Home camellia: what it looks like and how to care for

Generative (seed) propagation and cuttings

For planting, it is worth choosing compact pots. The seeds must be sown one at a time. When they germinate and turn into seedlings with two strengthened leaves, you will need to perform a pick (transplant into more spacious pots).

If you want the plant to retain its varietal qualities, propagate it by cuttings. In this case, 7-centimeter green cuttings are used. Reproduction is carried out in early July or late January. The planting material should have several strengthened leaves. Each stalk is determined in a box.

The planting material develops favorably at an air temperature of + 22 degrees. Experienced growers use a soil mixture of sand and peat taken in equal proportions. If propagation is carried out in the summer, the cutting will take root for 50 - 70 days, in winter - up to 90 days. We recommend not only watering, but also spraying the plants.

In order for the planting material to take root faster, it must be placed in a heteroauxin solution. Don't forget to water your plants. When they form roots, transplant into separate containers. Make a soil mixture of peat, sand, leafy and sod soil, taken in equal proportions.

Description and varieties of camellias

Camellia has many varieties that differ in the color of the buds, the size of the shrub, leaves and other external signs. Each of the species has an individual description and characteristics. There are also features of care for each species and variety.

Camellia is believed to be able to fight cancer. The broth is able to stop bleeding. Frozen leaves are used to treat epilepsy. The culture is able to treat stomach problems, dropsy and anemia.

Japanese camellia

Japanese camellia is a tea plant. In the wild, it can be either a tree, about 10 m in height, or a shrub that does not reach more than 1.5 m. In Russia, the plant does not occur in the wild, however, it is grown at home. In a house, apartment or greenhouse, the Japanese camellia does not reach a height of more than 2 m.

Tea Camellia Leaves:

• have a dark green tint;
• in length reach 10 cm;
• only about 5 cm wide.

They are quite dense. The branches have a gray bark. Flowers usually come in only three shades: red, pink and white. The buds can reach 15 cm in diameter. More than 20 petals can be found in one inflorescence.

Pay attention! Japanese camellia is not resistant to cold weather, and therefore in central Russia (and even more so in the northern regions) it is not grown on the street.

Usually the plant is cultivated in houses, apartments, greenhouses, greenhouses, winter gardens. However, growing a camellia at home is not an easy task. Japanese camellia has a number of content requirements. Due to the fact that the home country is Japan, the culture does not tolerate the slightest changes in climate and habitat. For example, at home it may simply not bloom.

For flowering, the plant requires special conditions - the temperature should not be lower than -15 and exceed +6 ° C. In summer, it is a good idea to place the plant in the garden or on the balcony. Light for camellia should be constant and diffused. A photo of camellia flowers clearly demonstrates its beauty.

Chinese or tea camellia

The Chinese camellia is a branchy shrub with dark green leaves, but the seamy side has a normal, lighter, green color. Flowering is white or light pink, after which fruits appear, similar to small bolls. This species is small in size.Tea is obtained from the Chinese camellia.

Tea camellia is a picky plant, in nature it grows even on stony and unsaturated soils with any nutrients. The native country of the Chinese camellia is located in hot climatic zones - tropical and subtropical. But at the same time, the plant is resistant to frost and even cold winter. If you cultivate a shrub in an unfavorable climatic zone, the leaves will be worse in quality, although if it is grown exclusively for decorative purposes this factor is not the most important.

Real or mountain camellia

Real camellia is native to the mountainous islands of Japan. The variety is commonly used in a traditional tea ceremony. This view is different:

• small size;
• frost resistance, so it is perfect for growing in apartments or private houses.

However, the bush can grow up to 5 meters wide, if it is not limited by anything. The leaves are curved. Flowers of standard shades - from white to pink, the most common are crimson. It begins to bloom in late autumn and ends in the middle of winter.

Mesh camellia

Mesh camellia got its name from the pronounced veins on the petals of flowers. This species has a large number of varieties, so that you can find a variety of shapes and shades. Colors range from white to deep red, and the shape of the petals can be:

• straight;
• wavy.

