Camellia Seeds: Latest Prices and Detailed Planting Methods

Camellia is the general term for many plants and horticultural cultivars of the genus Camellia in the family Theaceae. Because of its graceful plant form, dark green and glossy leaves, and brilliant, colorful flowers, it is treasured by the world's horticultural circles. It ranks eighth among the “Ten Famous Flowers” and is also one of the world's precious flowering trees. Now let's take a look at camellia seed prices and planting methods!

How much do camellia seeds cost?

The price of camellia seeds is about 0.5 to 1 yuan per seed, but prices vary greatly among different cultivars. There are extremely many camellia cultivars, with flowers in varying degrees of red, purple, white, and yellow, and even variegated camellias, while the flowering branches can reach up to 4 m in height. It likes warm, humid environments, and its flowering period is relatively long, with blooms from October to May of the following year, and the peak flowering period is usually from January to March.

How do you plant camellia seeds?

1. Seed collection: In autumn, collect camellia fruit immediately when it cracks slightly, place it indoors in a cool, ventilated place to dry, and take out the seeds after the fruit cracks naturally. After collecting seeds, sow them immediately, or treat them by stratification in sand storage.

2. Seed treatment: Camellia seed coats are hard, and treatment is needed to make the seeds germinate quickly and uniformly.

① You can use a sharp knife to nick the seed coat.

② You can soak the seeds in warm water at 40 to 50°C for half an hour, then soak them in clear water at 20 to 25°C for 5 to 6 days, and sow the seeds from the bottom layer.

③ You can soak them in a 100 micrograms/gram gibberellin solution for a full day and night.

3. Sowing method: When sowing camellia seeds, place the hilum facing sideways, cover with a layer of fine fertile soil, cover with a layer of plastic film, and keep the soil moist so that the seeds germinate and emerge as early as possible.

4. Seedling management: After camellia seeds germinate and emerge from the soil, remove the film on cloudy days or in the evening. After one month, apply some organic fertilizer or chemical fertilizer each month, and loosen the soil in time, preferably shallowly rather than deeply.

Camellia planting methods

1. Soil: Camellia has fairly high soil requirements. Generally, its soil should be relatively high in humus, with a pH between 5 and 6.5, slightly acidic. The best soil mix is 50% mountain soil, 40% sawdust or edible mushroom residue, and 10% cake fertilizer powder or livestock manure and phosphate fertilizer powder.

2. Light: Camellia avoids strong light, so you must pay attention to sunlight when planting. In spring and autumn it requires sufficient light, but in summer it must avoid direct sunlight; if exposed to strong light for too long, it can easily die.

3. Temperature: Camellia is neither cold-tolerant nor heat-tolerant, and its most suitable temperature is 18 to 25°C, so the environmental temperature must not be too high or too low, otherwise its growth will be affected. In winter, the indoor temperature must be above 3°C; if it is below 0°C, it will suffer frost damage.

4. Watering: Camellia likes a humid environment. It cannot be too dry, too wet, or alternately dry and wet. In spring, you can water more; in summer, water twice a day, in the 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: Camellia relatively likes fertilizer, but there is a limit to fertilizing, and you must never apply too much. Generally, fertilize about 3 times during the nearly half year after flowering, and one fertilizing in winter is enough. To make the flowers more beautiful, it is best to include more phosphate fertilizer in the fertilizer.

6. Pruning: Pruning camellia is very important. Generally, cut off branches that affect the tree shape and diseased or weak branches, and also tidy up the flower buds. Once the flower buds are too dense, they should also be thinned, and after the flowers fade, they should be removed in time, which can reduce nutrient consumption.

7. Repotting: Camellia generally needs to be repotted every two years, and changing to a larger pot is beneficial to its growth. The best time for repotting is April. Do not remove all the old soil, and also add a small amount of base fertilizer, then water.

8. Pests and diseases: Camellia is very prone to disease, mainly the common black mold disease and anthracnose. In this case, it is only necessary to spray 0.5-degree Bordeaux mixture. The main pest is the camellia shoot moth, and in this case it is mainly enough to cut off the affected shoots.