The camellia needs a lot of nutrients to develop its magnificent blossom. Everything you need to know about fertilizing camellias is here.

The gracefulness of camellia blossoms is as enchanting today as it was 250 years ago

The sight of camellias (Camellia) exudes an air of the past. Of elegantly dressed ladies strolling through their stately palace garden and of elegant gentlemen stepping out of a carriage. Camellias were once reserved for the nobility of Europe and were a status symbol of roy alty. To this day, camellias, also known as winter roses, have lost none of their noble and magnificent appearance. A he althy camellia is the pride of every camellia owner. Camellia flowers appear early in the year, often when the snow is still on the ground. Then the plants transform into veritable seas of flowers. However, in order for the camellia to have the strength to offer this flowering wonder, it needs sufficient nutrients and must be fertilized.

Fertilize camellia: the right time

When the flowers have fallen and the plant needs to put all its nutrients into young greens, it's time to fertilize the camellia. This is the case from March, depending on when your camellia blooms. Due to the lush flowering, the plant has lost a lot of nutrients, but needs new ones to feed the fresh shoots. So observe when your camellia shows its first young shoots and then start fertilizing. During this period of growth, the flowers for the coming year are also set. However, so that the young shoots and buds mature in time, you should not fertilize longer than mid-July.

The right fertilizer: what should you fertilize camellias with?

Since camellias have to build up a large amount of biomass with their flowering splendor, they need a lot of nitrogen. Commercially available rhododendron fertilizer is ideal here. This has a lot of nitrogen and relatively little phosphate, which can quickly have a harmful effect on camellias in too high a dose. But it doesn't matter whether the fertilizer is called rhododendron fertilizer or not, because it depends on the content. Make sure that the composition of the fertilizer is close to the following ratio:Nitrogen (N) 3: Phosphorus (P) 1: Potassium (K) 2.

Camellias need a lot of nutrients to develop their full beauty

Regardless of which fertilizer you choose, the sensitive plants should never be over-fertilized. Although the period of fertilization between May and the end of July is only short, over-fertilization can lead to severe damage to the plant. In addition, camellias then tend to form unsightly long shoots and their susceptibility to disease increases.

Fertilize camellia primarily organically: Application recommendation

Camellias are excellent for organic fertilizers. This also minimizes the risk of over-fertilization as the nutrients from organic matter are released slowly and rather gradually. Organic fertilizers such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 6:3:4 are best suited. You should apply this fertilizer right at the beginning of the budding.

You should always be careful with camellia manure, as it contains significantly more potassium than nitrogen. However, camellias need nitrogen in particular, while other nutrients are harmful in excessive amounts. Compost is therefore more suitable. You can work these into the soil at the beginning of the sprouting.

It works with the right care: This camellia near Dresden is more than two hundred years old and still has plenty of flowers

Since camellias like it sour, you can give them some leaf compost in addition to the mainly organic fertilizer. Alternatively, you can also put the autumn leaves of other trees directly under the tree as a layer of mulch. This not only acidifies the soil, but also protects against the cold in winter. But be careful: the leaves of walnut trees are not suitable because they contain substances that are toxic to many other plants, including camellias.

Fertilize camellia with minerals

Care should be taken when fertilizing camellias with mineral fertilizers. The plants react sensitively to high concentrations of nutrient s alts. It is therefore important to use a fertilizer that comes close to the nutrient ratio of 3:1:2. Otherwise there is a risk of leaf necrosis and, in the long term, the plant will die. So it is better to use rhododendron fertilizer. To avoid over-fertilization, halve the amount given for rhododendrons.

Fertilize camellia with home remedies

Coffee grounds as fertilizer are currently experiencing growing popularity among plant lovers and hobby gardeners, and rightly so. It occurs free of charge in almost every householdand has excellent fertilizing properties. If you are not a coffee drinker, you can simply ask in a café. The nutrient ratio of coffee grounds is well suited to camellias. In addition, coffee grounds have an acidifying effect on the soil, which benefits the camellias. It is important to note, however, that you should not fertilize coffee grounds in large quantities, although the nutrient content is generally not particularly high. The proportion of nitrogen is just 2%. For this reason, you should not only rely on coffee grounds, but rather see them as a supplement. This allows you to save fertilizer while making sure the pH doesn't rise too much.

Coffee grounds make a wonderful fertilizer

Fertilize camellia at a glance:

  • Fertilization period between the beginning of budding after flowering and the end of July
  • Fertilisers with an NPK ratio close to 3:1:2
  • Predominantly organic fertilizer like our Plantura organic universal fertilizer
  • Organic Fertilizer: Compost, Rhododendron Fertilizer
  • Mineral fertiliser: Half the amount of rhododendron fertilizer
  • Acid environment: physiologically acidic fertilizer, foliar compost or fall leaves, coffee grounds

In order for your camellia to keep its shape, it is worth pruning it from time to time. You can find out when and how you should do this in our special article on pruning camellias.

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Trees