Propagating camellias: cuttings grown in pots can become beautiful potted plants

When you see a camellia blooming with brilliant, enchanting flowers, many people want to grow one. Why not try propagating it from cuttings? You only need to cut a softwood branch about 7 cm long to start propagating from cuttings.

Camellias have a great many varieties, with bright flower colors, and they can produce enchanting blooms in autumn and winter.

Before propagating camellias from cuttings, you need to prepare some healthy branches and a sharp knife or scissors. Before pruning the branches, it is best to wipe the scissors with alcohol, or soak them in a diluted bleach solution.

Prepare some loose, breathable potting soil with good drainage. You can choose peat moss mixed with perlite at a 2:1 ratio, and you can appropriately add some river sand or decomposed wood shavings, keeping the soil with good breathability and drainage, as well as a suitable water-holding capacity.

If you want to increase the success rate of propagating camellia branches from cuttings, you can buy a small packet of rooting powder or a rooting solution. You can even use the solution obtained by soaking willow branches in water overnight to soak the branches, which can also promote rooting.

You also need to prepare some seedling pots, plastic wrap and a spray bottle for watering.

Camellias grow very slowly, and propagating them from cuttings is the most common method. You can choose to propagate from cuttings after spring warms up, and avoid pruning before flowering, otherwise it will affect flowering.

You can prune about three to four weeks after flowering. You can cut off the woody branches at the top, and each branch section should be 7-10 cm long. Cut at an angle below the leaves, remove the lower leaves, and keep four leaves at the top, which is enough.

Removing the leaves is to avoid consuming too many nutrients. Too many leaves will consume a great deal of water. Removing the leaves at the bottom of the branch helps promote rooting. The leaves at the top are relatively large, and about 2/3 can be cut off. Leaves that are too large will also affect rooting. You can prepare more camellia branches to ensure a good rooting rate.

I like to use perlite and peat moss to grow camellia branches. If the container is relatively large, you can add some river sand. You can add several branches to each container, and insert the branches about 3 cm into the soil.

After the camellia branches are planted, you need to water them to keep the soil moist, and then place them in a suitable position, keeping them in a ventilated spot with light exposure, and avoid direct sunlight.

During this period, spray water around them to maintain relatively high air humidity. In addition, pay attention to the maintenance temperature, keeping it between 20-25°C, which is most suitable.

Perlite is particularly suitable for propagating plants from cuttings. It is actually a kind of volcanic rock that has been expanded at high temperature, becoming several times larger in volume than before. It is very lightweight and has good breathability and water-holding capacity.

After two to three weeks, these camellia cuttings will gradually take root. After that, you can give them appropriate indirect light and slowly increase the light.