Camellia, also known as Japanese camellia, is an evergreen shrub and small tree.

Camellia has no obvious dormancy period throughout the year and has a long flowering period, from October to May of the following year.

Growing camellias is not difficult if you master the right techniques. So, how do you grow camellias successfully? Let’s find out together.

How to propagate camellias

In early to mid-October, in the middle of harvest, the fruits are placed in a ventilated place indoors until the capsules burst, take out the seeds, and sow them immediately.

2. Grafting

Select branches with good semi-lignification of different growth, and cut them off one by one from the bottom two to the top one bud and one leaf. Insert the shaved scion into the split of the stock, align it with the cambium layer on one side, and tie it tightly with plastic film tape.

3. Cuttings

Cuttings should be selected for current-year and semi-mature branches with rich external tissue, intact leaves, full buds, and no pests and diseases. The length of cuttings is generally 4-10cm, leaving 2 leaves at the tip. When cutting, ensure the lower part is heeled.

4. Layering breeding

During the rainy season, strong one-year-old branches are selected, girdling them 20cm from the top, and about 60 days after rooting. After cutting, they can be potted directly.

Camellia Cultivation and Management

1. Soil

Like loose fertile camellias, well-drained sandy loam, yellow soil, acidic humus, and growth. Generally, when choosing soil for cultivation, different substrates such as peat, sawdust, red soil, humus soil, or a mixture of the above can be used for cultivation.

2. Temperature

When raising camellias, focus on the temperatures in summer and winter.

During the hot summer season, you need shade to cool down the plants to avoid sunburn. In winter, you need to move them indoors and keep the room temperature at 3-4 degrees. Camellias are not cold-tolerant, especially at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. If cold protection and warmth are not taken in time, the plants will drop buds or be frostbitten, which will affect the quality of flowering.

3. Lighting

It grows well in semi-shade, but to make the flower color more colorful, it is best to plant it in a place with sufficient sunlight. Protect seedlings from strong afternoon light in summer.

4. Water and Fertilize

Watering is appropriate to keep the pot soil and surrounding environment moist. Avoid spraying the plants during their blooming period. When watering, avoid wetting the flowers directly, as this can cause mildew and shorten the flowering period.

Camellias like fertilizer, so they usually need to be repotted with enough base fertilizer. In autumn and winter, apply decomposed light liquid fertilizer once a week, and topdress phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once or twice. When fertilizing, water with dilute alum.