This flower easily loses its head in hot weather, so prune and water it promptly, and after autumn it will bloom in a bursting pot.

How should you care for it in summer?

1. Prune after flowering

After the camellia flowers fade, be sure to cut off the spent flowering branches to reduce nutrient consumption. In addition, thin out and open up the branches, cutting away overly dense overlapping branches, tangled branches and dead branches, to ensure ventilation and air circulation and prepare for the next round of blooming!

2. Watering

Camellias like moisture, and in summer water evaporates very quickly, so you must water more. But note that you should water only when the soil surface in the pot is clearly dry, and when you water, water thoroughly. The best watering times are from 7-9 a.m. and 18-20 p.m. each day.

3. Light

Summer temperatures are too high, so camellias cannot be exposed to the sun for long periods. If grown outdoors, provide shade when temperatures exceed 30 degrees; if grown indoors, place them in bright, indirect light.

4. Fertilizing

Camellias like fertilizer. After flowering, apply once about every 1 week a fully rotted cake fertilizer solution or a phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, using light applications but frequent ones. However, after they go dormant in summer, stop fertilizing.

What problems should you pay attention to in summer care?

1. Soil management

It is best to arrange the soil surface in the pot into a sloped surface that is higher at the pot rim and slightly concave at the base of the flower stem. This can effectively prevent the root soil from drying into a clump, so the roots can fully absorb water. On rainy days, promptly pour out any accumulated water in the pot to prevent root rot from excess water.

2. Proper water control

Camellias generally undergo a second flower bud differentiation in July. After new leaves grow, by late August, you should control water properly and keep the soil slightly dry. This helps promote thick, woody new branches and is also very good for forcing buds.

3. Do not move the position often

Frequently moving the pot and changing the growth direction and light-receiving side helps other flowers develop a graceful plant shape, but camellias have poor adaptability. Frequently changing position can easily lead to poor growth, withered and falling leaves, and in severe cases can even damage the root system, especially in high-temperature seasons.

Prevention and control of common pests and diseases

Common diseases

Anthracnose

June to July is the peak period for camellia anthracnose. Infected leaves develop yellow-brown diseased spots, which gradually spread. Once discovered, immediately cut off the diseased leaves, and spray the diseased area once a week with a 600-fold dilution of Baijunqing aqueous solution, or once every half month with 1% Bordeaux mixture. Spraying 3 to 4 times in succession is enough.

Root rot

Camellia root rot appears as roots rotting and turning black, leaves turning yellow with dry tips, and flower buds dropping. After discovering root rot, immediately dig out the plant, cut away the rotten roots, disinfect with a diluted potassium permanganate solution, and repot with fresh soil.

Common insect pests

Scale insects, aphids

In hot, humid, muggy weather, scale insects and aphids are likely to infest the camellia's branches and leaves. You can use a 1000-2000 fold dilution of pyrethroid or systemic insecticides to kill them, spraying once a week, and after spraying, spray once with water.

Spider mites

When you find gray-yellow spots on the leaves, promptly check the underside of the leaves to see whether there are spider mites. To eliminate spider mites, you can use a 1000-1500 fold solution of 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate and spray the whole plant, once a week.

Fellow flower growers, how are your camellias doing?

How did you get yours through the summer?

Leave a comment and share it with everyone!