Japanese camellia at home - a winter flower from Asia: description, varieties, cultivation and care, reproduction (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Japanese camellia

Camellia japonica is a plant of the Tea family. Its homeland is Southeast Asia. In this region, it is widely distributed and has long been used as one of the most beautiful ornamental plants. This tall shrub is distinguished by a long flowering period and a large number of beautiful large flowers. Growing Japanese camellia at home is an extremely difficult task. The plant is quite demanding on the conditions of detention and the quality of care.

Read also: Ficus Benjamin (100 Photos) - home care, varieties, reproduction, transplant, disease (Video) + Reviews

Introduction

Camellia owes its name to the naturalist Joseph Kameliuswho first introduced Europeans to this culture. At home, camellia can reach gigantic sizes. Trees with a height of 5-6 m are considered the norm in Japan. In addition, in the city of Hagi, where camellia festivals are held annually, there is a whole grove of Japanese camellia trees, about 15 m high.

Japanese camellia in natural habitat

However, obtaining similar sizes in our growing conditions seems unlikely; usually, trees or bushes growing with us reach no more than 1.5 m in height.

Grove of camellias

Camellia is an evergreen plant with a dense deciduous mass. Traditionally, the dark green shade of the leaves, often glossy, predominates. The size of the leaves is mainly 6-8 cm; most often the leaves are oval in shape, but there are also elongated leaves up to 11 cm in length.

The plant branches profusely and usually the most extreme of the branches act as flower stalks. Buds are formed in the axils of the leaves.

Read also: Kalanchoe flower (120+ Photos & Videos) - home care, transplant, reproduction, useful properties + Reviews

plant care

Japanese camellia makes serious demands on the conditions of detention. It is difficult to single out one of the factors that affect the normal well-being of a plant, since it is important to observe almost all of them: lighting, temperature, and watering.

Variety Mary Williams

Providing the right conditions for keeping camellias is not easy., since maintaining some of them at the same time at home is relatively problematic. However, in case of their correct observance, it is possible to achieve not only the flowering of the camellia, but also its fruiting. Consider the conditions of the plant and how to care for it in more detail.

Habitat and lighting

The conditions of the winter garden are best suited for the plant, in which the necessary lighting standards are observed. In addition, camellias require a lower temperature in winter.

Daylight hours for camellia should be at least 12-14 hours. This implies additional lighting in the winter with the help of special tools. As such, you can use phytolamps or fluorescent lamps.

Phytolamp for flowers

Camellia requires at least 3000 lux of illumination at home. This means that for each plant in the absence of sunlight, at least 2 fluorescent lamps with a power of 30 W or more are needed.

There is also one important fact to keep in mind: as soon as the plant begins to form buds in the axils of the leaves, under no circumstances should it be moved or the position of the light sources changed. In the best case, the budding process will stop, with more severe consequences, the plant may die altogether.

A plant that decorates the summer terrace

At the same time, in other periods (for example, in summer, or in winter, when the flowers are already formed), the plant can be moved from place to place without any problems. In particular, in the summer, it is recommended to transfer camellia to a balcony or garden - such events will not have any negative consequences for the plant.

It should be remembered that the foliage of the plant does not tolerate direct sunlight. It is best to install the plant in partial shade, even artificially created.

Soil and containers

The soil mixture can be poor or rich; for a plant, this does not play a significant role. The main thing is that the soil should be loose and acidic.

The main requirements for the soil are its acidity and softness.

If possible, it is necessary for the camellia to select the soil that best suits its natural habitat; its composition will be something like this:

• leaf ground - 2 parts
• coniferous land - 2 parts
• peat bog - 2 parts
• perlite - 2 parts
• sand - part 2

If these components are not at hand, the soil can be made like this:

• leaf ground - 2 parts
• sod land - 1 part
• peat - 2 parts
• sand - 1 part

Thermal treatment of soil for the prevention of fungal diseases is not required, since camellia, even in a humid climate, resists fungal diseases quite well. Even if the plant is affected by root rot, after transplanting it into drier soil, the fungus goes away on its own. Therefore, it will be enough to simply rinse the soil with a 0.2% solution of potassium permanganate and dry it thoroughly.

A pot for a plant can be anything - both clay and plastic

The main requirement for containers is drainage at the level of ¼ of the height of the pot, most often consisting of fine gravel or expanded clay. Usually pots with a height of 20-25 cm and a diameter of 15-18 cm are chosen for camellia. Transplantation into large containers is done when the plant grows too much.

Temperature conditions

Since the flowering time of the plant falls in the winter and lasts from December to April.

It is necessary to pay special attention to the correct temperature regime in winter and in the off-season

From March to September it is necessary to maintain the temperature from +20°С to +25°С. At the same time, when the budding process begins (and it sometimes occurs long before flowering, in October-November), the temperature should be lowered to + 18 ° -20 ° С and maintained all the time until the generative buds are fully formed. It usually takes about a month.

