Camellia tree dying?

BonnieBean · April 2023

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Hi all. Bought and potted this camellia last July. It started to bus this year but in the past 8-10 weeks it looks like it is starting to die even though some parta look super healthy. The buds never flowered. Only ever fed the plant last summer and left it since then. Eracious soil used. The soil does feel wet - not enough drainage? Will lifting it up onto a stand/bricks to drain help solve the issue? Spend a lot on it and don’t want it to die! Thanks in advance. Xx

Fairygirl · April 2023

They need moisture but they also need good drainage.
The most common reason for buds failing to open is a lack of water at the right time - late summer. That's when they're formed, not in late winter/early spring.
However, it's a very large specimen to get established, especially in a pot that small, so there could be various reasons for it not thriving, as it could also be waterlogged rather than too dry. They're quite shallow rooted, so a wide pot is more important than a deep one.
Was it pot bound when you got it for example? They need to be in a soil based medium too - not just compost, so what did you use to plant it in?

Why is there a plastic bag in the pot?

BonnieBean · April 2023

Thank you so much for the advice and your thoughts! Yes it was potted when we bought it and we didn’t want it to grow too big so we got as big a pot as we could find!

As far as i can remember, when we repotted it after buying it we took some advice and used both compost and soil as well as slow release camellia feed. This was all last July/august and we left it since then thinking it would take care of itself (not a good move i imagine!).

The plastic bag is just because we have fairy lights in the tree, it’s got the battery pack in it.

So thinking maybe a repotting in a wide pot (not sure how we will manage that, it’s so heavy 😂🙈) x

Fairygirl · April 2023

I'd remove all the other stuff in the pot, so that you can see what the surface of the soil is like, and make sure it's up off the ground. If the roots weren't going round and round in the pot you bought it in, that's always a good sign. The fact that it's as healthy as it is probably means that wasn't the case, but you'll have to keep an eye on it over the next few months. It takes months for a shrub [especially one that size] to establish, so it won't be properly settled until this autumn or thereabouts

You may have to prune off the stems which look dead. It's hard to see from the photos how they actually look though.
A good idea is to mulch the top of the soil in the pot - bark is good as it also breaks down over time and helps the medium in the pot itself. Make sure there's reasonable moisture in the soil though.
Anything in a pot needs far more attention than in the ground. If you're able to plant it out, it'll be much easier to look after, assuming your soil is suitable for it. They can be pruned if they get too big anyway.

bédé · April 2023

One part of your camellia looks dead. The rest needs a bit of tender care but is otherwise OK I think. With a pot plant the pot needs to be in scale, a bit like with a bonsai; I think yours is. So rather than upping the pot size, reduce the camellia. They really are very forgiving plants.

I suggest you cut out the obviously dead part, going back successively further until you reach good wood. The problem was probably not enough water summer '22. Complete drying out can injure roots and then they are unable to take up water when it comes. And then they drown. Let it dry out well before watering again. "Well" is difficult to describe in words, easy to demonstrate.

In summer, rain, even heavy, is not enough. The leaves divert the rain out of the pot. Fairy has sussed the bud-drop accurately. Tap water is better than nothing.

The rather bleached look of the leaves suggest to me that t was in full sun, half shade would be better.

Weeds in the pot won't help.

A bit of attention, and then leave. But watch.

Camellia tree dying?

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