The primary time I walked previous a camellia bush, I actually did a double take.
I turned to the buddy I used to be strolling with and requested in the event that they knew what the heck this beautiful creature was.
A fast journey to the nursery after that, and I used to be on my strategy to rising my very own magnificence.
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I quickly discovered fertilizing is without doubt one of the important components of rising a shrub that makes heads flip.
You need to feed your vegetation if you would like them to carry out. If you happen to do it proper, you’ll be richly rewarded.
The method is all about timing and figuring out your baseline to start, beginning with a stable basis – and understanding of the soil.
That’s what this information goals to show gardeners. To that finish, we’re going to debate the next:
Tips on how to Fertilize Camellias
Camellias are gradual growers and heavy feeders.
Whereas they will survive with out fertilizer, notably within the case of older, extra established vegetation, they are going to bloom and develop significantly better in the event you feed them.
Even when you’ve got pretty wholesome soil and also you mulch repeatedly with well-rotted compost, it’s possible that your soil doesn’t have sufficient vitamins to maintain heavy feeders like camellias completely happy.
You don’t wish to over-fertilize both, nevertheless. That results in spindly, leggy progress that breaks simply.
Selecting a Fertilizer
There are many granular fertilizers on the market made for acid-loving, woody shrubs like azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias.
You may depend on these in case your soil is pretty balanced in vitamins already and in case your soil is the right pH for these vegetation.
Bear in mind, these vegetation desire barely acidic soil with a pH of round 6.0 to six.5.
Dr. Earth’s Acid Lovers mix is right, notably for older, well-established vegetation that don’t want something particular. Plus, it’s Non-GMO Venture verified if that’s essential to you.
Amazon carries this product in one-, four-, and 12-pound luggage.
If you happen to’re like most individuals, you in all probability don’t know what sorts of vitamins your soil has in it already.
It’s simple to imagine that you just’re ranging from a impartial baseline when, in actuality, your soil is poor in nitrogen and excessive in phosphorus, for instance.
If you happen to had been to feed with a balanced fertilizer, you’d be losing cash on vitamins your vegetation don’t want and lacking out on ones they do.
The answer is to check your soil. You don’t have to do that usually. Doing it each few years provides you with a good suggestion of what’s happening.
It doesn’t must be costly, both. You should buy a soil check equipment or you’ll be able to ship some soil off to your native extension workplace they usually’ll offer you rundown on the dietary make-up.
When you obtain your outcomes, you are able to do what’s required to steadiness your soil, whether or not that entails making amendments to vary the pH or working in additional of 1 explicit nutrient.
After that’s performed, you’ll be able to flip to that good previous camellia fertilizer we talked about above.
When to Feed Camellias
Ideally, you need to feed your vegetation two instances a 12 months – as soon as after the blooms have largely light, and as soon as once more in midsummer to present them a lift as they start to develop the flower buds for subsequent 12 months’s present.
The precise timing will range relying on the place you reside and which sort you might be rising, so observe your personal plant slightly than counting on the calendar because the chief indicator.
When the flowers are largely light, feed your vegetation. Then, if you see the very starting of buds growing, feed once more.
Fertilizing Suggestions
The precise course of will range relying on the kind of fertilizer you’re utilizing.
Generally, you’ll wish to rake away any mulch that you just’ve put in place and apply the granules spanning an space from simply exterior the trunk to the sting of the drip line.
Then reapply your mulch and water properly.
Once more, it depends upon the producer’s instructions, however you’ll wish to unfold out a few quarter of a cup per mature plant.
Give the Proper Meals on the Proper Time
Cautious feeding is crucial in younger specimens versus mature ones, to assist them develop a powerful construction that can preserve them wholesome for years to return.
However established vegetation want vitamins too. It’s simple to neglect about feeding your bushes once they’re mature and blossoming simply high-quality, however your camellias will look so significantly better in the event you take this further step.
Is that this your first 12 months sustaining your camellia vegetation? Or are you simply on the lookout for a refresher on the way to give these beauties the issues they should thrive?
Share the small print of your journey with us within the feedback under. We’re all at totally different factors within the course of and it’s good to have the ability to chat about what we’ve discovered.
In case you are simply starting, you would possibly discover a few of our different camellia rising guides helpful. Listed here are just a few to get you began:
