Camellia dying or just cold damage - Ask Extension
We have lived in the house for 22 years, so this Camellia is probably 30+ years old. This spring is the first time I recall seeing dead branches. It...
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Camellia dying or just cold damage #878788
Asked July 25, 2024, 5:10 PM EDT
We have lived in the house for 22 years, so this Camellia is probably 30+ years old. This spring is the first time I recall seeing dead branches. It just doesn't look as healthy as before this year, but I don't claim to always be observant of changes from year to year. The photo shows a small dead branch, plus if you zoom into the middle you can see a major branch that is totally dead for about 8 inches. It seems to be dying back. I am wondering if the cold in January could have been too cold for this Camellia. Our yard stayed at 10-12 degrees for over a day and never got above 15 degrees until 4-5 days later. At this time I do not have a photo of this plant in bloom so you probably can't identify the exact species. My questions really are related to pruning. Should I prune out the dead parts now and see if it recovers, or should I wait? Or - is this plant too old to recover and needs to be replaced. My guess - and I mean guess - is that I should prune it back hard to stimulate the growth of new primary branches, but I don't know what time of year this should be done.
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question, Edward. First, as to pruning, you can prune any time of the year if the the plant tissue is dead, diseased or dangerous. Second, maintenance pruning should be done at the end of winter/first of spring. With the exception of the D/D/D reason, pruning then is when the plant is beginning to put on new foliage, and is not stressed by heat and/or a lack of water. Pruning live tissue now means the plant has a wound created that allows precious water to evaporate.
I cannot tell from one photo whether your plant is at the end of its life, or just trying to hold its own under challenging weather conditions. It looks pretty good in this picture. I would recommend removing the dead branches, but not getting back into the viable tissue. Next February or so, if you want to prune it back to a smaller shape, prune off no more than 1/3 of the branches and, throughout 2025, make sure it is getting adequate water. (An inexpensive soil water meter is worth its weight in gold!)
Good luck!
I cannot tell from one photo whether your plant is at the end of its life, or just trying to hold its own under challenging weather conditions. It looks pretty good in this picture. I would recommend removing the dead branches, but not getting back into the viable tissue. Next February or so, if you want to prune it back to a smaller shape, prune off no more than 1/3 of the branches and, throughout 2025, make sure it is getting adequate water. (An inexpensive soil water meter is worth its weight in gold!)
Good luck!
