camillia cutting

When is the time to get a cutting and how do I get a new camillia bush started?

Which Camellia do you have. The cutting times are a bit differnt for C. japonica and C sasanqua.

I didnt have any luck with camellia cuttings either . would like to know...Fran

To answer blugld's question; take cuttings may-june, I like the "dip and grow", and 60% sand, and 40% peat, for the mixture, under mist.Mike

Has anyone tried cuttings in the bubbler? My neighbor was trimming his bush so I took a bunch of the trimmings. Even though it is the wrong time, i've put some in a bubbler setup, and a bunch in moist soil after dipping in hormone. Hopefully, I'll get some to root. Should I mist the ones in the pots? I have them in my garage, under lights and bags to keep the moisture up.

jburesh: the bubbler might work if it is in a warm place. the cuttings usually need bottom heat to root in winter.

the best way to root camellias is by air layering. you can find out about this by doing a google search.

This message was edited Feb 11, 2007 5:55 PM

I was just going to post a question about propagating my Camelia from a cutting.

A bit of history......I tried the cuttings in a flat covered with plastic last Spring. I was then communicating with a Mike and following his instructions. Well, they all rotted out.

Later in the year, I took a couple of cuttings and simply stuck them in water. They have survived all year and, even though they have not made ANY roots at all, have stayed viable and have some new bud growth. Other than that, there has been NO signs of rooting at all.

Today (3/6) I decided to put these cuttings in moist "Jiffy Mix" in 4" pots and a cut off water bottle over the pot, cap removed for air circulation. I will keep these 2 pots on a shelf near an Eastern exposure.
Do you think I have a chance of these growing any roots after all this time in water??? The Camelia I have is a double red (can't think of the name right now...). It blooms beautifully in late march/early April.

Any help or advice would be welcome. Thanks.

Gita

Here's one of a bit further away.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/STGOseptember99.html#camellia

blugld, gita: best way to propagate camellias is by air laying. critical variables are going to be temperature, and humidity. Best inside with use of bottom heat. Camellias usually are slow to root, so the other variable is patience.

I think your "liter dome" should work fine, but I do believe in Dip & grow. Mike

Mike,.

I did use growing hormone powder to dip the ends in. It is a few years old--maybe no longer active.
I don't know what "dip and grow" is......:o(

Should I scratch some of the bark off of the bottom of the stem? It is amazing that these 2 cuttings have lived for over half a year in a small vase of water and never grown any roots! There are small, green buds at every crotch. Nothing moving ahead, but they are there.

Thanks, Gita

Gitagal -- I hope you can remember the name of your camelia, because it is stunning -- I'd love to have one like that!

Happy,

Earlier this year someone ID'd my Camellia. I jotted it down on a piece of paper and stuck it in my garden notes book. So, here is the name of it. It is called "Bob Hope". It was developed in the US in 1972 and is known as the darkest of all reds. It grows 6'-8' tall and wide.

I bought it at my HD about 7 or 8 years ago. It is truly hardy. It has large, shiny dark green leaves and these awesome, double flowers. My Camellia is between 4-5 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. I do not think it will grow much more, but who knows.
There are different Camellias sold at stores. At the time I bought mine, a customer (quite a horticulturist) told me to buy this one. he said: "Look at the leaves. They are bigger and dark green. This one will be hardy. He was so right.

The buds start forming in the Fall and sit on the bush all winter. Then about end of March/beg. of April, they start swelling and opening up. They always take my breath away!

I have it right next to my front steps. it never gets any sun, but is well protected from harsh winds as I have a Juniper on the other side of my steps and a substantial Yew on the other--right next to the camellia. It must like this spot!

Thanks for your kind words. Here's another picture from Spring, 2006. You can see the whole bush.

I should try some air-layering to propagate it, as that is supposed to be the best way.

Gita

Gita: It takes my breath away! I am going to buy one -- fast! Or sneak up to your house and do my own air layering (just joking -- plus I'm too impatient!).

It is a beauty. I have one blooming now that I still have to ID.

I tried to find a source for Bob Hope, but it says it is only hardy to zone 8. I'm 7a. Guess I've gotta take a risk. Gita, how long have you had yours?

Gloria: Yours has a lovely color too.

