Can my Camellia be rescued, or is it too late?

Hi all

I repotted a camellia recently and forgot to put stones for drainage at the bottom of the pot. Last week I noticed there was about 2 cms of water lying in the pot above the compost. I took it all out - it was really soggy, and let the water drain. I repotted the camellia with broken terracotta in the bottom and sure enough all the excess water came out. But this morning I noticed that some of the leaves are curling - see pics. There are plenty of buds on the plant but I'm worried that I've already killed it. Is there any way I could try to revive it?



Would really appreciate any help.
Thanks
Monica

 

Monica,
your camellia looks in good health and now you have given it adequate drainage, I am sure it will be fine. A bit of Camellia liquid food (I use miracle-gro-azalea-camellia-rhododendron-soluble-plant-food) would be beneficial in the Spring. If you unfurl a curled leaf you will see a bug has visited to build a home for its brood . The odd one or two on a bush as mature as yours will not harm it but if its not too labourious a task then wipe them out. A spray of Provado insect repellent would be better.
Jenny namaste

 

Hi Jenny - you think it will survive? That would make my day! I will treat it like you described - I have the Provado stuff and I'll feed it in the Spring too. Thank you so much. Monica

 

As Jenny said, the worst leaf curl is probably down to aphids or the like. Even if the aphids have disappeared, they may have left some eggs ready to hatch in spring, so have a look inside the folds of the leaves and just wipe them off with your fingers, or else prune off the affected leaves

I try to avoid chemical sprays if I can because I don't want to harm the critters who eat them, such as ladybirds and blue tits. I use a solution of water with a bit of washing up liquid added.

Have a look here for further info.

 

You are very welcome Monsclara. Do you know your Camellia's name? What colour and type are the flowers? Is it a Spring flowerer as I have one or two that should flower before Christmas.
Jenny

 

Don't forget the pics when they flower Jenny

 

I will Merle- that's a promise,
Jenny

 

Jenny - no idea of the Camellia names, but I know the flowering times and colour. My oldest one is an amazing lipstick red and is awash with colour during the 6 Nations (rugby season - Feb/March). This year it didn't flower and I thought it was pot-bound but a keen enthusiast noticed notches in the lower leaves so I took it out of the pot (that the current one is in now) treated the roots for vine weevil and planted it in the corner of the patio. It has tons of new buds right now, so fingers crossed, it will be blooming for the next 6 Nations! The one that has the leaf curl is a beauty - it's snow white so I really hope I don't lose it and then the youngest is a deep pink.
Intrigued by your pre-Christmas flowerer. I'm always on the lookout for winter bloom - what species/colour is it?

 

You obviously have a soft spot for Camellias Monsclara,
They have always been my "first love" (had a few affairs since then ) but their appearance so early, when most of the garden's still half asleep always make me happy. The early flowerers have Sasanqua in their blood and the one I have to the side of the front door is called St Ewe. I will post a piccie if it flowers before Christmas.
In our gardens (2 moves back) we had an early white called Nobelissima with obliged with flowers for the Christmas table. I have 2 other early flowers in pots, Cornish Snow and Cornish Spring.
Yes, lots of buds this year now forming on Camellias. Like the roses, they have preferred the cooler, wetter season so it should be a spectacular show next year!
Jenny

 

Merle
Only found creepy crawlies on 2 leaves - the rest seem clean. Took some pics - are these what I'm looking for? Monica

 

Yes Jenny - I love them for their beauty (but also for their longevity! I haven't killed one yet!).

 

One of mine was like that last yr so I lifted it and put in to a pot and moved to back garden and left in shade all summer and also fed it us well.

And have recently moved indoors to my conservatory for added protection.

I now have a lot of new growth.

Good luck .

 

I think the spider is okay, he might make a meal out of the not so welcome guests.

In the first pic it looks like something's else has had a munch on the leaf.

The little black thing on the right of pics 2 and 3 looks like an aphid (they can be blackfly or greenfly). The rest of them may have done the damage and then done a flit (the curling leaf is usually where the eggs are laid).

Can't tell what the blobs are on the left of the pics though

The leaves on your original pic do look a bit droopy, which may be due to being waterlogged.

You should also raise it off the floor with some pot feet which will further aid drainage.

 

Merle - are the blobs my fingers??!!
It was the overall droopy leaves that alerted me to take a closer look which is when I discovered the curled leaves. Given the plant was repotted about 5 days ago, does this mean it may be still waterlogged and if so, should I take it out of the pot again and try drying it out a bit more?

 

No the blobby bits aren't your fingers

I wouldn't re-pot it now because from the sound of it, it now has plenty of drainage. Just raise the pot off the floor, don't let it dry out too much (not much chance in this weather) and hope it recovers

Not sure what the weather has been like where you are, but we've had a lot of torrential rain over the past couple of weeks. If that is the case, then I'd be tempted (as a temporary measure) to tie plastic around the base of the plant and cover the compost, just to stop it getting any wetter until it's had time to recover and then remove the plastic in between bouts of rain to allow it to breathe.