My plant wont grow!!?

Question

i bought a small camellia plant from a supermarket throw out table. It had blackish type spots all over the top leaves so i pruned it back. That would have been half a year ago. Shortly after it was pruned it sent out some little buds and since then its done absolutely nothing. The buds just sit there. I water it, ive fed it with blood and bone but still nothing. Its not dead because it still has a few leaves and its not the climate because i have another one which is growing fabulously and has even flowered and everything. Whats wrong with it???

Answer 1

This will most likely be a Camellia japonica. They are lovely plants. I can only make a few suggestion where to look for problems.

They do not tolerate wet root runs. If its soil is too wet it will gradually decline in vigor. Camellias are very shallow rooted so if the soil is by a downspout or the soil is rather heavy with clay raising the area the plant is in will provide the drainage it needs.
On the other end because they are shallow rooted they are not drought tolerant. If the soil dries out they can be injured. They need a regular watering schedule.

Camellias do not require heavy applications of fertilizer. Only two applications (in March and July) are necessary when using a slow-release fertilizer like your organic fertilizers.
So far you have given it blood meal 12-0-0 & bone meal 3-15-0. To ensure a complete nutrient source you might give it kelp meal 1-0-4 to provide the potassium the blood & bone meals lack. Another potassium source is greensand 0-1.5-7.

They also need a low pH soil. If the pH is to high they can be unable to extract nutrients from the soil. I know you said the othe plant was happy but it might be worth doing a pH test. It only takes a few universal pH strips from the drug store and a bottle of distilled water. Never use tap water or you will only be testing the pH of the tap water. Always test soil from the root zone not the sol surface. You are trying to find out what the roots are actually getting. Test at 8 -12 inches depth.
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The black could have been sooty mold if the camellia had scale. Scale insects secrete honeydew, which drops onto the leaf surfaces. The sooty mold fungi lives on the honeydew as a food source. Sooty mold reduces the light the leaf gets and weakens the plant. As scales mature, they develop a hard outer covering that protects them from contact insecticides like soap sprays, making them difficult to control. Scales are most often found on the underside of leaves but can also be attached to stems. Symptoms of infestation include a yellowing of the upper leaf surface followed by leaf drop and twig die-back.

Good luck

Answer 2

Ok this is wat u do u need the right climate for the plant such as alot of sun or shady areas u also need to give it fertilizer and make sure u give it the right amount of water and if u need more help on growing this plant go to the library,internet,or tv to find out more about this plant...Good Luck.

Answer 3

She might need a bigger pot.
some company wouldn't hurt either.
add a philodendron or something in the same pot there are some other plants you could use too. any furn or a coleus plant.She seems lonesome for other plants.

Answer 4

it needs sun