If you notice your camellia starting to drop its leaves, don’t panic! It’s one of those moments that makes every gardener a little nervous, and honestly, for good reason—usually, it’s a sign that something in the plant’s routine is off. However, sometimes it’s just a natural part of the plant’s life cycle.
The Root Causes
There are a few main reasons why your camellia might be thinning out:
- Natural aging
- Mistakes in care
- The wrong location
- Weather stress
It Might Just Be Natural
Camellias can live for a very long time, but their leaves aren’t immortal. Typically, a single leaf only lives for about three years. Once it’s done its job, the plant sheds it to make room for new growth. Usually, this “leaf swap” only affects about a third of the foliage. If your camellia is looking significantly more “naked” than that, it’s time to play detective.
Care Mistakes
Here’s the tricky part: if you make a mistake with your camellia’s care, the plant might not react immediately. It can actually wait weeks or even months before it starts dropping leaves in protest.
Watering
If you’re giving your camellia too much or too little water, it will likely start dropping leaves. It sounds contradictory, but in both scenarios, the roots end up unable to properly transport water to the rest of the plant.
Fertilizing
Over-fertilizing is a common culprit. Too many nutrients in the soil can actually “burn” or damage the roots. When the roots are compromised, the plant can’t feed itself, leading to leaf loss.
What to Do
Since both over-fertilizing and waterlogging (standing water) attack the root system, you need to stop both immediately. If the plant doesn’t bounce back, your best bet is to repot the camellia into fresh, dry soil. Before you put it in its new home, trim away any rotting roots and gently rinse the remaining healthy root ball with lukewarm water.
Long-term, you’ll want to dial in your watering and feeding schedule to match exactly what your camellia needs.
The Wrong Spot
Camellias are definitely not fans of dark corners. When it comes to temperature, they can be a bit picky depending on the season. During the summer, make sure they are shielded from that intense midday sun. In the winter, you actually want to protect them from the early morning sun, which can cause tissue damage if they thaw too quickly.
Weather Woes
Potted camellias aren’t fully hardy. If you plan on keeping them outside during the winter, they absolutely need some winter protection to keep the root ball from freezing solid.
If your camellias planted in the ground are losing leaves, it might be due to “frost-induced leaf drop.” This happens during “frost droughts”—when the ground freezes solid and the plant can’t pull up any water. The good news? This is often a self-defense mechanism, and the plant should sprout fresh new leaves once spring rolls around.
