| Your response to a previous question was that my camellia possibly had petal blight. I'm sure you're right. My questions are: 1) Will it go away if I keep it sanitized as suggested 2)should I pull off all the petals showing blight and 3)should I start over with a new plant. You advised to water well each week but I read somewhere that camellias didn't like |
| A combination of good garden sanitation plus fungicide sprays will keep the disease at bay. So, try to keep water off the plant (I know you can't stop the rain, but you can keep the sprinklers from splashing on the foliage and blossoms), keep everything raked up from beneath the plant, and use a 2-3" mulch over the soil to help regulate soil moisture. You can use compost, peatmoss or Kellogg Gromulch as a mulch material. It's true, camellias don't like wet feet but as long as your soil drains well, you should be able to water deeply once each week without worrying about root rot. Foliar sprays of selected fungicides (mancozeb or Bayleton) will provide additional protection from camellia petal blight, particularly in valued landscape plantings. The first applications should be made when the buds begin to show color. Repeat the foliar sprays during bloom at the rates and intervals listed on the label. Spray the ground under each plant with any remaining fungicide spray mixture in the spray tank for added protection. Hope this answers all your questions! |
