Brown Leaves on Camellia

Question

My fellow nurserymen believe that spraying a camellia with water from a hose that has been laying in the hot sun will scald the leaves. I believe that brown leaves mean that a) the camellia is getting too much sun (sunscald), or b) in the case of Sasanqua camellias, which can take a lot of sun, the plants either were not watered or not watered deeply enough, causing brown leaves. Assume temperatures above 85 F with plants in 5 gallon black plastic containers. The question is, ‘Is it possible that hot water from a hose can burn camellia leaves, or is leaf burn in hot weather a watering problem?’ I appreciate your help!

Answer 1

We would say they probably would not be getting enough water. It is very difficult to burn the leaves through daytime watering. You would have to have very intense sunlight and the damage would appear as spots and not whole leaves turning brown. Plants in containers, especially in high heat, should be watered twice a day (with good drainage), once in the morning and once in the evening for optimal water absorption. Most people water them only once a day and this is what results in damage to the plant.