Are they in containers?

Yes, I got them on clearance out of bloom last year and hoped to see the bloom one season before planting them.

Out of about 30, 3 have odd leaf problems. Then Kramer's red has pale green leaves, but from reading I think I need to check his pH/iron.

The problem spots have an ashy-colored border, if that helps narrow my problem down.

I have not yet fertilized them except for topdressing with kitchen compost, so I'm also reading up on what to give them. Hollytone sounds good, eh?

Thanks for any advice... I know total beginner posts can be so hard to answer because there is so much to know!

In my opinion, many problems of container grown woody ornamentals can be solved by getting them planted in a suitable environment as soon as possible. Many people, much more expert than you, find that camellias do not do so great in containers.

Symptoms such as die-back, chlorosis, etc. can all be induced by container culture and may not have anything to do with pathogens, for example. My opinion, and it is not what you wish to hear, is that you locate your camellia in suitable locations, plant them according to proper (up-to-date) planting methods, and see if the new growth doesn't appear healthy and happy.

No, that's very good! Thank you. I've been seeing the bloom colors and definitely plan on getting them to their permanent homes before the heat sets in. [I also wanted to see which liked a little more or less sun, etc, by moving the containers around this past year, and there were a few who surprised me.]

I have been trying to read up now, and the spots look like I may have scale, though [not to disagree; the pics just look very like mine]? Would it hurt to use a horticultural oil if it is just pot culture and not scale? Are there blaring things about scale that I surely would've noticed?

I'm just lost, really, because I am not entirely clear on what could cause what at this point, and when to do what.

I'll get them in the ground and watch them further, then. They make my heart jump to see, so that's not a bad thing to hear at all :)

Would it be possible for you to send pictures of your plants, and the 'scale', in particular? Perhaps you could attach a link to the scale picture that looks like what you have.

Scale insects are pretty tricky. The most common culprit on Camellias is the Tea Scale, which can usually be found underneath the leaves. Horticultural oil is helpful in controlling tea scale, but I'd not like to see you use it if scale is not what you have. (ID is very important.) Also, horticultural oil should not be applied to swollen buds or flowers.

The first one:

{{gwi:509427}}

Next 2 are a different plant:

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{{gwi:509436}}

Sorry the pics aren't great.

Thank you for the help!

I only grow mine in containers , since I do have to bring them indoors for the winter, and so far no fugus issues from what I can tell, but not to add even one more worry I did find to my surprise, aftering having them for a while , I suddenly had some mite problems and was dumbfounded by the odd behavior of those new mitss, since unlike the common spider mites I get on some of my exotics and two spotted mites outdoors here, which usually get the mite eggs and even adults on the undersides of leaves, these new ones were favoring the top sides of the leaves and were unfortunately equally good at multiplying very quickly to do lots of leaf damage. Doing some research, I guess there's a species of mite peculiar to camellias , and not a welcome problem. Not seen them in a long time luckily! Doing even a bit more research again today, I unfortunately found that those very visible ones, aren't the only kind they get with the "bud" mites being microscopic and hence potentially more of a threat in the early stages, since before the damage shows up you may not be able to see them, so treatment may not be used til you've realized you have those! I hate suggesting carrying around a magnifying glass, when inspecting various plants, but perhaps it's a wise habit to get into! In general for the larger mites , I can usually spot the damage if not the mites , when the populations are still very low and easily controlled or eliminated entirely!

meredith, I don't see any indication (going by the images) of any insect infestation. So, I'm not sure what you are seeing that you think might be scale insects. I'm also afraid that I don't know what the problem might be with these plants.

Perhaps there is a Camellia society near you, or some expert resource. Call your extension office, too. Though they may not have anyone on staff who can tell you what it is, they might have the ability to 1) send digital images to a plant pathologist at the parent university or, 2) send fresh tissue samples to the parent university for culture.

Sorry that I can't be of more help.

On the contrary - this was of great help! I probably would've tried spraying 1st but you remind me that we have a great, free Ag Extension. I'll get them samples; thanks!

birdinthepalm, thanks for mentioning the mites. I'll get a glass and look them up. We have spider mites that can hurt a rose in a hurry, so I bet it is important to be familiar with them in camellias a well.

I have a camellia bush that had some type of webby looking stuff around the top edge of the leaf (sort of like cotton strands stretch out) and on the bottom side was mostly covered with white mass which was probably eggs but I couldn't tell if it was eggs or not. The creepy thing about this was that the webby stuff was alive, it moved and there wasn't a breeze in the air and it had the continued same movement. I sapped the entire plant with a fungazide I had in the garage for several years. What was this strange looking bug?

Sounds like it could be mealybugs or maybe some sort of flatid planthopper- the citrus flatid planthopper is pretty common in the Southeastern U.S., but you didn't say where you are. The latter bug will hop if disturbed, and is surrounded by some sort of cottony web stuff.

If you live in the U.S., you can get in touch with your local extension agent for ID, and advice about if or how to control the insects.

Good luck,

Virginia