In "winter time", that is, from December to February, the temperature of the plant should be in the range from + 8 ° С to + 12 ° С. At the same time, going beyond such a “temperature corridor” can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:

At temperatures above + 12 ° C, the formed buds and even blossoming flowers will begin to fall off. A decrease in temperature will lead to a noticeable decrease in the number of blooming flowers and the fall of part of the foliage; at the same time, the plant will live, but its decorative effect will significantly decrease.

Camellia in bonsai style

Another circumstance that must be mentioned: Camellia is very bad at drafts, however, it needs fresh air like no other plant pet. This means that in the summer it is necessary to either ventilate the premises where the plant is located, or take it out to the garden or balcony for the summer. In winter, the room should be ventilated, taking measures so that too cold air does not enter the plant.

Watering and humidity

Camellia is a moisture-loving plant, however, watering rates depend on the season. The main criterion for the need for irrigation is the drying of the topsoil. Usually, in summer, watering is done every 2-3 days, in winter - about half as often.

Plants, like people, cannot live without water.

In winter, water evaporates much more slowly, so with a large number of irrigations or their high intensity, there is a possibility of damage to the root system.

There are special requirements for water quality. The water should be the same temperature as the soil, and it should not be alkaline. The latter means that it is forbidden to water plants with tap water without settling it.

It is necessary to use settled or boiled water, which, in addition, should be acidified with a solution of vinegar. To do this, add 2-3 drops of 9% table vinegar to one liter of water intended for irrigation.

Camellia tree. winter hardy perennial

Camellia does not feel well in rooms with dry air.. Therefore, you can not place it close to heating devices. In addition, the air in the room needs periodic humidification. To do this, you can use either automatic humidifiers, or you need to put a container with water next to the plant, which could evaporate freely.

Camellia also responds well to spraying it from a spray bottle.. However, it is not allowed to get water on the buds and flowers - only the leaves can be moistened.

fertilizers

In the summer, camellia does not need additional feeding. Only in case of deterioration of its appearance, fertilizers can be applied at intervals of 1 time per month. As fertilizers, complex top dressing for azaleas is used. Its dose in the summer should be half of the recommended.

A wide range of fertilizers and top dressings for plants

During budding, which occurs in autumn, the frequency of top dressing increases up to 3 times a month., and their dose is taken equal to the recommended one. In this case, do not use top dressing with an expired shelf life.

Transfer

Plants under the age of 3 years need an annual transplant with a complete change of soil. It is produced in early spring.

Mature plants usually do not need to be transplanted. In this case, the neck of the plant cannot be immersed in the ground. Before transplanting, the plant is watered abundantly so as not to injure its root system.

reproduction

The plant reproduces quite well both vegetatively and by seed. If the flowering process of the plant went well, then after about a month it will form fruits that can be planted in the ground immediately after the fruit boxes have dried. In this case, the same soil is used as in adult plants. All conditions for growing young plants - from temperature and light to watering are the same as in adults.

camellia cuttings

Of the vegetative propagation methods, cuttings are used. As cuttings, cuts of the tops of adult plants 5-8 cm long are used. They take root quite well in water or in a mixture of peat and sand in equal proportions. There is no need to use any special means, such as wrapping cuttings in impromptu polyethylene greenhouses.

If something went wrong...

Possible plant diseases

If there were any deviations from the rules for caring for the plant, the plant may have certain problems.

Consider the main ways to solve them:

1. Falling leaves are often associated with a violation of the irrigation regime. In some cases, this happens with a lack of some nutrients. Watering and fertilizing need to be adjusted.
   

   ---

2. If brown spots appear on the leaves, then this is most likely due to sunburn. In this case, measures should be taken to shade the plant.
   

   ---

3. Leaching of the soil or its excessive acidification leads to poor flowering. It is advisable to transplant the plant into the soil of the correct composition. Too much acidity of the soil will be determined by the presence of a whitish coating on it.
   

   ---

4. In the event that insects attack the plant, for example, aphids or spider mites, it should be treated with an insecticide. In some cases, the usual treatment of leaves and stems with soapy water helps.
   

   ---

Read also: Spathiphyllum: a move at home, transplantation, reproduction (80+ Photos) + Reviews

Varieties of camellia japonica

The varietal variety of camellia is quite large. Already about 300 years ago, at least two hundred varieties of this plant were bred in Japan. At present, their number exceeds a thousand. Among them there are plants with a variety of colors - from red-violet to snow-white. In addition, there are also multi-color and striped coloring.

hedge from camellia

The shape of the petals and their texture also have a wide choice - from simple and smooth to terry. There is a wide variety of flower sizes: from 5 to 15 cm in diameter. Their density can also be almost any: from 2-3 to a dozen flowers on one branch.

Consider the most popular varieties of camellias, which can be said to be grown at least in our home conditions.

Double White

Giulio Nucci

Margaret Davis

Lady Campbell

Linda Rosazza

Pink Perfection

Dazair

Ashani

Vittorio Emanuel

Lady Vanzittar

Tricolor

Chenders Red

Camellia Home

Japanese camellia at home - a winter flower from Asia: description, varieties, cultivation and care, reproduction (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews