Pests

The main pest that troubles these camellias is scale insect. The first obviously visible symptoms are ‘sooty mould’, the black fungus, which colonises on the sticky ‘honeydew’ substance that the insects leave behind. This problem is most commonly found on plants growing in pots, because plants under stress are most at risk of attack, and the confined space that they grow in makes them prime candidates for an infestation. To control this pest, the plant should be sprayed with a natural insecticide, such as Doff Greenfly and Blackfly Killer, in June and July, when scale insect eggs will hatch. The honeydew can be wiped off the leaves using a damp cloth.