We recently had some sewer pipes replaced and the plumber had to remove one of our forty-year old camellias. I’m wondering if I could start a new one using a cutting from one of the remaining camellias or would it be best to get one from a nursery?
Answer:
The simple answer is yes to both questions. It's really a judgment call on your part. If you decide to do cuttings, Camellia cuttings are taken in the late spring or early fall. You should take more cuttings than you actually need. The cuttings should be five or six leaves long and remove all the leaves except for the top three. The bottom of the cutting should be cut on a slant just below were a leaf attaches to the stem. Next dip the cuttings in a rooting hormone powder and stick them in a pre moisten six-inch or larger pot of potting soil. You can use a pencil to make the holes and they can be placed close to one another. The top of the pot is then covered with a plastic baggie to form a sort of mini greenhouse, trapping the humidity and place it outdoors where it gets morning sun. Every two weeks until Thanksgiving, mist the cuttings and remove any they have turned brown. The cuttings should have roots in eight to twelve weeks. The most vigorous cuttings are transplanted into individual pots and then transplanted in the landscape when they are big enought. My plan would be to root some cuttings now and see how successful that is. Then in the spring, I’d decide whether to continue growing on the cuttings or plant a more established plant from my favorite garden center.
Question:
Last year, I bought a blooming Gardenia at the grocery store. I have it growing indoors were it gets morning sun and lots of light. This year, I‘ve only had two blooms. All the other buds have turned black and dropped off. What can I do to keep the blooms from falling off?
Answer:
Gardenias are not the easiest plants to get to bloom. It’s not unusual for gardeners to have issues with the buds turning black and falling off both indoors and in the landscape. The primary cause for bud drop is nighttime temperatures below sixty degrees. With outdoor plants September through early November is the best blooming period. You have shorter days and warmer nights along with some humidly. Indoors you have better control on the temperature but its can get awful dry. So, you might want to place it on a saucer with pebbles and add a little water to raise the humidly. The water line should be below the bottom of the pot. Gardenias do not like to be disturbed so this can be an other reason for bud drop. So with container plants, keep them in one location, and move them as little as possible.
Note:
Gardenias found with the blooming plants at supermarkets and other retailers are usually grown under control conditions in a greenhouse while the landscape plants are grown under different conditions outdoors.