Happy,

I mentioned it in my above post.

The main thing I know about Camellias is that hey do not like strong, cold winds. Mine is well protected by the shrubbery on it's right and left and the house behind it. I am also zone 7a.

Try the trees and shrubs Forum for more information.

Your camellia looks a lot like mine--just maybe a triple?

Gita

Some say camelias are very hard to root, and others say imposible.I'm too dumb to think "imposible", I simply say It hasn't been done yet.I have a good start of various camelias, about 3-4 Yrs. old that I took from cuttings, and only cuttings, but don't have the "Bob Hope" (hint! hint!!), I do love the red,against the green background.Dip'n.Grow, is a liquid rooting concentrate, with indole-3-butyric acid, and Napthalenacetic acid*, whitch, to me scares, and prepaires the cutting for rooting.I got mine through the mail from Charlies GH, but look around, its available elsewhere.On camelias, I use it at 5x, on the dilution cup, and have had success with "root tone" power, but scratched it good, and covered it with the powder.I used 60% sand, and 40% peat. I feel sure you can use a 2 liter bottle, w/top off as a dome.I would dig a small post hole behind the mother shrub, and insert the "liter dome", mist as often as it needs.Mike

Mike,

I have a couple of questions-----------------

1. Are you the same Mike that I corresponded with a year or so ago about rooting my Camellia cuttings? I even posted pictures of how I had done it, but they all just rotted out. ???????

2. This is c/p from your above Post. I am at a loss of what you mean.....
I would dig a small post hole behind the mother shrub, and insert the "liter dome", mist as often as it needs.Mike.
What is your reference to the "mother shrub"? Do you mean the cutting? I am sure you do not mean that I need to go outside and dig a post hole behind my Camellia bush , etc...etc....
Please explain.

About your "hint...hint...." I am a generous person. Just read my "comments" section. You will have to remind me in a few months so I can take some cuttings after the bloom period is over. I guess I may have to wait longer that that, as they have to be partially woody. Right?

I am amazed that this awesome "Bob Hope" Camellia seems so unattainable and----I bought it at HD!
Just goes to show you that you NEVER know what you may be able to get at HD! And why not? They have all kinds of growers vying to sell them their product.

YOU have to send me a D-mail at he right time! This is YOUR responsibility! Capish?

Gita

http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/08510e01e61cc962882571a9005a9153/32a35fa48768e5bd8825684d0070c0a4!OpenDocument


I think my red camellia might be this. I begins blooming late December. Still growing strong.

I just visited Camellia Forest Nursery. Noticed they have seeds.

Mike, and everyone else,

I just took a picture of one of the 2 Camellia cuttings I have been keeping in water since end of last summer and fall and this winter. I just wanted you all to see the growth buds that have stayed green and supple throughout this whole time. They have not moved or gotten any bigger, but they are there.

I now have put each cutting in a 4" pot with a soda bottle dome over it. I have scratched the bark and dipped the end in rooting hormone. Now all I have to do is hold my breath and see if they will actually root and grow. If not--oh well! It is ONLY a plant. It is not like my pet dog died or something. It is a plant!
I don't take gardening all that seriously. I love it, I enjoy it, I am in awe every Spring as to what Mother Nature can do. At this time of year, there is NOTHING in my flower beds. They are flat and bare. You should see them at the end of May! To me that IS the miracle!
I wrote a poem to my Garden one Spring. That is how much I love it.

Yours in gardening, Gita

Gita: Keep them warm and humid, with good air circulation to prevent mold. I bet they will take off in the spring.

gloria

Gloria,

Is the "warm and humid" a necessity with Camellias? From what Mike mentioned, i assumed I had to keep them cool.

I DO want this to work. lets get this straight????

Thanks, Gita

Gita: According to the link I gave you March 6 in the post above, the best rooting temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F.

AH, yes! So you did. This time i copied it out.