The species is distinguished by the impressive size of the flowers - up to 23 cm in diameter. Mesh camellia has a pleasant aroma. It is usually grown in tubs, but not in greenhouses.

Saluena camellia

This type of camellia comes from China, where it grows in forests and mountainous areas. The bushes are capable of reaching 4 meters in height. The leaves are small:

• 5 cm in length;
• 2.5 cm wide.

The flowers are standard colors - white and pink. Saluenskaya camellia tolerates cold well and blooms longer than any other species. Because of these properties, it is often used to breed even more frost-resistant varieties.

Oil camellia

It grows in China, on the banks of rivers and in forests. This species is a tree capable of reaching 10 meters in height. The trunks of the tree are thin - about 20-25 cm in diameter.

The maximum flowering period is one and a half months - from early or mid-September to mid-October. The flowers are white or pale pink.

What a camellia flower looks like: photo and description of the shrub

Indoor camellia is a small beautiful evergreen shrub or small tree with leathery, elliptical leaves. In garden conditions, the minimum shrub growth is 1.5 m, and the tree can reach 20 m in height. The branchy stems lignify very quickly, become naked and instead of their green color acquire a gray or light brown color. The leaves on the shoots grow alternately, one after the other. They are short petiolate and can have an oval or ovoid shape with an elongated end. The surface is smooth, glossy. As you can see in the photo, the leaves of the camellia plant have a rich dark green color and fold slightly along the embossed central vein:

The size of the sheet plate can vary in the range of 3 - 17 cm in length. Light pubescence is observed along the veins.

This plant is quite popular among flower growers, as camellia flowers usually look very attractive, somewhat reminiscent of roses.

The diameter of the flowers is from miniature (6 cm) to large (up to 12-14 cm), red, white or pink, with 5-7 petals. Camellias are found with double and variegated flowers. However, they are on the bush for no longer than one month. Most varieties have no smell. The bases of the petals are folded into a tube. They can be arranged in 1 or in several tiers, forming a lush bud. Each individual petal has a round or wide oval shape with a wavy edge.In the description of the flowering of camellias, a large number of yellow stamens are also distinguished, which are located in the center of each flower. In most, the color of the petals is monochromatic, but variegated varieties have also been bred.

You can see in the photo that the camellia looks like an ordinary bush after the petals fall:

However, in their place, fruits are formed - dry seed pods, divided into 5 compartments. The seeds that are in them lose their germination rather quickly, since they contain peculiar oils in their structure.

Description

Camellia is admired for its perfection. It was mentioned by Japanese chroniclers at the beginning of the first century. In Europe, the flower appeared in the middle of the 17th century and is named after a monk with the surname Camellus, who studied the plant in detail and gave its description. In Japan, an exotic culture grows in the south of the country. It is also common in China, South Korea, Taiwan.

The beautiful double flowers of japonica belong to the genus of tea families. You can meet a plant in nature in the form of a tree reaching a height of 10-11 meters or a shrub rising to 150 cm. In our country, a flower with decorative leaves is grown mainly at home. An adult houseplant or greenhouse specimen will stop growing at 2 meters.

Its leaves are painted in a dark green color, the length can be from 8 to 10 cm, and the width reaches 50 millimeters. They are very dense in structure. The branches of the Japanese camellia are dark gray, and the young one-year-old shoots have a brownish tint. The basis of the plant is a flower that is not inferior in beauty to pink buds. It can be red, pink or white.

Breeders managed to get a large number of varieties of a spectacular flower growing in diameter from 40 to 150 mm. In structure, it can be one or in the form of a brush, it can consist of the usual 5 petals with yellow stamens surrounding it, or be a fluffy double inflorescence endowed with more than 20 petals. There are semi-double samples. This wonderful plant blooms both in winter and in spring. It absolutely does not tolerate cold weather, therefore, on the territory of our country, it can be found in houses, greenhouses, winter gardens.

