The camellia is a true queen that makes every heart beat faster with its beautiful flowers. But even outside the flowering phase, it is a feast for the eyes with its dark, shiny leaves. Unfortunately, beauty also comes at a price, as it is a little more demanding to care for. So it's no wonder that beginners in particular quickly become worried when there's obviously something wrong with the camellia tree. Is your camellia suddenly losing leaves and buds? This could be the reason:
A leaf drop does not have to mean a problem
Before you panic, we would first like to point out that shedding leaves in moderation is not a cause for concern. It is completely normal for the plant to shed old leaves from time to time, usually these are the three-year-old leaves. However, if young leaves are increasingly falling off, especially in larger quantities, so that the plants are even partially bare, there could be a problem that you should take action against, especially if the flower buds are also affected. The camellia loses leaves and buds for the following reasons, among others:
First, rule out disease or pests
The first thing you should do is check the plant for any diseases and pest infestations. While the presence of pests is usually easy to notice, when it comes to diseases you can look out for certain characteristics such as spots on leaves and buds. If you notice anything unusual, it is advisable to do something about it immediately so that the entire plant does not end up withering away.
Possible pests are: scale insects, thrips, black weevil (outdoors)
Typical diseases: camellia plague
Camellia loses leaves and buds in an unsuitable location
The wrong location, which does not meet the requirements of the camellia at all or partially, can lead to leaf and bud loss. Let's summarize what the plant needs:
- lots of light
- moderate to cool temperatures, definitely not too much heat
- high humidity
- fresh air regularly
When camellias are yellowleavesIf you get them and then fall off, it could be because the plant is too warm. So instead of putting them in a heated onemaintain space, it is better to place it in a place that is not or hardly heated: the hallway, for example, or the stairwell.
Falls dieflower budsfall, heat could also be a cause, but also a sudden change of location after the buds have already formed. These have developed under certain conditions and if you suddenly change them, this can stress the plant, to which it responds by dropping buds. She is particularly sensitive during this time and cannot tolerate changes. Avoid too strong sun.
Tipp:To avoid the relocation problem, it is best not to move the potted plant at all, even during the winter season. But this is only possible if you can, for example, offer it a place in a winter garden whose windows you can leave open in the warm months, as if the plant were actually outside. In winter she stays in this unheated place, just with the windows and doors closed so as not to freeze to death.
Leaves fall off – is the watering correct?
Get the camelliabrown leavesor drops these and buds, this may indicate that something is wrong with the watering behavior. The plant's soil should neither be too dry nor waterlogged. So if the camellia loses leaves and buds, try to remember your watering routine to see if you might have done something wrong in this regard. The buds in particular need sufficient water during their formation. Fluctuations in watering also cause stress on the plant, resulting in loss of leaves and buds.
The camellia needs:
- Always moist soil without waterlogging - make sure that the top layer of soil never dries out
- You can avoid waterlogging by using a drainage layer and by emptying the draining plate after half an hour.
- A layer of mulch also stores moisture without risking root rot due to too much moisture.
Still not sure whether you're watering enough or too much? Then you can use a moisture meter for guidance.
Soil conditions and fertilizer
If the soil does not meet the needs of the plant, it will simply lose its leaves and buds. It likes it sour, while the wrong fertilizer can quickly lead to an unsuitable pH value. That's why you should be careful when choosing fertilizer. There are special liquid fertilizers for acidic soils that are optimalFertilize camellia.
You can easily determine whether your camellia is losing leaves and buds because of this using test sticks. In this case, you can directly replace the soil with suitable soil after you have also removed the roots from the old, non-acidic soil under running water (note: do not use water that is too warm or cold).
Camellia loses leaves and buds - frost damages the plant
You know that the camellia is not hardy and you have to overwinter the camellia and yes, it likes it relatively cool. Nevertheless, it issudden frostharmful to them and flower buds and leaves would be dropped directly. That's why, on the one hand, you shouldn't wait too long in autumn to bring the camellia into its winter quarters and, on the other hand, you shouldn't be in a hurry to take it outside again in spring, because late frosts are not uncommon, especially in May.
