Camellia transplant shock also known as repotting stress is a phenomenon that occurs when the plant becomes stressed from being moved to a new growing environment.
This can be brought on by disturbing the roots, using a different kind of soil or a different size container.
In any case, transplant shock is actually a pretty common when transplanting plants in general and your Camellia is no exception.
So let’s have a look at the tell tale signs, what you can do and how to reduce the chances of this happening.
What Causes Transplant Shock In Camellia’s?
Transplant shock in Camellia’s usually is caused by the roots becoming more disturbed than usual, but it can also be caused by other factors.
Transplanting during the summer is another way you increase the chances of transplant shock as this will put much more stress on your Camellia due to the heat on top of the repotting.
Using a new or different type of soil can also sort of confuse the plant, stressing it out and causing it to react with symptoms that can be mistaken for other causes.
Overall, making a major change such as transplanting can cause shock in the Camellia, similar to how you may feel quite different if you were moving to a new location or away from home.
Signs of Transplant Shock
There are actually several signs or symptoms that your Camellia is experiencing transplant shock or repotting stress.
These signs can often be mistaken for other causes unrelated to repotting so it may be hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing the issues.
However, if you just noticed the symptoms shortly after transplanting, it’s pretty safe to say it’s the repotting stress that is the culprit and not something else.
It’s never a bad idea to root out other possible causes though.
So some signs your Camellia may be experiencing transplant shock include the following.
- Drooping leaves
- Curling leaves
- Leaves have turned red
- Yellowing of the leaves
- Brown leaves or tips
- Stunted growth
- Leaves falling off
- The leaves look sun scorched or dry and crispy
Is There Anything You Should Do?
While I understand the urge to immediately want to do something about the transplant stress, the vast majority of the time you will just have to wait it out.
Most of the time your Camellia will recover on it’s own, it just takes a bit of time.
This could be weeks or even months before your plant will recover, but it will eventually recover as long as you keep taking good care of your Camellia.
With all of that said, there is at least some anecdotal evidence that Epsom salt applied to the soil can help your plant recover from transplant shock faster or easier.
Balconygardenweb actually has a pretty great article that mentions the use of Epsom salt for transplant shock if you wanna check that out among other useful tips.
If you want to try this you can add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt, diluted into a gallon of water and then pour it into the new soil your transplanting to.
This most likely works due to the magnesium from the Epsom salt being given to your Camellia.
How To Reduce The Chances Of Transplant Shock
While most of the time you have to wait out transplant shock after it has already happened, there are several ways you can help reduce or prevent it from happening.
Keep Roots Intact
Since one of the main ways repotting stress happens is from damaged roots, make sure to keep them as intact as possible when removing your Camellia from the soil.
The more roots the better as your Camellia will have an easier time growing with more roots.
Also prune back any damaged or unhealthy roots as well.
Water The New Soil Before
By having the new soil watered before repotting, you’re providing instant hydration to your Camellia and will ease any shock that may occur.
Also this helps reduce friction between the roots and soil so less chance of damaged roots as well.
Keep The New Environment Similar
As mentioned before, transplant stress in Camellia’s often happens due to it not being used to growing in a new environment such as different soil, location or container.
It’s best to keep everything as similar as before to reduce the chances of shock.
Although if you have been using the wrong type of soil, then don’t worry about this too much and just use the right type.
Don’t Transplant In Heat Or Direct Light
Intense heat or light can put extra stress on your newly transplanted Camellia so it’s best to do this on a cloudy day, or during the morning or evening.
Also don’t keep the roots out of the soil for too long during these times as well as damage can certainly occur.
Prune Back Leaves
Before transplanting, this is a good time to prune back unhealthy leaves or just old leaves.
This makes new growth that much easier as your Camellia will be able to use more energy on fresh growth instead of wasting valuable energy on unhealthy leaves.
Pruning older leaves will also inspire the plant to produce more new growth as well.
Don’t Pack The Soil Too Tight
When adding the soil after the transplant, it’s very important to give the roots room to breathe and packing in soil too tight prevents the roots from being able to.
Don’t Use A Too Large Container
If you’re repotting into a container, it’s best to only go up one pot size per transplant to prevent using a container that is too large.
Using the wrong size container can exaggerate transplant stress and make it easier to overwater which leads to other issues on it’s own.
Final Thoughts
With the information provided above, I’m certain you will be able to identify transplant shock in Camellia’s and have them recover from it.
Also you now know how to reduce the chances of it occurring again, or at the very least know how to ease the process.