Features of camellia care

Initially, it must be said honestly that cultivating the plant itself is not very difficult, but making it bloom is not an easy goal. Let's start with the fact that this flower is capricious to temperature, humidity, and soil formula, but how can this stop a real gardener?

Temperature and humidity

On the windowsill above the battery, this plant will disappear, but if in a city apartment there is a glazed loggia or a semblance of a “winter garden” on the balcony, then you can safely plant camellias. In winter, a suitable temperature for a flower should be no more than 12 degrees, and the lowest threshold did not fall below minus ten degrees Celsius. In the summer, camellia lays flower buds, for this it needs a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius, and during the ripening of the buds - about 15 degrees Celsius.

The air humidity should be high; it is recommended to spray the camellia constantly, in addition to the period of its flowering. If the apartment has any humidifier, then we can safely say that the chances of this plant to bloom are quite high.

In a private house, it is easier to create optimal conditions, they can grow in patios or pots in the garden. And only in cold winters, it is better to hide the plant in the winter garden, greenhouse, or simply on a glazed unheated veranda.

Lighting mode

Indoor camellia loves bright diffused light. For breeding home camellia, east and west windows are suitable. On the southern windows, the plant is shaded from direct sunlight. Camellia's north windows may lack light for normal growth.

In order to prevent the crown from becoming one-sided, the plant can be turned towards light.After the camellia has gathered buds, it should not be rearranged. Changes in light can cause flowers and buds to fall off.

In summer, the plant should be exposed to the open air, in a place protected from direct sunlight.

Pruning and replanting

As a rule, pruning is performed before diving the plant so that the roots of the diving plant can “feed” it without unnecessary difficulties. Pruned young shoots (this year) should be rooted.

Camellias are usually pruned after flowering, but before spring growth begins. Many people prune a third of their branches every two years. If you wish, you can cut 2/3

Reticulata varieties should be pruned very carefully and weaker. Carp camellias can be pruned even more than Japanese camellias

Watering and fertilizing

Camellia should not be poured, but it is advisable to water it regularly and abundantly. Watering is carried out only after the topsoil has dried out.

In case of drying out of the base, the plant will begin to lose leaves.

In winter, camellia is watered very carefully. If the substrate turns sour, then the buds will begin to fly around, and the leaves will turn brown

Throughout the year, the camellia must be fed with special mineral fertilizers every 3 weeks. They must be diluted at the rate of one gram of fertilizer per one liter of water.

Pinching and trimming

By pinching, you can create a compact tree from an ordinary shrub. The shortening and pruning of the top shoots is intended not only for the formation of the crown, but also for the activation of flowering and branching of the culture.

In addition, the owner of the flower should evaluate the strength of the plant: if it is too weak, some of the unopened buds should be removed.

Pruning is a necessary part of maintenance. For best growth, axillary buds are pruned in late autumn. So that the bush does not lose its compactness, in addition to sanitary pruning of oppressed and dried shoots, crown formation is carried out.

This procedure is performed when the first wave of flowering is gradually completed, but the culture has not yet had time to develop new buds. All cut sites must be treated with garden varnish so that infection does not penetrate into the wound.

Pests and diseases

The most serious plant disease is usually root rot, formed as a result of too low temperatures, or waterlogging of the soil. In this case, the camellia must be urgently transplanted into breathable soil. By reducing watering, the plant can rarely be saved.

Brown spots on the leaves are considered phylostictosis signs. The disease appears due to high humidity. Treatment is performed by treating the leaves with copper sulfate. The humidity in the room decreases, the affected leaves are removed.

A spider mite, scale insect or aphid can start on a home camellia. If they are detected, the plant should be immediately treated with summer oil emulsions, chemicals or soap solution.

How to grow camellia: home care

The main difficulty in growing is the high requirements of plants to ensure the necessary conditions:

• constancy of the environment - temperate climate in summer and cool in winter;
• fresh air without drafts all year round;
• humidity of air and soil within the required range;
• nutritious soil without stagnant water.

When providing the required conditions, you need to care for the crop as well as for ordinary house plants.

