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birdsnblooms

Camellia Joponica, Indoor care

birdsnblooms
10 years ago

Three weeks ago, I bought a Camellia on sale, 6.99.
I totally forgot about the order..when the door bell rain last night, I was surprised when the UPS driver handed me a package shaped like a box a plant would fit in.

Anyway, now that everyone knows the history of my new plant, lol, does anyone here have info on keeping Camellia alive, as a house plant?

Light, soil +pH, watering, fertilizer, 'type,' etc.

I found some Camellia info but it was about in-ground care.

Thanks, Toni

Comments (10)

  • puglvr1
    10 years ago

    Hey Toni, just wanted to say that's a funny story,lol...getting a plant delivered you forgot you ordered :o)

    I have a small Camellia that I planted in the ground a few months ago...so I'm no help to you,lol...but wanted to say Good luck with your new houseplant!!

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Camellias are really not difficult. Just remember that they are subtropical, not fully tropical. So, they really don't mind some frost, snow, ice, etc. fully hardy to about 7, 6b (especially with microclimate). True, a continuously frozen Winter probably is not to their likely. In a pot, indoors, try to keep cool--unheated and under-heated rooms work well. They are ACID-loving. As for sun, should be fine in southern with a shear curtain, but will work in other exposures too. Would really enjoy the growing season outside though. Don't let them dry out or they will resent it greatly!

    This post was edited by njoasis on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 19:31

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hey Pug,

    Not only did I forget the order, I forget this thread. :)

    I read, 'somewhere,' Camellia's are slow growing. Is this true when in-ground?
    Does species make a difference?

    Do you have a photo of your plant/tree?

    Nj..thanks.
    I have two semi-unheated rooms..problem, the south window in back room has a south window, but it's fairly dark.
    Room two is also semi-unheated, as a matter of fact, during the coldest days of winter, the room is cold..
    Not a good cold...a breezy cold..this year I taped plastic on windows, 'not panes,' but the front door leaks very cold air.

    Camellia is in the latter room, in sw windows, plus artifical light..We haven't had true sun in days..

    Oh, they are acid loving? I left Camellia in the pot it was sent..guess I'll have to check soil.
    The seller I purchased from mainly grows Camellias, so hopefully, the soil is acidic.

    What about pot size? Camellia is fairly root bound, but roots aren't sticking out of drainage holes or top soil.

    One article I read, 'years ago,' said some Cams are winter growers while others grow during summer.
    True or false?

    What's the lowest temp in z6/7? Also, does the cold last a couple days or months? Thanks, Toni

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Hopeful, I have grown Camellias in my present location since 2007. 7a can reach 0 F. as the zone is defined and prolonged winter COLD is not abnormal, mine have seen it get down to 4 above F., but the average January day/night range is about 40/26 F. and DEEP, wet snows can occur--but also Spring like periods can occur even in the dead of winter. Also, near a house you may add one gardening zone, and I can even have loquats, Bay, Trachy palms, Aspidistra, Podocarpus and Algerian ivy near the house. Winter can actually be sunnier than Spring here! Camellias are good in good light but don't need full sun. You might try supplementing the light with fluorescent, but if the room is really cool, you might get the bulbs that are made to work in the cold. HD sells them. Camellias are SHALLOW rooted, so wide is better than deep in terms of a pot. Locally, HD sells the variety kumasaka which is rated to Zone 7--and I never have any burning on its foliage in the winter. For me, it blooms in November, mild Winter days, and most of all in mid March. Buds actually are covering the bush now--but most will open early in the New Year. Hope this was helpful!

  • puglvr1
    10 years ago

    Hey Toni, mine is a slow grower so far...I'm totally okay with that though since I really don't want any plants that grow too fast,lol...it just means more work for me in trimming them often :o)....I have however already "nipped" a few of the long lanky branches in hopes of growing it short and stout...I'm trying to get it to fill out instead of getting tall and lanky...

    I honestly didn't know there are different kinds, all I know is I wanted a Camellia and found one at HD,lol...and it ended up blooming very dark pink almost red and I'm totally happy with that...One of the reasons I wanted to grow this one is because its a plant that doesn't have to be covered up in the frost/freeze, that is always a bonus in my book. I have many plants that I have to bring inside or cover and didn't want another one :o)

    Good luck!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Morning,

    Thanks!!

