When do camellias bloom?
For most women, when camellias bloom and related introductions to the green plants and flowers of the blooming season of camellias are as follows, here is a detailed introduction.
Camellias prefer a warm and humid environment, have a long blooming period, and their flowers are beautiful and highly favored by people. When do camellias bloom? They bloom from October to the following May, with the peak blooming period usually from January to March. Let's take a look at how to care for camellias after they bloom!
When do camellias bloom?
Due to different varieties, camellias bloom continuously from the end of September to the beginning of May. They present a vigorous scene in late autumn, during the cold winter, and early spring. Camellias produce two flushes of branches a year, the first being the spring flush which starts from March to April, and the summer flush from July to September. Camellias have a long blooming period, with most varieties lasting 1-2 months, and individual flowers lasting for 7-15 days, blooming from February to March.
How to care for camellias after blooming
Camellias have colorful and beautiful flowers, graceful shapes, and elegant postures with a fragrance that captivates. Post-blooming maintenance should pay attention to the following points:
1. Timely pruning: After the peak blooming period, remove the remaining残 flowers, and prune dense, overlapping, crossed, and dry branches to prevent the waste of tree nutrients and enhance the plant's ventilation and prevent diseases and pests (such as scale insects and black spot disease), promoting healthy growth.
2. Timely fertilization: Camellias consume a lot of nutrients from bud formation to petal fall. To quickly restore the tree's vitality, fertilization is necessary. After blooming, apply a thin liquid fertilizer every week or so. The liquid fertilizer can be made by sealing and steeping soybean cake, hoof, fish bone meal, and black vitriol, then diluting the fermented liquid after it has matured. Do not use concentrated or raw fertilizers to avoid root rot. Also, you can use 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate for foliar feeding, applying once every ten days for 5 times to promote thick spring shoots and enhance bud formation ability.
3. Moderate watering: In mid-April, camellias start to grow new shoots, but the climate is dry with low humidity. Water moderately, spraying the leaves once or twice a day to increase local humidity and benefit plant growth.
4. Timely potting: After blooming, if the plant needs repotting, do it immediately. Use hoof and hair as slow-release fertilizers at the bottom of the pot, water thoroughly after repotting, and place it in a humid and shady place. Normal management can be resumed after 20 days.
Camellia cultivation methods
1. Potting soil and pot selection: According to the growth characteristics of camellias, choose slightly acidic, loose, fertile, and well-draining soil. A suitable mix is 4 parts of garden soil, 3 parts of leaf mold, and 1-2 parts of fine sandy soil. The size of the pot should be moderate, not too large or too small. Generally, the ratio of pot to plant is: a camellia that is 40-50 cm tall and has a canopy of 20-25 cm should be planted in a pot with a diameter of about 20 cm, whether it's a purple sand pot or a clay pot. Other sizes can be proportioned accordingly.
2. Potting time: The best time for potting is November in winter or February-March in early spring. This is when the buds are plump and the flowers are in full bloom, making it the most suitable time for potting. If potting during the withering of flowers and when new roots are sprouting, be careful not to damage the roots. Generally, stop potting before or after the germination period, as this is when new shoots are about to grow, leaves are expanding, and a lot of water is needed. Potting at this time can easily affect the plant's growth and development that year. High temperatures and severe winter are also not suitable for potting, as they may cause the plant to wither and die.
3. Potting method: First, place 3-4 pieces of broken tiles on the bottom hole of the selected pot, then fill in some coarse soil, plant the seedling in the pot, fill the root area with fine soil, and then slowly fill the sides of the pot with larger soil particles. Gently shake the pot and press with your hands to make the soil stick to the roots. For larger pots, use a bamboo stick to gently press the soil downwards, being careful not to damage the roots. The potting soil should take up 4/5 of the pot's height to allow for watering.
4. Watering method: For newly potted seedlings, the first watering should be thorough, allowing water to drain from the bottom of the pot. Keep the seedlings moist for 2 months, after which they can be watered like other potted seedlings. The frequency of watering should be adjusted according to the weather, maintaining soil moisture as a principle. Generally, water more in spring to meet the needs of germination and shoot growth, water in the morning and evening in summer, prevent waterlogging during the plum rain season, water in case of autumn drought, and water at noon in winter to prevent the potting soil from freezing and the soil from drying and freezing.
5. Fertilization method: Camellias do not require a lot of fertilizer. Generally, fertilize 2-4 times before flowering in October-November and after flowering in April-May. A mixed fertilizer (human urine, cake fertilizer, livestock manure, phosphorus fertilizer) is usually used, preferably with phosphorus as the main component and nitrogen as the secondary to prevent excessive growth of branches and reduction of flowers. All fertilizers must be fully matured before use, but rapeseed cake and fish meal can be applied directly to the soil surface without decomposition, covered with a thin layer of soil to slowly decompose and seep into the soil for root absorption. The amount of fertilizer should be adjusted based on the strength of the seedlings, with strong seedlings receiving more and weak seedlings receiving less or none. For very weak seedlings, replacing the potting soil can be a good alternative to fertilizing.
6. Shading and cold protection methods: Camellias prefer a warm and humid climate and are not suitable for too cold or too hot conditions. Provide ample sunlight for potted camellias in spring and during the plum rain season, otherwise, the branches may become weak and susceptible to sooty mold and scale insects, or moss may grow on the branches, leading to withered branches, aging, or death. During the hot summer and autumn seasons, provide timely shading and cooling. When the temperature drops below zero in winter, the buds may fall off or the flower cores may freeze, affecting the quality of the flowers. Therefore, keeping the indoor temperature at around 3-4°C during the winter is ideal. If the temperature exceeds 16°C, it may cause early germination, and in severe cases, lead to leaf and bud drop.
7. Disease and pest control: The main pests of camellias are stem borers and scale insects. The main diseases include anthracnose on the leaves, sooty mold, and moss寄生 on the branches. Prune the affected branches and spray with pesticides for control.
The above sharing about when camellias bloom and specific introductions to the blooming season of camellias, I hope everyone enjoys it!