Common camellia pest and disease symptoms and control methods, and how to grow them from seed

The camellia has relatively large flowers and bright colors, making it a standout in the world of flowers and deeply loved by everyone. That is why many friends grow a pot of it at home, but after growing it for a while they find that it is either attacked by pests or troubled by other problems. So below, the editor will introduce its common pests and diseases and the solutions.

Common camellia pest and disease symptoms

1. Anthracnose: This disease is one of the common diseases of camellia. It generally occurs between June and July on the leaves of that year's seedlings, and the lesions mostly start from the leaf tip or leaf edge. At first, water-soaked greenish-brown lesions appear on the edges of the basal leaves, then expand into irregular large patches arranged in a pattern with a layer of small black spots spreading over the whole leaf, and finally cause the leaves to fall off.

2. Sooty mold: This disease can damage both branches and leaves, and is even more obvious on the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, sooty small mold spots appear on the affected part, then gradually expand and connect with each other into patches, covering most of the plant with a sooty mold layer. After the pathogen parasitizes, it not only absorbs nutrients from the flowers but also seriously affects the plant's photosynthesis and respiration, causing the plant to drop a large number of leaves.

3. Root-knot nematode disease: This disease harms the roots of the camellia, turning the roots dark brown, and the root nodules rot and split. The main root swells, new fibrous roots do not grow, the aboveground plant stops growing, and the whole plant gradually dies.

Methods to solve pests and diseases

1. Anthracnose: First, strengthen cultivation management, pay attention to applying organic fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to improve the plant's disease resistance, and promptly remove diseased leaves and burn them. Second, after the spring shoots grow out, spray with 1% Bordeaux mixture to prevent infection by the pathogen. Finally, in the early stage of the disease, spray with 65% zineb wettable powder plus 600 times water solution, or use 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 1000-1500 times solution for treatment.

3. Sooty mold: First, planting should not be too dense, and keep good ventilation and light transmission between plants. Second, do not let the humidity become too high, and control the conditions for the pathogen to breed. Finally, during the disease period, spray with 0.3 degree Baume lime sulfur mixture, once every 10-15 days, for a total of 3 sprays. You can also use 50% thiophanate wettable powder at 500 times solution for spraying, once every 7-10 days, 3 sprays, which can achieve a therapeutic effect.

3. Root-knot nematode disease: First, before potting, disinfect the culture soil to kill the disease-causing small worms. Then, after discovering the disease, immediately use sterilized culture soil as the potting soil and repot. Finally, before repotting, the potting soil can be exposed to the hot sun for 2-3 days before use. You can use dibromochloropropane plus 100-150 times water to make a solution and spray the soil for disinfection, but soil treated with this chemical must be piled for 20 days before it can be used for potting and planting. Otherwise, it will damage the root system.

How to grow camellia from seed

1. Seed collection: In autumn, collect camellia seeds immediately when the fruit cracks slightly, place them in a cool and ventilated indoor area to dry, and take out the seeds after the fruit naturally cracks. After collecting seeds, sow them immediately, or they can be treated by stratification in sand storage.

2. Seed treatment: The camellia seed coat is hard, and it needs treatment so the seeds can germinate quickly and uniformly. You can use a sharp knife to nick the seed coat, then soak in warm water at 40-50 degrees C for half an hour, then soak in clean water at 20-25 degrees C for 5-6 days, and sow the seeds from the bottom layer.

3. Sowing method: When sowing camellia seeds, place the seed hilum facing sideways, cover with a layer of fine fertile soil, and cover with a layer of plastic film to keep the soil moist, so that the seeds can germinate and emerge as early as possible.

How camellia overwinters

1. The most suitable temperature for camellia flowering is 10 degrees C to 20 degrees C. If the temperature is too low, flower bud growth will be restricted, so in winter it should be heated and kept warm appropriately.

2. Supplement appropriate light in the right amount to avoid freezing the camellia stiff.

3. Water suitable for camellia. It is best to irrigate with stored rainwater. If it is tap water, ferrous sulfate needs to be added to the water to make a 0.1%-0.2% concentration aqueous solution.

4. In winter, water once every 3-5 days, and it is best to choose to water around 10 a.m.

To grow camellia well, it turns out there are still many small tips, for example, treating the seeds before planting, and also issues like watering and fertilizing. It seems that seeing beautiful camellias still requires a lot of effort, but the little tricks introduced by the editor are very helpful for the growth of camellia, so everyone does not need to be afraid.