For rich bud development, camellias (Camellia) need as much heat and light as possible during the summer months. However, sometimes the evergreen tea leaf plants get brown leaves that dry up and fall off. The reason for this may be sunburn, which occurs quite frequently on the attractive flowering shrubs under certain conditions.
What to do if sunburn on camellia leaves?
To prevent sunburn on camellias, you should gradually accustom the plant to sunlight. First, place the camellia in a location with short exposure to sunlight. Make sure the pot ball is well moistened and protect it from late frosts.
How does sunburn affect camellias?
If camellias are suddenly exposed to full sunlight after overwintering indoors, the following damage typically appears on the parts of the plant:
- The otherwise dark green foliage gets brown spots.
- The edges of the leaves turn dark and dry out.
- The camellia is losing more leaves than usual.
How does sunburn occur on leaves?
Young plants in particular tend to suffer leaf damage when exposed to excessive sunlight. In many cases, the trigger for this is moving too quickly from the winter quarters to a fairly sunny spot in the open air.
If the plants were always in the shade, often only last year's leaves react to the sunlight, while the new growth is not damaged. The fresh leaves even cope surprisingly well with direct sunlight.
How can leaf damage be prevented?
If camellias have not been accustomed to sunlight, the attractive tea tree plants tend to get sunburned more quickly than other plants. Since only UV-A radiation penetrates through the window panes, this also applies to camellias that were under glass in the winter garden.
As soon as the flowering bushes are allowed to move outdoors, you should proceed as follows:
- If the temperatures no longer fall below five degrees at night in March, put the newly sprouting tea tree plant back on the balcony or terrace.
- If there is a threat of late frosts, you must temporarily bring the plants back into the house to protect them from frostbite or cover them with a fleece (€72.00 at Amazon).
- Choose a cloudy day for clearing.
- Don't rush into anything, but first place the flowering bushes for a few weeks in a location where they will only be exposed to the sun for a short time.
- A good moistening of the pot ball also protects the camellia from sunburn.
This means that the older leaves can also adapt to some sunlight every day and suffer significantly less damage.
Tip
If possible, place camellias in a sunny spot outdoors before the leaves emerge, as the young shoots are relatively sun-resistant and there is little risk of sunburn. Since the leaves only live for about three years, this is a good way to accustom the tea tree family to regular sunlight.