camilia

 
Hi There


I hope someone can help me, I have a lovely camelia
which acording to my neighbour is about 15 years old
This year the leaves have got a black coating all over them
it comes off if l wip the leaves with a cloth
what do you think it could be?

Regards
Elaine




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marela

 
marela;921151 Wrote:

Hi Elaine, Sounds to me like it's  covered in 'sooty mould' and I'm sure
at some time you have had aphids feeding on this plant ? This sooty
mould feeds on the residue left by the feeding aphids. You can also get
this if your camellia is under trees, especially Lime trees, as the
leaves release what is almost a sugary 'mist' as they photosynthesise
and the mould grows on this, thats why cars etc. also go black when
parked under trees (especially Lime trees)
Have a look at the new growths and I bet they are covered in
aphids, in which case you need to spray with a systemic insecticide !
Once the aphids are gone, you can then wash this sooty mould off. It
doesnt do any dammage to the plant other than rendering the less less
efficient at making food by physically blocking out the sunlight from
the leaf but, it does make the plant look unattractive.
Lannerman




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lannerman

 On Thu, 12 May 2011 20:48:13 +0000, marela


Fungus.

D