The Latest Camellia Growing Methods and Precautions

Camellia, also known as mountain tea and camellia flower, is a shrub or small tree plant of the genus Camellia in the family Theaceae. Its flowering period is relatively long, blooming from October to May of the following year, with the peak blooming period usually from January to March. Because of its graceful plant form, dark green and glossy leaves, and brilliantly colorful flowers, it is treasured by the world horticultural community. Now let us take a look at the growing methods and precautions for camellia!

The Origin and Distribution of Camellia

There are about 2000 varieties of camellia, which can be divided into 3 major categories and 12 flower forms. By 2013, China had more than 306 camellia varieties. It is native to southwestern China and is mainly distributed in China's Yangtze River and Pearl River basins, Yunnan, and Korea, Japan, India and other places. It is mostly cultivated in the open field in the central and southern provinces of China, with a cultivation history of 1400 years, while in the north it is grown in pots in greenhouses. Wild species are found in Sichuan, Taiwan, China, Shandong, Jiangxi and other places.

The Growth Habits of Camellia

Camellia fears wind and likes sun, high and cool terrain, air circulation, warmth and humidity, good drainage, and loose and fertile sandy loam, loess or humus soil, with pH 5.5 to 6.5 being optimal. The suitable temperature is between 20 and 32°C; growth stops above 29°C, and at 35°C the leaves will show scorching. It requires a certain temperature difference. The environmental humidity should be above 70%. Most varieties can tolerate a low temperature of -8°C, and in areas south of the Huaihe River they can generally overwinter naturally. It likes acidic soil and requires good air permeability. To facilitate the development of root hairs, peat, decayed sawdust, red soil, humus soil or a mixed substrate of the above can usually be used for cultivation. Camellia does not need shading in spring, autumn and winter, and 50% shading treatment can be used in summer.

The Propagation Methods of Camellia

1. Cutting propagation: Camellia cutting propagation is the simplest. The most suitable time for cuttings is September, and spring is also possible. Choose well-grown, semi-lignified branches, remove the basal leaves, keep the upper 3 leaves, cut a slanted opening with a sharp knife, immediately immerse the cut end in 200 to 500 ppm indolebutyric acid for 5 to 15 minutes, dry it in the sun, and then insert it into a sand pot or vermiculite pot. After insertion, water it; after about 40 days the wound heals, and after about 60 days roots form. Cuttings treated with hormones root 2 to 3 months earlier than those not treated with hormones. Using vermiculite as the cutting bed also roots much faster than a sand bed.

2. Approach grafting propagation: Choose a suitable variety such as teacup camellia or oil tea as the rootstock, and approach-graft a precious camellia onto it. The time for approach grafting is generally between Qingming Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. First plant the rootstock in a flower pot, use a knife to cut away about half at the parts to be joined respectively, and the cuts should be smooth. Then make the cut surfaces of both sides fit closely together, wrap them with plastic film, and water the rootstock twice a day; after 60 days they can heal. At that time they can be cut off and planted, and placed in the shade of trees to avoid direct sunlight. In February of the following year, use a knife to cut off the tail part of the rootstock, and then plant it in its final position.

3. Leaf cutting propagation: For camellia propagation by the leaf cutting method, branch cuttings are generally used, but for some precious varieties, due to the limitation of branch sources, or considering that taking material will affect their tree shape, the leaf cutting method is also used. Use mountain soil as the cutting substrate, and 1/3 river sand can be mixed in to facilitate ventilation and drainage. Put the substrate in a clay pot, and then carry out pot insertion. Leaf cuttings are best done in the rainy season. Take one-year-old leaves as leaf cutting material; if too old they are not easy to root, and if too tender they are prone to rot. Insert about 2 cm into the soil, press the soil firmly after insertion, water thoroughly, and then place in a cool and ventilated place. Generally roots can develop in 3 months, and in the spring of the following year they can sprout and grow branches.

4. High-altitude cutting propagation: The biggest feature of the high-altitude cutting method is that it can give new life to all the weak and small branches that should originally be pruned off the camellia. Moreover, this method has a high survival rate, quick rejuvenation, and early flowering. The method is: take the thin and weak branches that need to be pruned off, and carry out ring-barking at an appropriate position, (generally the upper part can be left as a 15 to 25 cm branch). The ring-barking length can be between 5 and 8 mm. Tie on a suitably sized plastic film, add sterilized and disinfected peat soil or leaf mold into the film, and after 7 to 10 days, carry out another ring-barking of 5 to 8 mm at the lower part of the plastic film. This is called the double ring-barking high cutting method.

5. Tree grafting propagation: Grafting propagation of camellia has many advantages: it can maintain the excellent traits of the variety, can accelerate plant growth so that it quickly takes shape, and can enable large-scale production, and it saves scion wood, especially for rare varieties with few sources of scion wood. The suitable grafting time is between June and July. At this time the leaves of the new shoots of camellia scions have already unfolded, and the temperature is relatively high, so the grafting wound heals quickly and the survival rate is high. The grafting method uses the cut grafting method among branch grafting methods. Because the grafting site is relatively high, it is often called “high grafting for head replacement”.