How to Grow Gorgeous Camellias From Cuttings

When Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, died, a large spray of camellias from her personal garden was placed on top of her coffin, symbolizing the love she had for this fabulous plant. As a matter of fact, she grew them in all of her gardens, so it was certainly fitting to place one close to her when she died.

If you have a camellia shrub that you would like to "clone," this article will show you how to do it.

1. A healthy camellia bush that you would love to duplicate
2. Very sharp, sterile cutting instrument (clippers, knife)
3. Peat pots
4. Potting soil
5. Rooting hormone
6. Heating pad (optional)
7. Plastic wrap
8. Spray bottle filled with water for misting

When I first saw a camellia shrub, I didn't know what it was, and went to a nursery, looking at every plant they had in an attempt to find out what it was...you know, without acting dumb and resorting to "asking" someone. The reason I was so curious about the shrub is that it was absolutely stunning, even with no flowers on it. I immediately started reading everything I could on the plant, especially how to duplicate the gorgeous one that was growing in our yard!

Here's what I discovered:

Camellias are very slow to grow, so the cloning method outlined in this article may not be your cup of tea. You'll want to get a very sharp cutting instrument (I use sharp, sterile clippers, but I guess a knife or scissors would work just fine). Make your cut from new growth only (summertime is best) and the cutting only needs to be about three or four inches long, just below a leaf and a few nodes. (I taper the cut at the bottom in order to give the plant more room from which to root.) Then, cut off all the leaves on the bottom half of the cutting, leaving only a few at the very top.

The reason you take the cuttings from new growth is that they will root much easier, and since this plant is a slow grower anyway, I always feel the need to do whatever I can do to speed things up a bit.

• Once you have your desired number of cuttings (cut several, in case some don't root), dip each one in a rooting hormone and place each one in a very small peat pot. I like to use a mixture of perlite, peat moss, Miracle Gro potting soil, and sometimes a little bit of sand if I have it. If you want to put several cuttings in one big container, that's okay too. Just make sure you plant them about two inches deep and leave about two to three inches of space between them.
• Your cuttings needs some leaf presence to continue photosynthesis, but camellia leaves tend to get in my way, so I cut off about two-thirds of each one. This will also keep the cutting from becoming dehydrated, as the entire leaf won't be hogging all the moisture.
• Now, learn the difference between the words moist and wet, because your camellia leaves that you have left at the top of the cutting would love for you to keep them moist. I do this by using a spray bottle and misting them pretty often. In one regard, they are like babies...they DON'T like to be wet!!! I have been known to place some type of waterproof cover on top of a heating pad, then put camellia plants on top of it (don't do this with a baby). They like a lot of bottom heat, so I like to oblige them.
• Finally, when the cutting is trimmed, dipped, potted, misted, watered lightly and placed on a heating pad, put a plastic cover over the top to keep in moisture. Next, wait for signs of life, and finally, transplant to your yard when the plant is big enough to no longer need hand-holding.

The little balls you find in your potting soil that look like tiny bits of Styrofoam are actually perlite. Perlite has a high water content that is formed by the hydration of obsidian and is a non-organic additive used to aerate the media. It occurs naturally and has an unusual property; it expands greatly when heated sufficiently, as it is an amorphous volcanic glass. When heated to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit it will pop very much like popcorn and expand to several times its original size, which results in an incredibly lightweight material.

• Do use a rooting hormone.
• Do mist them often, but don't keep them wet.
• Once you transplant your shrub to your yard, keep the soil around the plant very acidic.
• Make sure, if you use a heating pad for bottom heat to turn it on the lowest possible setting, and to completely cover it with something waterproof, so when there is drainage of water you won't get electrocuted, which is a pretty scary thought if you think about it.