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Growing Camellias from Seed
Last Updated: 03/13/2009
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For many years, camellia growers have planted camellias from seed. In fact, most of the new varieties that we have today are the result of camellia seedlings. Seedlings from a particular camellia variety do not grow up to be identical to their parent, but in contrast will be a new variety. Camellias that are grown from cuttings are produced by asexual propagation, so they will be an exact replica of the plant that they came from, but it is a whole different story when it comes to camellias grown from seed. Camellia seedlings are the result of sexual propagation, so there is more than one parent involved. Most camellias are generally considered to be self-infertile. What this means is that they can not be pollinated with their own pollen. If there is a seed, then generally, there will be genetic variation in the seedling. Although this may seem a little confusing at first, growing seedlings is one of the most interesting and exciting facets of camellias. It’s like raising children, and wondering what they will turn out to be. It can take as little as 3-4 years to see a seedling bloom for the first time, or as long as 10-12 years, so patience is a necessary characteristic for anyone wanting to grow camellia seedlings.
Most of the camellia varieties that are grown in our gardens today come from one of four species which are Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua, Camellias reticulata, or Camellias saluenensis. Although there are over 250 species of camellias in the world, most of the varieties that we have to be concerned with will come from these four species. When a flower is pollinated by the “Birds & Bees” or by a camellia hybridizer, a small seed will form where the flower was located if the pollination was successful. This small seed will continue to grow over period of time until it is mature, and then the seed pod will crack open. Most seed pods on Camellia japonica will mature in July or August in the Savannah area, while most seed from Camellias sasanqua will not crack open until August or September. It is important that anyone interested in planting camellia seeds keeps a close eye on their seed pods as time gets closer for the seed to ripen.
When a seed pod ripens and cracks open, there are small black seed inside the green hull. The number of seed can vary from one seed to eight or nine depending on the variety. It is important that the small camellia seeds do not dry out after the seed pods have cracked. If you are planting camellia seed, you can either plant the seed immediately, or can store the seed for planting later. Let’s think about what happens in nature to camellia seed if we humans leave well enough alone. A camellia seed pod will mature sometime in late summer or early fall, and naturally crack open. The seed inside the hull will eventually fall out of the hull onto the ground beneath the plant. Assuming that squirrels or other animals do not find the camellia seed, the seed will stay in the soil beneath the original plant for a period of time before germinating. Usually, the seed will naturally go through the winter in the seed coating on the ground, and then germinate the following spring. The cooler temperature supplied by the winter months will chill the seed and actually help the seedlings to grow off to be stronger plants during the following year when they germinate. If you decide decide to not plant the seed immediately, a good idea would be to store the seed in a refrigerator for a period of time in moist peat moss to simulate this cooling condition that occurs in nature. A simple way to accomplish this would be to use some peat moss that is found at your local garden center. Soak the peat moss over night in water. Squeeze out all excessive water from the peat moss, and place a small amount of this moist peat moss in a zip-lock plastic bag. Place the camellia seed in the peat moss and seal the bag. Label the bag with any relevant information such as the date harvested, number of seed in the pod, variety that the seed came from, etc. Place the seed inside the zip-lock plastic bag in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks to chill. To be sure the seed do not likely rot in the moist environment, the seed planter may wish to soak the seed in solution of 90% water and 10% household bleach prior to placing them in the peat most and bag.
After 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator, the seed can be planted in individual containers. I usually use small 4” pots that we have at the nursery, but most any small container will work. It is best to use a planting mix that will hold moisture, but at the same time will have good drainage. I use a planting mix that is mostly aged ground pine bark with a little sand mixed in. A slow release fertilizer can be given in moderation or a liquid fertilizer can be applied to the new seedlings on a periodic basis. After a year in the small container, the seedling can be up-potted to a larger container or planted in the garden.
Growing camellias from seed is one of the most interesting facets of camellia culture. It will take at least several years before you will see the results of your efforts, but this gives you plenty of time to imagine what your seedlings will look like when they bloom for the first time. Will the flowers have large red, semi-double blooms, or will they be white, formal doubles? Will your seedling bloom early season or late season? Will your seedling be good garden variety, or will it be a good camellia show winner? You will have plenty of time to ponder these questions as you wait for your seedling to finally bloom. Most seedlings will be similar to other camellia varieties that have already been named and registered. What you are looking for with camellia seedlings is that seedling that is different and improved. A seedling that has a flower that looks almost exactly like another camellia variety is not necessarily a bad thing. If your seedling has a plant that grows better or blooms at a different time than the variety that it is similar to, then you may wish to name your seedling and register it with the American Camellia Society. With camellia seedlings, you never know what you will end up with, but it is always fun anticipating the results.
The most exciting aspect of growing a camellia seedling is the few days leading up to the first bloom. You will see the bud beginning to swell, so you can finally know the color of the bloom. As the bud gets larger and begins to open, you can see the form emerging. Finally, the bloom is completely open after years of anticipating, and you can see the results of your work. Your seedling may or may not be a great new variety, but it will always be exciting to you. If you have not planted camellia seed before, now is the time to begin a wonderful journey that will lead to years of anticipation and excitement.
Gene Phillips, Savannah GA
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