Location in the apartment

Camellia is best placed on the east or west windows. On the south, shading is necessary. The room temperature should be moderate. In summer, in regions with warm summers, it is advisable to place the camellia on a balcony or loggia, plant it in a garden in a pot or in open ground. The climate on the northern windows of the camellia is not suitable. The shoots will stretch, the foliage will be crushed, and will acquire a pale color.

Light intensity requirements

Meeting the light intensity requirements is very important for bud setting and flowering. Camellia blooms in winter

For the transition to budding and flowering, she needs lighting for 12-14 hours. Supplementary lighting is provided by phyto or LED lamps. You can use other types of lamps. Shade in the summer.

Ambient temperature

• From March to July, the ambient temperature is maintained at + 25 ° C.
• With the onset of autumn, the flower is placed in conditions of lower temperatures +12 .. + 15 ° С (closed terrace, loggia). The buds are being laid.
• They will bloom in winter at lower temperatures. Therefore, with the arrival of winter, camellias need a cold regime (from November to the end of December, some varieties until February) with temperatures ranging from +5 .. + 6 ° С, not higher than +8 .. + 10 ° С.
• For some varieties, short-term subzero temperatures within the range of -5 ..- 6 ° C are permissible.
• From January the temperature can be raised and maintained within +10 .. + 15 ° С. Frost-resistant varieties easily tolerate lower temperatures.

Be careful!

If you can provide such conditions for camellias, feel free to purchase a seedling of a variety or cultivar selected from the catalog and place it in the designated place.

Variety of species and varieties of camellia flower: photo and description of plants

Types of such a flower as camellia have a fairly wide variety and differ from each other not only in the color of the inflorescences, but also in size and shape.

Popular types:

Japanese camellia (C. japonica);

Mountain camellia (C. sasanqua) - grows slowly, blooms in late winter - early spring;

Chinese camellia (C. sinensis).

Many terry varieties have been developed.

Japanese camellia (C. japonica). This type of camellia plant is considered the most decorative among the rest and is appreciated by flower growers because of its very beautiful flowers. It is an evergreen shrub that blooms profusely. Its dark green leaves are covered with thin skin.

You can see from the photo that this type of camellia blooms in the winter, which especially highlights the bright buds against the background of snow. In indoor conditions, the plant grows up to 1 m in height. Its flowers are double, with various colors.

Camellia "Guilio Nuccio". This is a variety of Japanese camellia, which has a rich crimson-pink color of flowers and is not very large in size. The oval petals are folded in two rows.

Camellia "Lady Campbell". This variety is highly prized for its high hardiness. It can tolerate a short drop in temperature to -20 ° C without consequences. Because of this, it is ideal both as a houseplant and as a garden plant. The size of this shrub can reach no more than 2 m in height. It branches very strongly and forms a rather wide and lush plant. Peony-like flowers can be up to 10 cm in diameter.

Camellia "Japonica Nobilissima". Quite a tall bush, which in its natural environment can reach 2 m in height. In indoor conditions, the plant, of course, is much lower. This variety blooms during the period from December to January. The flowers of a snow-white color stand out very favorably against the dark green background of the leaves.

Camellia "Brushfield Yellow". You can see in the photo that this variety of camellia is distinguished by unusual flowers with a double color - the core of a creamy color is surrounded by snow-white petals. This shrub is relatively small in size - it never grows above 1.5 m.

Chinese camellia (C. sinensis). As you can see from the photo, the description of this camellia differs in many ways from the previous species - it is a tree-like plant, sometimes of small size, which, however, can reach 20 m in height. As you know, this representative is the very Chinese tea tree. Since ancient times, this species was used exclusively for practical purposes - special medicinal tea was prepared from its leaves.

However, now more gardeners are paying attention to the lush flowering of the tree.Large inflorescences of white or yellowish color have a slightly visible reticular surface

The leaves of this species can reach a size of up to 14 cm in length and 4 cm in width.

