How to grow camellia well?

Camellia, as one of the top ten famous flowers in China, is widely favored by flower lovers for its elegant tree posture, dark green leaves, evergreen characteristics and colorful flowers. However, if not properly maintained, camellia leaves will easily turn yellow and the flower buds will wilt before opening. Let’s learn together how to grow camellia to make it grow well.

1. Soil selection and air permeability

When potting camellia, it is recommended to use sandy soil, or mix loess, humus soil and mountain mud, and then add sand to improve air permeability. If you use nutrient soil, you can mix it in a ratio of 1:2:1 of peat soil, leaf mold and garden soil. Make sure that the roots are in close contact with the soil during planting. Use a small wooden stick to assist if necessary. After planting, water thoroughly to help the plants take root.

2. Moisture management

When planting camellia, make sure the roots are firmly integrated with the soil. Daily watering should be moderate and should be done after the soil surface is dry to avoid excessive water. Camellia is drought-tolerant, so there is no need to worry about lack of water.

3. Fertilization strategy

Camellia has a short vegetative growth period and spends most of its time forming buds. Spring to early summer is the vegetative growth period, and balanced growth fertilizer or controlled-release fertilizer can be applied. Flower buds begin to differentiate in summer, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be added, but fertilizer should be stopped in midsummer. Starting from the end of September in autumn, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers every 15 days until flowering.

4. Lighting management

Camellia likes light but should not be exposed to direct sunlight. It can be exposed to full sunlight in spring, autumn and winter, but should be shaded in summer to avoid strong light. Sunburned leaves are susceptible to sooty mold.

5. Bud thinning

Camellia grows vigorously and has many flower buds, but too many flower buds may lead to insufficient nutrients and affect flowering. When thinning out buds, keep 1-2 buds on each branch to concentrate nutrients and make the flowers more colorful.

6. Summer and winter management

Camellia grows slowly in summer, so it should be avoided from direct sunlight and the application of water-soluble fertilizers should be stopped. It has average cold resistance and can overwinter naturally in areas south of the Yangtze River, but needs to overwinter indoors in the north. When maintaining indoors, pay attention to ventilation and avoid falling leaves.

In short, camellia has medium cold resistance, and most varieties can withstand temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius. Therefore, in areas south of the Yangtze River, camellia can overwinter naturally outdoors. However, in northern regions, in order to protect camellia from severe cold, it needs to be moved indoors for the winter. When grown indoors, camellia may shed leaves due to poor ventilation conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to open windows appropriately to improve ventilation during the noon period when the temperature is suitable.