You can grow camellias yourself, but it is not necessarily easy. Above all, it takes a lot of patience, because camellias often germinate and root much more slowly than many other plants. Their care is also quite demanding.
Camellias are easy to grow from cuttings
Growing camellia from cuttings
If you already have a camellia and would like an identical plant, then cuttings are recommended. Seeds that you collect yourself are not of the same variety, and they are also not often found.
Propagation of cuttings in brief:
- produces young plants identical to the mother plant
- Cut head, leaf, shoot or node cuttings
- Use young, not yet woody shoots
- remove lower leaves
- Dip shoots in rooting powder, then stick in substrate
- Pull foil over the pot
- bright, partially shaded location
- if possible seed box with underfloor heating
- lengthy, at least 8 weeks, possibly several months until successful rooting
Grow camellia from seed
You can buy seeds for propagating camellias, but unfortunately the seeds do not germinate for very long. Therefore, it is questionable whether the cultivation will be successful. In the home garden, however, seed pods rarely develop. Some (hobby) gardeners wait in vain for many years. It might still be worth a try.
To encourage germination, place the seeds in warm water for about eight hours. The seedling also needs a moist climate later. Therefore, the use of a mini or indoor greenhouse is recommended. However, it should not be too warm inside.
The care of young camellias
Once your cutting has finally rooted or the seed has germinated, your young camellia is still quite sensitive. It tolerates neither the blazing sun nor frost. In the first three to four years it should therefore hibernate frost-free]. Cultivation in a pot or bucket is therefore ideal.
In summer, the camellia is welcome to stand outside, preferably in a partially shaded place. It is best to use rainwater for watering, alternatively low-lime tap water. Fertilizer should be used very sparingly.
tips
Camellias grown from cuttings are likely to flower a few years earlier than plants grown from seed.