Mountain camellia (C. sasanqua). This camellia as a houseplant is quite small and looks good indoors. This species has branched, pounded shoots covered with smooth green or brown bark. The edges of the leaves are serrated, and their surface is slightly pubescent along the central vein. The plant can form small inflorescences with 3 buds, or it can produce single flowers. The color of flowers can be varied - from red and pink to white. Several decorative varieties have been bred from this species, which are especially resistant to low air temperatures. They thrive best in cool rooms.

Camellia hybrid Williams (Camellia x williamsii). This plant is especially popular in Europe. This is due to the ease of cultivation and the tolerance of the bush to the climatic conditions of temperate latitudes. A distinctive feature of this camellia is that after the flowers wither, it completely sheds the buds.

Camellia varieties

If you look through a book on botany or floriculture, it turns out that there are about 200 species of plants of the "Camellia" genus, on the basis of which breeders have created many unusual varieties that differ in the shape of the leaves, size, care requirements and the color of the buds.

Nowadays, flower growers around the world breed many varieties of camellias, based on the main four types of plants: Japanese, netted, mountain, Saulen. A plant, depending on the species or variety, can exist both in the apartment and in the garden, but in our climate it is rather difficult to grow it in the open field. But in the house, the bush feels great.

Reproduction

The culture propagates with the help of cuttings and cuttings, since camellia grown from seeds may not repeat the decorative qualities of the original variety or hybrid.Cutting is the most common breeding method at home.

Reproduction of camellia by cuttings

For reproduction, cuttings are taken from semi-lignified shoots with well-developed buds, or part of the lateral branch with a "heel" or a fragment of a two-year shoot is removed.

Cut the cuttings at an angle of 45 degrees. Each of them must have at least 3-4 pairs of leaves. Remove the lower leaves, and immerse the bottom of the cuttings in Kornevin powder to stimulate root formation.

Then we place it in a substrate of a wet mixture of sand and peat. The container with cuttings should have drainage holes and a layer of expanded clay at the bottom.

Rooting occurs at high humidity, so the cuttings are covered with a jar or plastic bottle. To prevent condensation from forming, the cover is removed once a day for 5-10 minutes. The soil should be moderately moist all the time, and the temperature in the room should be 22-25 ̊С.

Rooting usually takes about 2-3 months.

Growing camellia from seeds

Shrub seeds are sown immediately after harvest, as they will hold back the oils that make germination difficult over time. They should be dark in color to indicate maturity.

If you need to sow later, then you can store the seeds for several weeks only in wet moss or sand in the refrigerator at a temperature of 5 ° C.

To improve germination, seeds are recommended to be soaked in water for a day. Sow into a wet mixture of peat and vermiculite. The substrate should be slightly damp all the time, do not allow it to dry out. The container is placed in partial shade.

When the first shoots appear, the seedlings are rearranged in a place with bright diffused light. With grown seedlings, you can pinch the top to encourage the growth of side shoots. Camellias grown from seeds grow slowly and only bloom for 4-5 years.

Care features

Taking care of the bush is not difficult, the main thing is not to forget the main points. Let's see in order what the camellia needs most for adaptation after planting and good development.

Watering

For humidification, it is necessary to prepare water that has been settled for several days. The watering schedule is moderate, it is not necessary to flood the plant, but do not allow dryness either.

Fertilizers and feeding

The feeding procedure is carried out from late spring to mid-summer. Suitable for this are special fertilizers for camellia or half the dose of a nutrient mixture for rhododendrons, rich in iron and boron.

Potassium and magnesium should not be included in the top dressing. The solution is poured under the root. Then you need to thoroughly water the plant.

Pruning

In the spring, sanitary pruning is done - dry, diseased or broken branches are removed. Also, a formative is needed, which consists in cutting and pinching the upper parts of the camellia shoots.

How to prepare for winter

If the winters are very cold, then it is necessary to wrap the Asian beauty securely and prepare for the frost. To do this, a circle is made around the bush from a grid around the perimeter of the trunk, then foliage is poured between the trunk and the circle.

The soil near the trunk is mulched with peat. A non-woven material is laid on top of the bush. In such a shelter, the camellia bush will overwinter perfectly.