Thanks again. gita

Gita,
Please keep us posted! I experienced the same thing with my cuttings last year. I had them in a pot with Root Hormone and covered with a zip lock and rubber band wrapped around the bottom. They were putting on new growth after a few months. I did remove the bag but not enough, because mildew grew on it.
Naturally, I removed the zip lock then he bit the dust. I have the same Camellia as u do or at least it looks the same and I have another "special" unknown Candy cane Striped (Dark Red and White Stripes one). My friend just gave me a new cutting last week. I posted it for an Id last year.
hey are living in jars at the moment as well!
I guess when it gets warmer I will put them in a pot.
I did research and they only info. about starts were Air layering. Well U need a Plant to do that! LOL!
I hope yours make it.... I am on the same page you are! Good Luck.

katrun: the link above on march 6th to auburn university will tell you how and when to root camellia cuttings. you may need to scroll down to the correct article.

Thanks- I did over look it! I am Printing the article now!

katrun: cuttings are usually managed according to the season. I believe this information will be in the "stickies" near the top of the propagation forum. Hardwood cuttings refers to dormant winter wood. Softwood cuttings refers to fresh growth. there are also semi-hardwood cuttings. So ... once you get "cuttings" down, there will be only a few procedures to learn, not a different one for every kind of plant. Of course, you would want to fine tune the procedure to different plants. For example, there is a guy around here called "Hostajim". Boy, does he know hostas.

As an illustration. Roses can be propagated by either hardwood or softwood cuttings. Or root cuttings. Or air layers. Not one type of procedure for each type of plant. It depends on the condition of the wood you are trying to perpetuate.

Gloria I searched for the Cellu Wet from Griffin Laboratories, Valdosta Georgia. I can not seem to find the stuff. Did You have any luck?
I did read up on the Hard and soft wood cutting . I am going to give it another shot but I wanted to try that Cellu Wet.
Since it takes some time for these cuttings to get going.
The one particular plant I have I do not know the name. There are hundreds of varities of Cammellias out there. And I really like this particular one. So I am anxious to get one started.

katrun: I have not used cellu-wet. this is apparently a commercial wetting agent.
what you need is a rooting compound that contains IBA (indolebutyric acid) and NAA (a-napthaleneacetic acid). Some people favor Dip N Grow which includes a wetting agent. it is the rooting compound that stimulates the plant to produce roots. Another brand name is Hormex Liquid. As in Mike's post of March 9.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/plantid/all/

If you have a photograph of the plant you need to identify, you can post it here.

Mike,

Here's an updated picture of my 2 cuttings happily living under my cut off bottle "greenhouses". See the leaves growing? I wrote you about that.

I put bigger (2L.) cut off bottles over the 4" pots as the plant's leaves were sitting against the sides of the plastic.

Here's a picture of the whole bush--finally blooming. Seems there was no problems with all the yukky leaves I sent you pictures of.

Everything is OK as far as I can tell....

Gita

One more question.......

Should I keep the cuttings under the bottle inside or can I put them outside? If I put them outside, I will make sure they are in total shade.

Otherwise, they will stay right where they are, on a shelf by my sunny window. Maybe I shouldn't mess with what seems to be working....

Gita

Gitagal: If you are past freezes, and having spring weather a shady spot out side should be fine. It needs to acclimate to the outdoors. Just make sure it doesn't dry out, or stay too wet and get moldy.

Also, you may be able to ID your parent plant at plant ID.

Gita, I would move the "liter domes" outside, in the shade, and keep watch that it is not too dry, or wet.They are looking good.Mike

Mike, Please keep us posted! I have to camellias in water now . I figured there was no hope on getting them going. You have inspired us all that it can be done. I have new growth on mine and then they got all moldy and after I removed the plastic. It did not do well.
I am very anxious to see how your do this summer!
Good Luck.

Kathryn

Kathryn, you need to scar the bottom 1", and dip in in rooting harmone, (the best being "dip & grow"), and place it in a humid dome, and a 2 litre bottle works well.Put 60% sand, and 40% peat, in the bottom 1/3 of the bottle, mist well, cover the "litre dome", with the other 2/3s of the bottle, (leave top off), place in the shade, (full shade), and mist every day, with a fine mist spray bottle, and that should take care of things. Please feel free to D-mail me if necessary, I love to see plant life develope. Mike

I will try it again with 2 different type of Cameillas. I also have to order that Dip and Grow online. Only one place carrys that particular product and its not near . I will take pictures and post. It so helpful and interesting to see the plant life grow.

Notice: Gita is the same zone as me.
Curious to see How her comes along.