We all want our plants to grow and look their best, and in this case having suspicious white spots on camellia leaves can, at the very least, be a concern for the appearance of your bushes.
Basically, some of the causes of white spots on camellia leaves are pests, powdery mildew, and camellia leaf gall.
So if you’ve noticed unusual white spots out of the blue, either dots or spots, you need to see what’s going on with your Camellia so you can make changes.
Contents
Pests That Cause White Spots
Camellia plants can be invaded by a variety of pests, including aphids, scale insects, spider mites, and scale insects, to name a few.
These pesky pests feed on the sap of your plants foliage and can cause leaf holes, leaf wilting and sooty mold.
If you see small white spots on the leaves of the plant, especially on the underside, you may very well have a pest problem, such as mealybugs or scale insects.
White webbing can also be a sign of mites, so watch out for that too.
Either way, if you suspect a pest invasion is underway, address the situation as soon as you notice these signs.
The solution
The pests can be treated in several ways, such as using a clean alcohol wipe to wipe the leaves or simply water to remove them.
On the other hand, some pests may be more difficult to remove, such as tartar, and may need to be treated with products like neem oil or other stronger pest control products.
If you’re sure you have a pest problem, it’s best to move the affected plant away from other plants so the pests don’t spread from your camellia to others.
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew can definitely cause white spots on camellia leaves or can invade the entire leaf or plant if left untreated.
Powdery mildew can be caused by various factors such as high humidity, low light, splashing water, and can be transferred from the soil or even the wind can carry fungal spores to the plant.
Either way, if you notice a white powdery substance affecting camellia leaves, you most likely have a powdery mildew problem and that too needs to be addressed quickly.
The solution
First, if you can, you’ll want to cut or prune the areas affected by the mold, as this will help prevent it from spreading further.
You can then apply fungicide to treat the mold, either a ready-to-use solution you can buy online, or you can use things like baking soda and water or other DIY combinations to deal with this problem.
Whatever works for you and your budget is the right choice.
camellia leaf girl
Camellia leaf gall is caused by a fungus known as exobasidium vaccinii, which can appear in the fall and especially in winter when the fungus overwinters in the soil.
This fungus then spreads by splashing water or can be carried back to the host by the wind.
Camellia leaf gall can cause all sorts of problems, such as twisting and thickening of leaves in a very unnatural way and affecting future flowers.
Over time, as this fungus problem progresses, you will notice white spots on the undersides of the leaves before the galls turn brown and fall off in the spring.
The solution
Unfortunately, camellia leaf gall cannot be treated with fungicides, so the best solution is to simply remove the affected parts of the plant and discard them.
You don’t want to place the removed leaves in the soil you plan to grow in, as the spores will continue to spread and eventually attach themselves to another plant.
conclusion
So there you have it, some of the most common causes of unsightly white spots or spots on your camellia bush and what you can do about it today.
Hope this helped some of you who are wondering why your camellia leaves turned white and now you know.