What to Do When Camellia Leaves Fall Severely
For many girls, dealing with severe camellia leaf drop and learning the correct tips for camellia maintenance are small experiences in green plant care. Let's follow the editor to find out more!
When camellias enter the flowering period, there are many buyers and sellers. Whether it's a newly purchased camellia or one that has been maintained for a period of time, improper care can easily cause leaf drop, bud drop, and dried buds that won't open. Many gardening enthusiasts think that camellias that have shed all their leaves are dead, but that's not the case. Even if they have shed all their leaves, there is still a chance to "revive" them, sprout new branches and leaves, and bloom beautiful flowers the following year. Therefore, don't rush to throw away camellias that have shed all their leaves. Pay attention to four steps of care, and it's not impossible for the plant to be full of blooms again. How to save camellias that have shed all their leaves? Let's talk about my views and operations.
Reasons for Camellia Leaf Drop
99% of the time, camellias shed all their leaves due to improper watering, improper use of potting soil, improper fertilization, and root rot. Only 1% of the cases are caused by excessive changes in temperature and humidity. However, when temperature and humidity changes cause camellia leaf drop, it usually doesn't result in complete defoliation, just a part of the leaves, and there will still be some remaining. Moreover, the symptoms of root rot and leaf drop due to temperature and humidity changes are different: leaves that drop due to root rot usually have dry tips and edges, then fall off continuously until they are completely bald. Leaf drop due to excessive temperature and humidity changes usually has no spots on the leaves, looks clean, drops sporadically from bottom to top, and after a while, the situation improves, leaf drop stops gradually, and new leaves and buds start to grow.
Steps to Solve the Problem of Camellia Leaf Drop
1. Check if the Branches are Alive
After camellias have shed all their leaves, whether there is a chance to save them depends on checking if the branches are alive. The method is to peel off the outer bark of the main branches and see if the inside is green. If it's green inside, there is still a chance to save it. If it has turned yellow and is not green, it means it's completely dead and there is no chance to save it. When checking if the camellia main branches are alive, you can start from the top. Even if the upper branches are completely dead, if the inner bark of the main stem at the bottom is green, there is still a chance for survival. Because when camellia branches dry out, they start from the top, and sometimes even if the top branches are dried out, the lower main branches are still alive.
2. Pruning
After camellias have shed all their leaves, if the inner bark of the main branches is still green, prune the branches. In addition to cutting off the dried tender branches, also cut off the long, weak, and dense branches to save nutrient consumption and prepare for survival. Don't feel sorry for those branches; as long as you can save the camellia, later on, with diligent fertilization, new branches and leaves will still grow like bamboo after the rain. Even if the old branches and leaves are not pruned, due to root rot, they cannot properly transport water and nutrients, and they will dry out over time. After pruning the branches of the camellia, spray the entire plant with a 1000-fold solution of carbendazim, a fungicide for disinfection. Especially at the wound sites, spray more, and if there are larger wounds, you can apply a little carbendazim powder to prevent wound infection, which affects plant survival and later growth.
What to Do When Camellia Leaves Fall Severely
3. Repotting
After pruning the camellia that has shed all its leaves, it can be repotted. Remove the plant from the pot, shake off the original soil, inspect the roots, trim away the rotting parts, soak in a 1000-fold solution of carbendazim for 15 minutes for disinfection, then soak in a 1000-fold solution of root-promoting powder for 30 minutes, and place it in a shaded area to dry the root moisture before potting. When repotting camellias, the coarse sand content in the soil should not be less than 40%, preferably 50%. This is very beneficial for the growth of new roots and ensures the survival rate. If you completely use leaf mold, peat, or garden soil, new roots will sprout slowly and the survival rate will be low. You can also use coarse sand to cover the roots of camellias and then repot after the roots have grown.
4. Care
Water the newly planted camellia thoroughly, making sure it is thoroughly watered, and place it in a shaded and ventilated area with a temperature of 15-28 degrees Celsius. Even if the temperature is not that high, it should be kept above 5 degrees Celsius, otherwise it's hard to grow new roots. Then wrap the remaining stem with plastic wrap and wait for it to survive. Wrapping the stem of the camellia with plastic wrap serves two purposes: one is to reduce moisture evaporation and prevent the stem from drying out, which is not conducive to survival. The other is to keep the plant moist, promoting survival because camellias love a humid environment, and high humidity is beneficial for root growth and sprouting (the same principle applies when propagating camellias by cutting and covering with plastic bags or sheets). Afterward, do not water until the potting soil is dry, and only water when it is 80-90% dry. Under suitable temperatures, camellias cared for in this way can survive in about 30-45 days and start to sprout and grow. When new buds are seen on the camellia, gradually loosen the plastic wrap and enter normal care, and the following year, the plant will be full of blooms.
Notice
The method described above for saving camellias that have shed all their leaves may not guarantee 100% survival, but as long as the roots are not completely rotten, the chance of survival is relatively high. If the camellia potting soil has 50% coarse sand added, don't rush to repot after survival; continue to care for it in this medium until spring. If the camellia is completely planted in coarse sand, after survival, change the soil when the new buds have grown a bit, because coarse sand has no nutrients, and long-term planting in such a medium is not conducive to plant growth.
The above sharing of how to deal with severe camellia leaf drop and tips for correct camellia care, hope it helps green plant enthusiasts!