Excessive leaf loss on camellias can be caused by insufficient humidity, dried out root balls, frost damage, unsuitable fertilizer, waterlogging or pests. To save the plant, increase the humidity, water it regularly, fertilize with rhododendron fertilizer and remove pests.
Is some leaf loss normal?
Even evergreen plants like the camellia always lose a few leaves, but grow new ones at about the same rate. This “exchange” is important because camellias can get very old. You don't have to worry as long as the plant doesn't go bald and at least as many leaves grow back as they fall off.
What are the causes of excessive leaf loss?
Excessive shedding of leaves can have very different causes, but most of them are associated with errors in care. Waterlogging can be responsible for this, but the opposite can also be the case, namely a dried root ball. Waterlogging often causes the roots to rot, meaning they can neither absorb moisture nor nutrients from the soil.
Low humidity can also lead to excessive leaf loss, even if this happened a while ago. It is therefore necessary to react quickly, this also applies to possible frost damage to the roots or an incorrect pH value due to unsuitable fertilizer. Occasionally, infestation with black weevils or their larvae also causes problems for a camellia.
Various causes of excessive leaf loss:
- humidity too low in winter quarters (required: at least 60%)
- dried out root ball (may have been some time ago)
- Frost damage to the root ball
- Soil not acidic enough, possibly due to incorrect fertilizer
- Waterlogging
- Larvae of the black weevil
Can I still save a leafless camellia?
You can definitely try to save your camellia. Increase the humidity to at least 60 percent and water the plant regularly. If it hasn't been fertilized for a long time, give your camellia a small portion of rhododendron fertilizer. Then your patience is required, because it can take a whole year before your camellia is fully leafed again.
Tip
Acting quickly will significantly increase your camellia's chances of survival.
