The Latest Care Tips for Making Camellias Bloom Large and Colorful

When the leaf buds of the camellia begin to sprout, the spent flowers should be removed promptly, and a decomposed, diluted liquid fertilizer mainly consisting of nitrogen fertilizer should be applied 3 to 4 times, once a week, to promote the growth of new branches; in May, when the new branches' flower buds begin to differentiate and form buds, pruning should be carried out. For overly long branches, cut off a section from the top to promote the axillary buds to sprout into branches, and at the same time apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, once every 10 days or so, for about one month.

Because camellia varieties differ, the number of flower buds and the flower bud differentiation period also vary. Generally, after July, the oval buds appearing at the tips of the current year's branches are flower buds, while the conical buds growing in the leaf axils (a few at the tips) are leaf buds. When the flower buds grow to the size of a soybean, the deformed and weak young buds can be thinned out in stages one after another, leaving only 1 to 2 flower buds per branch. Flower buds with fewer than 5 leaves below them should be removed, and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied should be controlled at the same time.

In September to October, apply diluted phosphorus fertilizer 1 to 2 times to promote further growth of the flower buds. When the leaves generally turn yellow at ordinary times, appropriate additional fertilization should also be applied. When the leaves appear dark green, fertilization should be stopped. New branches growing after autumn should be pruned off promptly.