Camellia Production From Cuttings
Atlantic Coast Camellia Society
Atlantic Coast Camellias, Vol. 48, #2
Summer 2001
Reprinted with Permission
Bennett's Creek Nursery grows over one hundred different varieties of camellias to supply the demand of garden centers and professional landscapers throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. The majority are spring blooming japonicas and related hybrids, but fall blooming sasanquas are also offered. All plants are propagated at our propagation facility in Suffolk, with our main camellia growing facility in the Isle of Wight. Camellias are offered for sale in one, three, seven and fifteen gallon containers.
The following article is a step by step preview of camellia production from cuttings to finished plants. Month numbers refer to the number of months elapsed from the date the cuttings were stuck.
Propagation
Timing: Cuttings are taken from semi-hardwood current season's growth. Cuttings should have a stem which has just turned tan or is green mottled tan. This will occur from July through September.
Cutting Preparation: The lower leaf is removed and an angle cut is made just below the bottom leaf node.
Hormone Treatment: Our rooting hormone is 8,000 ppm IBA, plus 1,000 ppm NAA, which is in isopropyl alcohol. Cuttings are given a five-second dip.
Sticking Technique: Our rooting medium is made of 20 parts aged pine bark, 8 parts perlite, and one part sphagnum peat moss, blended in a five cubic yard paddle mixer. Amendments are added during mixing at the following rates: Osmocote slow-release fertilizer (18-6-12) at four pounds per cubic yard; Micromax micronutrient package at 1.5 pounds per cubic yard; and dolomitic lime at 4 pounds per cubic yard.
Cuttings are direct stuck into 3¼" x 3¼" x 3½" pots, contained in trays with 36 pots per tray. Spin Out treated pots promote well-branched root systems. Each tray is tagged for variety identification.
Environment: Cuttings are kept moist and placed into a cooler until sticking. Once stuck, trays are placed in the greenhouse with an intermittent misting system. The greenhouse is shaded at 50%. Frequency of misting is adjusted based upon the time of day, weather conditions, and degree of rooting. Proper water management is a key to success. If cuttings are stuck earlier in the season, no supplemental heating is necessary for root initiation. If cuttings haven't finished rooting by late September, 70° soil temperatures are maintained with a hot water bottom heating system.
Rooting Time: Full rooting averages 8 to 12 weeks. Sasanquas are fully rooted by the eighth week. Japonicas are slower and finish rooting at about twelve weeks.
Propagation Spray Program: Cuttings are sprayed with a fungicide/algaecide every ten days while under mist to prevent diseases and maintain sanitation. Applications are made just after the final misting for the day to allow for maximum contact time before misting resumes the following morning.
Disbudding: As flower buds form in the fall on newly rooted cuttings, they are removed by hand. This helps prevent diseases and conserve energy within the plants for future growth. This is done at about month 5.
Overwintering Rooted Cuttings: Greenhouses are covered with 50% white polyethylene plastic and thermostats are set at 33° to prevent the roots of the cuttings from freezing during very cold nights. Next, they are transported to the camellia area greenhouses via tractor and tracking farm trailers.
Spacing: Containers are placed can to can for the first season. In May of the following year they are spaced on 12" centers (month 23). During spring, summer, and fall the camellia houses are covered with 50% shade cloth only. Plastic is put on the houses for winter protection in early December (month 30) and removed by mid-April (month 34).
Growing Media for One-Gallon through Fifteen-Gallon Containers
Our container growing medium is 92% aged pine bark and 8% coarse sand. One 5.5 cubic foot bale of sphagnum peat moss is added to each five cubic yards of the pine bark/sand mix. To each cubic yard of this soil we add 9 pounds of Osmocote 18-6-12, 1½ pounds of Micromax micronutrient package, and 5 pounds of dolomitic lime.
Cultural Practices
Weed Control: Hand weeding is done on a timely basis. We spot spray walkways and perimeters and use preemergent herbicides.
Tagging: Each plant is tagged with a strap tag in the one gallon size after arriving in the camellia houses (month 12).
Pruning: Liners are pruned as they come off the potting carousel (month 12) and again in the late fall (month 16). The fall pruning is only a light pruning to remove the longest shoots.
Pest and Disease Management: Scouting is performed on a regular basis. Spider mites and aphids are pests to watch for. Chemical applications are made as needed for insect and disease control. To prevent root rot, we practice sound water management techniques and treat irrigation water with 2 ppm chlorine to kill waterborne pathogens. Fungicides are also periodically applied for root rot prevention. Strict sanitation practices are implemented during bloom season for petal blight prevention. All camellia houses have woven nylon ground cloth on top of the gravel for easy clean-up of fallen blooms.
Additional Fertilizer: After the plants are spaced in May they are pruned again to promote fullness and top-dressed with 13 grams of Osmocote 17-6-10 in the 8–9 month formulation (month 23).
Finish Time and Larger Container Production
One Gallon: Saleable or ready for shifting to larger containers at 15 months from potting — September (month 28).
Three Gallon: Each year a portion of the finished one-gallon crop is set aside for three-gallon production. October is an ideal time for potting one-gallon plants to three-gallon containers (month 28). The same overwintering and production techniques used for one-gallon production are followed, though fertilizer rates during topdressing are different (45 grams). At month 35 the three gallons are spaced on 18" centers and pruned. A very light final pruning is performed in the fall on only the longest shoots to maintain flower bud set. At month 39 the three-gallon sasanquas begin their show of autumn blooms and are saleable. Japonicas are also saleable at this time but usually don't sell until the following spring (month 45).
Seven and Fifteen Gallon: Production is very similar to three-gallon production in regards to timing and technique. Seven gallons are saleable at month 49 (July). Fifteen gallons are saleable at month 60.
