How to care for camellias
Do you know about this? Content about woody flowers like camellias, how to care for camellias, keep reading!
For beginner flower enthusiasts, how to care for camellias is a high barrier. The author believes that camellias are relatively easy to grow plants, and over the years, some experience has been accumulated. Let me introduce myself modestly, hoping to be helpful for beginners in growing camellias.
Firstly, buying seedlings should be from recognized and credible merchants. There are many scammers online, so ask other flower enthusiasts before buying a certain variety, and I won't elaborate on this point.
Planting: In most cases, new seedlings are sold by nurseries, with a nutrient钵, or removing the original soil (C-S). Whether to remove the original soil depends on the difference between the original soil and the new soil. If the new medium is similar to the original soil, you can plant directly. For example, some people use red soil mixed with decomposed leaf soil and sandy soil. If the original soil is very loose, there is no need to remove it. But if the original soil is thick red soil, and the new medium is peat or perlite, it is better to wash the roots. You can soak in a basin of water or slightly rinse the surface of the soil ball to expose the white roots. I usually use peat mixed with akadama, and the effect of washing or not washing the roots is fine. Since the medium for growing camellias is generally compact, the layer of light medium in the drainage layer should be thicker to prevent waterlogging.
Check for pests and diseases in the new seedlings when planting. Scale insects are common. Spray the medicine once after planting, and pour more water the first time, pour through, and then water slowly again to help mix the new and old media.
Do not treat camellias with the method for roses. Camellias grow slowly, and it is best not to cut the roots or leaves in large amounts when planting, otherwise the young seedlings might die. I think camellias basically do not need pruning during the slow growth period, unless they are too leggy, and it is not necessary to remove all the flower buds, just thin out some according to the age of the seedlings.
Water and fertilizer management: There are opinions online that you don't need to let the soil dry out before watering. But I still follow this method, increasing the watering frequency during the flowering period. Although it can promote flowering, it will also shorten the flowering period. The pot should not be too large, using a nutrient钵 for less than three years, and a pot of one gallon size for three to five years, making it easier to control the dry-wet cycle.
Fertilization is necessary, but camellias do not like excessive water and fertilizer. If using liquid fertilizer, I usually dilute it to half of the recommended concentration. Nitrogen fertilizer is usually a complex organic fertilizer, mixed with some bone meal as phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Do not use animal manure to prevent burning the seedlings. Camellias need weakly acidic soil, and both wood ash and rice husk charcoal are alkaline, not suitable for camellias. Using tap water to water plants can increase the alkalinity of the medium, so it is necessary to apply ferrous sulfate monthly. I often forget, so I mix sulfur powder in the soil. Apply some fast-acting phosphorus fertilizer in the early stage of bud formation.
Light: Full sun is fine for most of the year, but partial shading is needed in summer.
Common pests and diseases: The most common is scale insects on the back of leaves, black or yellow, about 1 millimeter in size. The easiest way to remove them is with a tissue when found. If there is cotton-like material on the branches, it is a cottony scale insect, and you can spray the leaves with medicine. Regular insecticides can be used.
Camellias can also get red spider mites, but it is rare. Without strong pesticides like dimethoate or dichlorvos, it is difficult to completely eradicate red spider mites, so it is best to avoid placing camellias with other plants to reduce the chance of infection. Some fungi may cause root rot or spots on the leaves, which can be prevented with metalaxyl, which I think is more effective than carbendazim, just pour it at the roots.
Leaf drooping and leaf shedding are common in summer, usually caused by excessive watering leading to root rot and physiological leaf shedding due to high temperatures. If the cause cannot be determined, move the plant to a shaded and cool place, and spray antifungal drugs without overwatering.
Handling during flowering: I have tried using gibberellin, cutting half of the leaf bud next to the flower bud and applying a small amount of 0.1% gibberellin to the残端, which can increase the flower diameter. But it can easily cause bud explosion, poor flowering, or transform from a cultural petal to a martial petal.
Thinning flowers: If it is a cutting seedling of about two years, do not leave any flower buds. For seedlings about four years old, I usually leave a bud on every other branch, only leaving the top bud on strong branches. If thinning is done and water and fertilizer management is appropriate, usually there will be no falling buds or burned bracts.
Pruning: Trimming a section of the plant can promote branching in cases of excessive leggy growth. Some varieties, such as Xiaotao Hong, have a compact shape and need to pay attention to some weak and diseased branches.
This is pretty much all I can think of. If you are a beginner, don't chase cloud camellias, start with some common varieties from East China, such as Chidan and Liexiang. It won't be a big loss if they die. Camellias grow slowly, and young seedlings may not have flowers every year, so don't rush. Birth, aging, illness, and death are all part of life, and camellias are not that demanding, just a little patience is enough.
The above is the related content on how to care for camellias (must-read for beginners), for reference by green plant enthusiasts, hoping to solve your problems in green plant and flower management.