When to prune camellias
This article provides a core guide: an introduction to the common knowledge of growing camellias, when to prune camellias, and the following editor will introduce accordingly.
Proper pruning of camellias, especially for potted camellias, can make the growth of camellias compact and robust, laying a solid foundation for producing high-quality flowers. So, when should camellias be pruned?
Mastering the pruning period of camellias is actually a method of correctly pruning camellias based on the different periods of flower bud differentiation. This is the key. Camellia flower bud differentiation times can be divided into two types:
(1) Summer and autumn differentiation type, most camellias generally bloom in spring, and their flower buds begin to differentiate in the summer and autumn of the previous year. Pruning must be done after flowering. If pruned in winter and spring, many flower buds will be cut off. If pruning is too late, these unnecessary flower buds will consume a lot of nutrients, thus affecting the quality and quantity of flowering;
(2) Current year differentiation type, a few varieties of camellias bloom in the autumn of the same year, such as the famous domestic varieties "Autumn Peony" and "Flower Peony," which can bloom by mid-to-late October. They do not need the springization (i.e., low-temperature period) required by the summer and autumn differentiation type to bloom directly in the same year. The flower buds of camellias that bloom in autumn of the current year are formed and bloom on the new shoots of the same year, without the need for low temperatures. Pruning of this type of camellia can be done during the dormant period (though this type of camellia is relatively rare).
There are actually three types of flower bud differentiation, in addition to the two mentioned above, there is another type called "multiple differentiation type," which does not match this article but the author wants to mention it here. Multiple differentiation type refers to the flowers that can produce new shoots multiple times a year, each time producing flower buds. For example, we all know that roses are of this type. The first flower buds in spring are formed in the previous year, and as long as new branches continue to grow, they can bloom continuously. Therefore, pruning should be done immediately after the flowers fade during the growing season to promote the germination of axillary buds below the cut, thus producing new flowering branches in preparation for blooming again.
The detailed explanation above on when to prune camellias, I hope this article can bring you help in green plant management!