[hubballi]

My Camellia is looking rather sorry after a nice flush of flowers. The leaves are turning a pale yellowy green and they have a lot of black sootyness on them. What can I do to save it ? IT has been there for over ten years doing fine until now.

[mumofstig]

the black sootiness is usually caused by the stickiness from an aphid infestation, which is probably causing the yellowing as well.

[viettaclark]

I get it every year after flowering. You should have some new leaf buds forming. It usually sorts itself out when the aphid predators get going.

[hubballi]

I have sprayed (reluctantly) the leaves with a bug gun type thing and now the leaves are curling up and even more yellow. It looks like it is dying.

[viettaclark]

Some leaves do fall after flowering. Check you have firm new buds......
Could it have suffered in the hot dry weather as well? Nurturing now will give you flowers next year.

[Paul Plots]

Give it a very good water and a feed. I'd also spray with dilute soapy water if it is a big plant but for a smaller one giving each leaf a quick wipe with soapy water would be evern better. (Not mad honestly.... we had a bay that often had black sticky leaves and this treatment worked well but it was in a pot and small!)