Camelia Problem - Ask Extension
I have a camellia which appears to have some sort of parasitic growth on the leaves. I suspect this is powdery mildew but would like your opinion. I...
Knowledgebase
Camelia Problem #869160
Asked May 19, 2024, 7:14 PM EDT
I have a camellia which appears to have some sort of parasitic growth on the leaves. I suspect this is powdery mildew but would like your opinion. I would also like to know what treatment I can use to eliminate this problem. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Sussex County Delaware
Expert Response
this does not appear to be powdery mildew to me, but more damage from a sucking, piercing mouthed insect. Can you look on the underside of the leaves and see if you notice a fluffy white mass or small white insects. Right now we are experiencing the crawler stage for cottony camellia scale and also reports of aphids on camellias. Both would create this type of damage but will be seen on the underside of the leaves. Please forward a phot is you find anything on the underside of the leaf. This will help determine the proper treatment if one is necessary.
An even better solution would be to drop off a sample of the tree/shrub at our office so we could examine the leaves and check under the microscope. The Sussex County Extension office is located at 16483 County Seat Highway (Rte. 9 west), Georgetown, DE 19947. We are 5 miles west on Rte 9 from the intersection of Rte 113, just past Sussex Tech.
An even better solution would be to drop off a sample of the tree/shrub at our office so we could examine the leaves and check under the microscope. The Sussex County Extension office is located at 16483 County Seat Highway (Rte. 9 west), Georgetown, DE 19947. We are 5 miles west on Rte 9 from the intersection of Rte 113, just past Sussex Tech.
Pardon my late response--the camellia is at my beach house and I have not been able to get down there until this past weekend. I have battled scale on this camelia before and I usually find scale on the branches as well as the leaves. That was not the case this time--branches and undersides of leaves were clear. Three weeks ago I sprayed the camellia with tau-fluvalinate/tebuconazole (Bayer 3-in-1 Insect, Disease, & Mite Control) and the plant appears to be much improved as of today.
