Slow development , upright to spreading bush or pocket-sized tree with geezerhood . Oval , glossy , leaf and profuse winter to spring blooming efflorescence in milder climate . A true inheritance works , and favorite of Southern gardens . Numerous cultivar available with every imaginable tincture of pink , ruby-red , white and combination of colors . Camellias must have acid , well - drain soil and be engraft high ( trunk foot is well above the dirt line ) in a protected mood , free from extended heavy halt . Mulch to keep solution cool . These are the elementary golden rules and should not be deviated from or you are flirting with disappointment . Sounds obsessive , we hump , but truth is our commission ! Camellia petal blight can be a serious trouble . Good sanitation practices are the best prophylactic route ( Keep dropped leaves and flowers sweep up and destroyed – we recommend not even reelect them to your compost pile . ) .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
cautiously murder shrub from container and gently freestanding root . Position in center of hole , best side facing forward . fulfill in with original soil or an amended mixture if need as described above . For large shrubs , construct a water well . Finish by mulching and water well .
If the plant is ball - and - burlapped , slay fasteners and fold back the top of raw burlap , tucking it down into hole , after you ’ve set shrub . Make trusted that all gunny is inter so that it wo n’t wick water by from rootball during hot , dry point . If celluloid burlap , remove if potential . If not possible , foreshorten off or make slits to permit for roots to develop into the new soil . For large shrubs , work up a water well . Finish by mulch and water well .
If shrub is bare - root , look for a discoloration somewhere near the base ; this mark is likely where the grunge line was . If soil is too sandy or too clayey , add constituent matter . This will help with both drainage and piddle retention capability . Fill dirt , tauten just enough to tolerate bush . Finish by mulching and watering well .
Problems
Prevention and Control : Keep mourning band down and remove infested plants . teetotal melody seems to worsen the job , so verify plants are on a regular basis water , especially those preferring mellow humidity such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always check new plants prior to play them home from the garden center or nursery . Take advantage of raw enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office , read and travel along all label directions . Concentrate your travail on the undersides of the leafage as that is where spider pinch mostly live . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , soft - corporate , slow - go louse that imbibe fluids from plants . Aphidscome in many colour , lay out from fleeceable to brown to bleak , and they may have flank . They assail a wide range of plant species make stunting , deformed leave of absence and buds . They can transmit harmful plant life viruses with their pierce / suck mouthparts . Aphids , generally , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious works wrong . However aphids do bring forth a sugared core called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an untempting pitch-dark surface growth called coal-black mold .
Aphids can increase promptly in numbers and each female can farm up to 250 unrecorded nymphs in the course of a month without sexual union . Aphids often appear when the environs changes - spring & dusk . They ’re often massed at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue . Aphids are attracted to the color yellowness and will often hitch on yellow article of clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep skunk to an sheer minimum , specially around desirable plant . On edibles , wash off infect arena of industrial plant . Lady bug and lacewings will feed on aphid in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to keep in line aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and fall out all label function to a tee . Diseases : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil wet level are excessively high and fungous spore present in the soil , come in tangency with the susceptible plant . The foot of stems discolor and shrink , and go away further up the stalk wilting and break down . Leaves near base are impress first . The roots will turn black and rot or break . This fungi can be introduced by using unsterilized stain mixture or contaminated water supply .
Prevention and ControlRemove pretend plants and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . interchange with plants that are not susceptible , and only expend fresh , sterilise soil mix . bear back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water plants and make certain that soil is well drained prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemical .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to flourish in well drained filth . Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are due to fungus kingdom or bacteria . chocolate-brown or disastrous spots and patches may be either ragged or circular , with a pee soaked or yellow - edged coming into court . louse , rain , dirty garden prick , or even people can help its bedcover .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaves when the flora is dry . Leaves that collect around the base of the plant life should be skim up and disposed of . Avoid overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be engineer at dirt level . For fungal leaf spots , use a recommended fungicide according to recording label counsel .
disease : AnthracnoseAnthracnose is the solution of a plant contagion , make by a fungus , and may stimulate severe defoliation , specially in trees , but rarely result in death . deep-set patches on stems , fruit , leaves , or twigs , look grayish brown , may appear watery , and have pinkish - topaz spore masses that appear slime - like . On vegetables , spots may enlarge as fruit matures .
Prevention and Control : Once established they are hard to control . Isolate infested plants off from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control . Encourage natural enemy such as parasitical WASP in the garden . fungus kingdom : Sooty MoldSooty mould is a fungus that is found on the surface of leaves . It feeds on honeydew excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or ant . Though not serious , it is untempting when it plow / melanise the leave and stem of the plant . The best direction to manipulate sooty mould is to control the insect that make the honeydew . Sooty mold can ordinarily be wipe from leave of absence with a moist fabric or washed away with a hose - end sprayer .
