Camellias, like azaleas, like an acid soil, 
but will stand a broader variation of soil, 
and will grow well even if the soil is just 
slightly acid. 
Camellias are subject to several forms of 
scale which can be easily controlled by 
spraying. A spray of one gallon of water, 
three level tablespoons of Volck, or other 
white oil emulsion, and one teaspoon of 
Black Leaf 40, will be effective. Care 
should be used not to spray in the hot sun. 
If the plant is not shaded, it should be 
sprayed late in the afternoon, if possible. 
Otherwise the leaves are likely to be badly 
burned, which will retard the growth of 
the plant. Generally it is sufficient to spray 
in the spring and again in the fall, but if 
a plant is badly infested with disease we 
recommend spraying every three weeks un- 
until the scale is killed. 
Sometimes the twigs of camellias die 
back to a joint. This is due to a fungus, 
which can be controlled by spraying with 
Bordeaux mixture. It is important to spray 
in the spring when the first new growth 
starts, because the fungus develops in the 
new bud and afterwards the twig dies back 
to that point. In very small bushes it will 
often cause a complete loss of the plant. 
A thin mulch of oak leaves or pine straw 
is good for camellias. Almost any fertilizer 
that does not have an alkaline reaction can 
be used. We have had good results with 
cotton seed meal and Vigoro. 
In planting camellias it is absolutely 
necessary to avoid planting them too deep. 
The importance of this cannot be stressed 
too much. If the stem is one inch deeper 
than it was formerly grown, the growth of 
the plant will be greatly retarded, and if 
it is planted several inches deeper the plant 
will die. In setting the plant in its new po¬ 
sition, the ball should be level with the 
ground. 
