Why do my camellia buds rot and fall off before fully blooming?

Are they falling off ';before'; they open (swollen bud only) or ';after'; they open, but not yet fully? It makes a difference as to what might be your problem. I will however, give you 3 possible scenarios depending which one of my questions pertains to ';your'; question. One possibility that could cause this is the ';camellia bud mite';. These critters infest the inner surface of bud petals. The flower bud edges will turn brown, then the entire bud turns brown and drops.





A second possibility is called ';premature bud drop'; and appropriately named I might add. This disorder is caused by poor cultural practices such as ...providing the appropriate irrigation along with good soil drainage and possibly inadequate cultural care the previous summer and fall when the new buds were developing.





A third possibility and this may be your culprit, is called ';camellia petal blight'; a fungal disease caused by rainy weather. A tall tale sign is that the petals turn brown, however if you look closely at the petals you will see that the veins are a much darker brown than the rest of the petal. The spores are harboring in the soil underneath the plant and when it rains they are splashed up onto the plant to infect the buds. To combat these spores, apply about 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch underneath the plant to reduce the spore survival and make sure to pick and dispose of any infected blossoms on or around the base of the plant. Thats about it I suppose. If you have anymore questions, feel free to do an update and I will try to give you more information.... Good Luck!





...Billy RayWhy do my camellia buds rot and fall off before fully blooming?
I'm not positive, because camellias don't do well in my zone, but it sounds like it could be a fungus problem. Go to your garden center and get a systemic fungicide. They also might be able to answer your question, since they will be familiar with plants in your zone.Why do my camellia buds rot and fall off before fully blooming?
ours does fine it maybe not enough water/sunlight/or nutriants in the soil

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