There are 4 methods to propagate camellias at your own home and you could get completely different outcomes from every. You’ll be able to develop camellias from an air layer, a graft, a slicing, and a seed.
I’ve tried all 4 strategies and had success with all 4. You could choose completely different strategies relying on how shortly you desire a mature plant, however all the strategies require a number of years till you’ve gotten a plant giant sufficient to bloom.
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For inspiration, take a look at the Tallahassee Camellia Society annual present this weekend from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
Air layering, grafting, and beginning a slicing will all end in a plant that’s an identical to the mom plant. So, if in case you have an heirloom camellia and also you need to begin a couple of new ones to move on to your mates or household, you then need to strive certainly one of these three strategies.
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Seedlings
In distinction, in case you begin a plant from a seed, you have no idea what you’ll get. Simply as kids are a mix of their mom’s and father’s options so are seedlings from camellias. It might have options just like the mom plant however might look completely completely different. That doesn’t imply that they are going to be unhealthy camellias, as it’s via seedlings that we get new varieties. Nonetheless, not all seedlings shall be one thing higher, generally they’re worse. What we name much less fascinating camellia seedling is “rootstock,” extra on that later.
Seeds will start maturing on camellias in late August via October. Accumulate the seeds and plant them then. Plenty of propagators have a delegated space within the floor the place they domesticate and plant their camellia seeds. You’ll be able to plant them a couple of inches aside at this level since you simply need to see if they are going to germinate. I choose to place them in a plastic window field model planter and canopy them with a unfastened wire display. I’ve plenty of squirrels in my yard and if I don’t cowl my seedling planters the squirrels will dig them up and plant acorns.
The seeds have what we name an “eye,” which is a small circle on the seeds. Most propagators within the Tallahassee Camellia Society will plant their seedlings with the “eye” to 1 aspect and never going through up or down. Each the roots and the stem will emerge from the “eye” so by inserting it on its aspect it will possibly go up or down and never should journey across the seed. Plant the seeds shallow, solely an inch underground.
This mirrors what nature does when the seeds fall from the bushes. My expertise is that whereas I plant my seeds in October, I cannot see the seedling emerge till mid to late January. After they emerge, I watch them till they attain three to 4 inches tall after which I fastidiously dig them up and plant them in one-gallon pots. Out of 40 seeds I planted final 12 months, I had 30 vegetation emerge, and after I transplanted them into pots 20 lived for one 12 months. These vegetation are round eight to 9 inches tall now.
Critical camellia growers will save the seeds from their favourite camellias and propagate them. If the seeds produce pretty flowers which might be distinctive, the grower can try to call and register them as new varieties. For those who attend the Tallahassee Camellia Present (or any camellia present) you will note a desk put aside for seedlings which have been grown regionally the place the grower is exhibiting them to find out if they’re distinctive sufficient to register. Search for that desk.
As a aspect notice, the members of the Tallahassee Camellia Society register extra new camellias yearly than wherever else within the nation.
Grafting
Beginning in February, propagators will start taking cuttings of their favourite vegetation, or scions as they’re referred to as, and grafting them onto camellia rootstock. Rootstock is any camellia that simply doesn’t please you. For native propagators they are going to take vigorous seedlings which have boring flowers and use that for rootstock. The foundation inventory is often an inch thick so the seedling must be a few years previous.
The brief model of this course of entails slicing the rootstock plant straight throughout to reveal the principle stem after which inserting a reduce downward to create a half inch wedge on the highest of the rootstock. You then take a brief slicing (scion) from the plant you need to propagate, reduce a half inch “V” on the backside of the slicing, and insert that into the rootstock wedge to 1 aspect.
The subsequent steps contain protecting the vegetation and defending them from late frost, deer, and illness. Preserve them watered and the rootstock ought to develop up and across the new slicing (scion) sealing the wound. If profitable, it will seal by late Could to early June.
Air Layering
In early Could, after all of the flowers are gone and the brand new development is starting on the camellias, you’ll be able to air layer to create a brand new camellia. Along with planting seeds, that is my most popular technique of propagation, however it isn’t idiot proof. Out of 20 air layers I do every year, two or three is not going to take, that means they won’t create roots, and even amongst people who do create roots a pair will nonetheless fail to thrive and I’ll lose them.
Nonetheless, of those that survive, which is greater than half, it produces the biggest vegetation, and they’ll bloom the next 12 months. It is a lengthy course of as you’ll create the air layer in Could and never take away it from the mom plant till November.
Air layering needs to be executed on giant mature bushes as a result of the method entails wounding a limb to stimulate root development after which you need to reduce off that limb. The perfect sized limb to air layer is between half an inch to an inch. A small plant and a small limb will be unable to help an air layer.
As a way to do the least quantity of visible harm to my camellias, I’ll determine these branches that may very well be eliminated and never negatively influence the looks of the plant. That’s often a low department that may be touching the bottom, one that’s protruding right into a walkway, or if the camellia is thick, one which crosses within the heart and, if eliminated, would enable extra air to flow into inside. In every case the camellia is left higher off after the limb is eliminated.
The brief model of this course of is that you need to fastidiously reduce away roughly an inch of the outer bark on the limb of a camellia all the way in which across the limb and go away the intense inexperienced layer beneath it. Then wrap that one-inch wound with sphagnum moss that has been soaked in water and sprinkled with a rooting hormone. Maintain it in place with aluminum foil and crimp the ends to safe it across the limb.
Afterwards, go away it alone till November when you’ll open the foil and decide if in case you have roots. In case you have roots, reduce it off and plant the top with the roots right into a pot with soil. Place the roots on the high even with the soil line. If there are any buds on the limb you’ve gotten air layered take away them. I do know this isn’t what you need to do, nonetheless, the plant can both feed the flowers or it will possibly develop roots not each and, with an air layer, you actually need it to develop roots. Preserve it within the pot for a 12 months and subsequent fall plant it outdoors. It ought to bloom for you that first 12 months.
Cuttings
In early July, after the camellias have had the chance to placed on three to 4 inches of recent development you’ll be able to take cuttings. Be care the place you are taking the cuttings from as a result of you do not need to take the cuttings from the highest of the plant and stunt its development. Once more, search for backside limbs or aspect limbs which might be rising in a course you do not need the plant to go.
The brief model of this course of is you chop off the intense inexperienced new development and reduce a half inch “V” on the backside. Dip that into rooting hormone and place in a rooting tray or you’ll be able to place a number of two to a few inches aside in a bigger pot. Preserve them watered and guarded via the remainder of the summer time and fall. Up pot them within the early spring.
Out of 20 cuttings I took this previous July, three died inside 5 weeks and the others have new development.
If you need extra data on propagating camellias you’ll be able to contact the Tallahassee Camellia Society or go to the UF/IFAS Panorama Plant Propagation Data index for Camellia japonica. You too can ask any camellia questions of the members of the Tallahassee Camellia Society attending the Annual Camellia Present this weekend.
Brenda Buchan is a Grasp Gardener Volunteer with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, an Equal Alternative Establishment. For gardening questions, e mail the extension workplace at AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.
For those who go
What: The Tallahassee Camellia Society will maintain its annual present. Due to the deep chilly skilled in late December the present is not going to be judged, as an alternative will probably be an exhibit. The exhibit is free, and the general public is welcome to deliver your camellias by Saturday morning to incorporate within the exhibit.
When: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 and 1-4 p.m. Sunday
The place: Doyle Connor Constructing, within the auditorium, situated on Conner Blvd.