How to Grow Camellias: Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Precautions

Camellia is one of China's traditional ornamental flowering plants, with a very long history of cultivation. Because of its dignified and elegant appearance and its powerful nutritional value and effects, the camellia has won the affection of many gardening enthusiasts. However, when it comes to how to properly care for camellias, many lack experience. So how should camellias be grown? Today's article gives you the answer.

How to Grow Camellias

1. Growing Environment

Camellias like half shade and half sun, and refuse full sun; otherwise they will suffer from sunscald and the leaves will die.

2. Growing Soil

Camellias require loose, breathable soil with good drainage. If grown in pots, an unglazed pot is best (a clay pot).

3. Fertilizer and Water Management

Keep the soil in a state that is neither too dry nor too wet. Do not water too much, otherwise it is not good for root aeration. For each flowering cycle of the camellia, it is best to fertilize four times; do not fertilize too frequently. Too much fertilizer makes the buds slow to open or even drop off. After the flowering period each year, first apply fertilizer once to replenish the nutrients consumed during flowering. When fertilizing, adjust the amount according to the size of the sapling. Phosphorus fertilizer should be the main type, with compound fertilizer as a supplement.

4. Management of Newly Planted Seedlings

After receiving them, soak them in clean water to soften the soil used to keep them moist during transport, then plant them. Newly planted seedlings must be watered thoroughly and placed in a cool, ventilated spot for more than a week. Once the new seedlings have taken root and survived, move them to a semi-shaded spot. After the seedlings have survived and become strong, they can be transplanted into the ground for field planting.

Camellia Planting Methods and Precautions

I. Camellia Planting Methods

1. Soil

Four-season camellias have high soil requirements. Generally, the soil should contain relatively high humus, with a pH between 5 and 6.5, slightly acidic. The best soil mix is 50% mountain soil, 40% wood shavings or spent mushroom substrate, and 10% cake fertilizer powder or livestock manure and phosphorus fertilizer powder.

2. Light

Four-season camellias avoid strong light. When planting, be sure to pay attention to sunlight. In spring and autumn, sufficient light is required, but in summer they must be kept away from direct sunlight. If exposed to strong light for too long, they easily die.

3. Temperature

Four-season camellias are neither cold-tolerant nor heat-tolerant. Their most suitable temperature is 18-25 degrees, so the ambient temperature must not be too high or too low, otherwise growth will be affected. In winter, the indoor temperature must be above 3 degrees; if it falls below 0 degrees, they will suffer frost damage.

4. Watering

Four-season camellias like a moist environment. The soil must not be too dry, too wet, or alternately dry and wet. In spring, water more; in summer, water twice a day, morning and evening; in autumn, do the same as in spring; in winter, it is best to water before and after the plant.

5. Fertilizing

Four-season camellias are relatively fond of fertilizer, but fertilizing also has its limits and must never be excessive. Generally, fertilize about 3 times over the nearly half year after flowering. In winter, fertilizing once is enough. To make the flowers more beautiful, it is best to include more phosphorus fertilizer in the fertilizer.

6. Pruning

Pruning four-season camellias is very important. Generally, branches that affect the tree shape, as well as diseased and weak branches, are cut off. There is also the tidying of flower buds: once the buds are too dense, they must be thinned out. After the flowers fade, they should also be picked off promptly to reduce nutrient consumption.

7. Repotting

Four-season camellias generally need repotting once every two years. Moving them into a larger pot is good for their growth. The best time for repotting is April. Do not remove all the old soil; also add a small amount of base fertilizer, then water.

8. Pests and Diseases

Four-season camellias are very prone to disease. The common ones are mainly black mold and anthracnose. In this case, it is only necessary to spray 0.5-degree Bordeaux mixture. The main pest is the tea shoot borer; in this case, it is enough to cut off the affected shoots.

II. Precautions

1. For newly planted seedlings, it is best to remove the flower buds in the first year; otherwise, it will affect the growth of the seedlings. In winter, if the temperature is low, water less to avoid damaging the roots from freezing. Healthy mature plants do not need frost protection in winter.

2. Fertilizer and water should not be excessive.

Camellia Propagation Methods

1. Cuttings

This is mostly done in May-June. It is best to choose healthy current-year branches as cuttings, cut them to 10-12 cm long, keep 2-3 leaves at the top, and remove the lower leaves. Insert them into a sand bed or flower pot. River sand or loose mountain soil can both be used as the potting soil. After inserting, water thoroughly, then spray appropriately afterward to keep the soil moist, and provide shade. Roots can form in about 60-70 days.

2. Air Layering

This is mostly done in April-May. The method is to choose a branch from the previous year, make a ring cut at the layering site, with a ring width of 0.5 cm, wrap the ring-cut area with plastic film of an appropriate size, with a wrapping length of 10-15 cm. First tie the lower opening tightly, fill it with moist culture soil, keep the soil moist at all times, then tie the upper opening tightly. After roots form, it can be cut off and planted separately.

What Are the Common Camellia Varieties

1. Chuizhi Jinxin

Chuizhi Jinxin is a cultivated variety of Camellia japonica, with elliptical leaves. The branches are soft and drooping. It blooms in spring, with red flowers.

2. Zihua Jinxin

Zihua Jinxin is a cultivated variety of Camellia japonica. The flower buds are heart-shaped, and the flower color is purplish red. The flowering period is February.

3. Saijinguang

Saijinguang is a cultivated variety of Camellia japonica. The leaves are long elliptical and curled, with drooping leaf tips. The flowers are bi-colored, with peach-red spots on a white background, and occasionally peach-red flowers. The flower buds are long elliptical. The flowering period is from December to January of the following year.

4. Meiren Cha

Meiren Cha is a cultivated variety of Camellia japonica. The leaves are long elliptical, glossy, with blunt serrations along the leaf margins, relatively sparse. The flower color is bright red or pinkish red, trumpet-shaped, and relatively numerous. The flowering period is January-April.

5. Hong Mudan

Hong Mudan is a cultivated variety of Camellia japonica. The leaves are elliptical, with pointed tips, slightly drooping, and the leaf margins have fine sharp serrations. The flowers are pink or red. The flowering period is March-April.

Camellia is a very beautiful flowering plant. If you want to grow beautiful flowers, daily care is indispensable. Watering is a difficult issue for most flowers, and camellias are the same. At different stages, the amount and method of watering are different.