Why are the leaves of my camellia turning black?
The leaves of the camellia black, much more often an unsightly one forms on them black coating, but it can be wiped off. This is due to the soot dew, also called star soot or simply soot fungus. This fungus feeds on the sugary honeydew secreted by various types of lice. Shield lice, aphids and mealybugs come into question.
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- Help, my camellia is getting brown leaves!
- Why does my camellia get yellow leaves?
- Why does my camellia suddenly get brown spots?
At the beginning of the infestation with sooty dew, small black spots can be seen, which spread out in a star shape over time. The damage is actually only indirect, because the fungus only prevents photosynthesis by clogging the leaf pores. Without treatment, your camellia can still be hers Lose leaves because photosynthesis is vital for plants.
Can the camellia still be saved?
If only a few leaves of your camellia are affected, you can pluck them off and dispose of them with household waste. As a precaution, isolate the infected camellia from other plants so that neither lice nor the sooty mildew can spread to them. If the infestation is more severe, you should carefully clean the leaves of your camellia.
You can use a detergent solution, curd soap solution, or a mixture of vinegar and water to clean the leaves. Make sure you remove any lice at the same time. However, chemical agents or neem oil only kill the live lice. Therefore, the treatment must be repeated after a while.
The essentials in brief:
- Pluck or clean infected leaves
- Possible agents: washing-up liquid, curd soap, vinegar-water mixture
- collect visible lice
- possibly use neem oil or chemical agent against the lice
- Repeat the treatment after a few days
- with very severe infestation Earth change
Tips
If your camellia is very badly infested with lice, replace the soil to be on the safe side, as larvae may have nested there.