    NJ. You make it sound so simple. lol. Now I wish I'd have bought two Camellias.

    Maybe I'll place an order if Camellias are still available.
    We rarely have 0F nights, but it's not impossible either. Climates changed drastically over the years.
    Yesterday, it was 67F, extremely high humidity. It's in the 30's today.

    Do you think it'd be a good time to plant a Camellia now or should I wait until spring? Wouldn't it need time to adapt?
    The plant isn't that big..

    I'm surprised loquats and Aspidistras are hardy to z7. Especially when temps dip to 0.

    Do you mulch?
    What about wind? Is it windy there?
    Wind is one problem here. Temps may be 40 but when winds are strong, temps feel 32 or so.

    If I wasn't having problems with IE, I'd Google cold hardy Camellias, then see if the seller on Ebay has one.

    Thanks for the info. I haven't repotted..If needed, I'll wait until spring. Thanks for mentioning Cam's need wide opposed to deep containers. Knowing this helps a lot.

    My Cam will go in the back room where temps are chilly.
    Azaleas do well in the back room...don't know if you're familiar with Azaleas or not..they prefer cool to heat, therefore grew well in that room.

    What about humidity???

    Nj, where's your pics? :)

    Hey Nancy,

    What a big bloom! So pretty..

    Yep, there's all types of Cams. Some fragrant, some miniatures, others with large, medium, or small flowers. Oh, different color flowers, too.

    I had a Cam back in the 90's. I used to work at a plant outlet store..They had a Cam 'standard' tree, in bad condition..they were going to toss it, so I decided to take it home.
    This type bloomed during winter. I had it 3 years..then one day it up and died..boo hoo.
    Flowers, 'not many but it did bloom, lol,' were large and fragrant.
    It's death was my fault..For one, I didn't know its care, never changed soil..the pot was at least 12" so I 'assumed' it'd do well. Fertilized with the wrong fertilizer..because of its size, tree Cam was in an area with little light. I now know it should have been rotated, too.

    Nance, do you trim all the branches? Are you not worried you'll cut when Cam is about to bud???

    I notice the area has mulch...do you add mulch to prevent weeds or to keep plant roots warm, if temps happen to drop too much?

    I'd love to find a variegated, fragrant flower Cam. lol.

    BTW, our HD's do not sell Camellas. Not even as house plants.
    Thank God for online nurseries. :) Toni

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Hopeful, here is a pic I just took. The swollen buds stay on the bush all Winter. On milder days, they open. This one actually a couple of open flowers on it. I am kinda surprised the deer don't eat it as they do go after other nearby plants (loquat, Euonymus, Fatsia, etc..). Camellias are addicting though--this is one of several. The only thing I do is dispose of my coffee grounds around it.

    Will post the Aspidistra in a separate posting.

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Here is the Aspidistra--been there several years. Still slow but more robust than in a pot. Podocarpus next to it is about six plus feet tall now. The Loquat was recently deer pruned. ;) I only have vertical space at that particular site so they can prune side growth--Podocarpus is never touched. Imagine it is closer to Zone 8 this close to the house.

  • puglvr1
    10 years ago

    Nice plant NJ!!

    Toni, I mulch that whole island ( I have many plants planted there) for several reasons...it does help keep the soil at an even level, so it doesn't dry out so quickly and when winter comes it helps some of the roots from freezing but mostly to keep that area looking nice otherwise underneath the mulch is just a lot of sandy soil..Oh and it helps keep the weeds "kinda" within reason...but I have a TON of that no matter what I do :o( can't seem to get rid of them as much as I would like to ,lol...

    Oh...when I trimmed them I made sure they weren't any buds on the branches before I "nipped" it...

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Thanks, puglvr.

    Yes, I mulch most of my shrubs because most are surface rooters (Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, Magnolias). Helps to even out temps and soil moisture. But getting back to their growth as houseplants...

    If you are growing indoors, in a pot, no real problem with Winter transplanting. I would wait till Spring if it were going outside though.

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