How to grow camellia more vigorously?

Camellia, as one of China's traditional flowers, is known as one of the "Top Ten Famous Flowers". It has won the love of many flower lovers with its elegant tree shape, dark green leaves, evergreen characteristics, and bright flowers. However, if not managed properly, camellia may have problems with yellowing leaves or withering buds before they open. Many friends think that camellia is difficult to grow, so how can we grow camellia more vigorously?

1. Soil selection and air permeability

When planting camellia in pots, it is recommended to use sandy soil with good air permeability. Loess or humus soil are also good choices. You can also mix mountain mud, leaf mold and sand. If you choose nutrient soil, you can mix peat soil, leaf mold and garden soil in a ratio of 1:2:1 and use it.

2. Reasonable watering

When planting camellia, make sure the roots are in close contact with the soil to avoid growth problems caused by poor contact. After planting, you can use a small wooden stick to gently poke around the roots so that the soil and roots are tightly combined. After planting, water thoroughly to help the roots take root. You can water it several times. Do not water too much at normal times, and wait until the surface of the soil in the pot is dry before watering. Camellia is relatively drought-resistant, so there is no need to worry too much about water shortage.

3. Fertilization strategy

Camellia has a short vegetative growth period and spends most of its time nurturing buds, so fertilization should be adjusted according to the growth period. From spring flowering to early summer is the vegetative growth period of camellia. At this time, new buds grow rapidly. You can apply balanced growth fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or sprinkle controlled-release fertilizer along the edge of the pot to promote the growth of new branches.

In summer, camellia begins to differentiate flower buds and nurture flower buds. After the summer begins, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be applied 2-3 times. It is recommended to stop fertilizing in midsummer, and start applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers again in late September in autumn, and keep applying once every 15 days or so until the camellia blooms.

4. Lighting management

Camellia likes light but cannot tolerate strong sunlight. It can be kept in full sun in spring, autumn and winter. It should be maintained in the shade in summer and can be placed under the shade of trees or in a place with scattered light to avoid direct sunlight and prevent sunburn on the leaves and the occurrence of sooty disease.

5. Bud thinning techniques

Camellia is a vigorous flowering plant that usually produces many flower buds regardless of plant size. But too many flower buds are not a good thing, as they may lead to insufficient nutrients and cause the flower buds to wither and turn yellow before they bloom. It is necessary to thin out the buds. This can be done when the buds grow to the size of soybeans, or you can wait until the buds are clearly visible before thinning them out. When thinning buds, cut off most of the unnecessary buds, leaving 1-2 buds on each branch to concentrate the nutrient supply and make the camellia bloom bigger and more beautiful.

6. Summer and winter management

It is relatively easy for camellia to survive the summer, as long as it is avoided from strong sunlight. During the hot summer, camellia grows slowly, so it is recommended to stop applying water-soluble fertilizers to prevent fertilizer damage.

Camellia has average cold resistance, and most varieties can withstand temperatures as low as -5℃. In areas south of the Yangtze River, it can overwinter naturally in the open air, but in northern areas it needs to overwinter indoors to prevent frostbite. For camellia plants grown indoors, attention should be paid to ventilation in winter, especially opening windows more often during warm noons to reduce leaf falling.

The above is the daily maintenance and management method of camellia. You can adjust the management plan according to the basic situation of your own camellia. As long as you do these things well, the camellia can generally bloom normally.