Tis' Hunting Season

     I always look forward to the end of June and early July. Yes, it is hot as Hades here in Charleston, but it is also the start of hunting season. I don't need a gun, bow and arrow, or any other kind of weapon. My prey actually stands there and waits for me to come get it. I don't even have to worry about a messy cleanup after I find my target. No, it is not an animal I am hunting, it is Camellia Scion rooting season!
     Every year for the past 4 or 5 years, I have gone on an expedition in search of Camellias that I do not currently have in my collection, which is currently at 226. I know of a place that is prime hunting grounds and has hundreds of Camellias, some being planted as far back as the 1950's, possibly earlier.
It is a quite place and I love visiting it every year.
Want to see it?

Doesn't that look peaceful?
     Believe it or not, you are actually looking at some Camellias. I know what you are thinking, Camellias are shrubs, not trees.

Actually, as evidenced by this picture, they are small trees. Many of these have been planted for many, many years. 

     So, every year I trek into these peaceful surroundings, get my prey and bring it home to be processed. Yes, this type of hunting you have to process what you hunt too, it is just much neater.

     The trophies will look like this.

     You will want to take cuttings that are about 6-8 inches long, from healthy looking plants. The stem should be about 80% hardened off. Basically you can bend it, but it does not snap and has just starting turning brown. Tip cuttings are best, with buds at the base of most of the leaves. As you cut them, make SURE you write the name of the Camellia on the back of one of the leaves. A black sharpie permanent marker works best. You will NEVER be able to know which one is what, until they flower, if you don't mark them. Even then, it may not be as easy to ID as you think. If you carry them in a large Ziploc bag, with a few drops of water in there, it will keep the cuttings fresher. You will also want to do this in the morning, but is not an absolute necessity.

     So, you got your prey home. Ideally, you will already have the potting medium and propagation area ready. Pots, tags, water, soil, and pruners/scissors are all handy to have. After I get the cuttings home, I fill a bucket with a fungicide solution and let them soak, while I am prepping the others. 

     I start by having a small pot full of rooting medium which consists of 50% mesh pine bark mulch and 50% perlite. You can also use a 75% pine bark and 25% course builders sand. I then poke a hole in the center and place a label/tag in the pot so I know what it is. Trust me, even if you only stick ONE Camellia, you will forget what it is. Then I take one of the cuttings and make a 3-4 inch cutting of it, basically in half, so I now have two. Take all of the leaves off, except the top two, cut those two in half. Your cutting should now look like this.

Next, you will want to shave a small part of the bark off at the bottom, and cut the bottom at a slight angle.

This will allow more surface to be exposed and for the roots to come out.  Root hormone would be the next step. I prefer RootGel by Dyna-Grow, which you can find by clicking on the link at Amazon.

I prefer the gel over powder and even liquid, because it sticks to the cutting better than the liquid and does not have any drying properties of powder. Stick the cutting in the small hole you made, pack it in and water.

     The final product will look like this.

Now what?

Put the cuttings in a very high humidity environment. Keep the rooting bed in a shaded, wind protected area with good light intensity. Here is what I use. 

I keep the lights on a timer, they burn on and off for about 16 hours. The only moisture is the little bit that I put in when I watered the cutting in. Then, if they do happen to look a little dry, I will give it a few mists of water. You can also do this outdoors, I just prefer indoors because it is easier to control light and humidity and temperature.

     Under ideal, perfect conditions, rooting should take place in 1-1/2 to 2 months for most cultivars. Some may take longer, especially if your temperature is way above, or below, 70 degrees. See why I like doing mine inside?  A rooted cutting should start to bloom in one to two years, dependent upon the particular cultivar, and how good your horticultural practices are. 

     Does this seem like a lot of work? Yes, to some degree. However, the reasons you would want to do something like this are:

1) It is a heck of a lot cheaper to start your own plants than to buy them.

2) If you have a good source, you can find many more cultivars than are usually on the market.

3) The satisfaction of just doing it!

Besides, there is ALWAYS room for one more plant! Just look

See that spot over there by the green garden hose? LOTS of room! LOL     

     I hope you decide to try this very easy way to propagate Camellias. Even if you don't want to have a huge collection, but have a favorite one, you can multiply that one.....or sell them!!

I am always up for some Camellia cutting swapping, just touch base with me and we will see what we can work out. 

     As always, if you have any questions about this, or any of my other articles, please feel free to e-mail me at TheCitrusGuy@netzero.com. And don't forget to follow me on Facebook  

Happy Growing!

Darren

Shielded

This time of year, everybody gets busy, it goes with the season. For me, my Master Gardener duties tend to drop off significantly, though I am teaching the Citrus and fruit classes this week to the new class. Where I get really busy now is musically. I am the director of a local brass group and the Christmas season is probably our busiest time. The group does find time to have a Christmas party however, and that is where today's blog begins.
I have a dear couple that I have been friends with for many years, he plays French Horn in my group. I met them both at church back in the 80's. Mary has been asking me to come by and identify a plant in her yard for weeks, time just never seemed to be on my side. She sent me some pictures, but I couldn't make a positive ID that way. Well, the group was discussing the idea of having a Christmas party, but we had no idea of where to have it. Mary graciously offered to have it at their house. Perfect!
I could finally get over to ID this mystery plant. I figured it would be easy because the nursery I work at delivered many of the plants used in that sub-division. Then I got worried, what if I couldn't figure out what it was?!
Well, luckily, I knew the name. It was Strobilanthes dyerianus or better known as Persian Shield.



Persian shield is native to Myanmar (formerly called Burma). It is considered an evergreen in Zones 9-11, here in my Zone 8 the frost will get it, but it does come back, especially if planted in a protected area or mulched well. The plant has soft (not woody) stems which are square in cross section.
It lists as getting 3-4 feet tall with a 2-3 foot spread. I have seen the spread, but not the height, probably because of the cold.
The leaves are variegated dark green and silvery-metallic purplish-pink on top and all purple underneath. If this wasn't pretty enough, as a side note it also flowers. They are funnel-shaped, pale violet, and arranged on short spikes.



This plant thrives in humid climates. It prefers rich, well drained soil, but can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. I mentioned that it can get to be 4 feet tall. When it does, it has a tendency to fall over. To avoid toppling over, pinch it back a few times in the first half of the growing season. This will induce branching and create a thicker, bushier foliage. Maybe THAT is why I have never seen any that tall, people pinching back their plants.
You will want to keep your Persian Shield out of direct mid-day sun in the Summer. It does best with direct sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. It will do well in partial shade, but will have better color as long as it gets lots of bright indirect light. It can be kept as a houseplant, but it is difficult to maintain since it needs bright light, high humidity, and warm temperatures. It will do well as a container plant outside, just remember, it will need more water. Persian Shield is not at all drought tolerant and should be watered before the soil dries out. Feed about every two to three weeks with a water soluble fertilizer.
When it comes to pests, they are prone to Mealy Bug problems. If you are lucky the natural enemies of mealies will assist you in their eradication. If not, an insecticidal soap will work just fine. Please make sure to follow the label directions.
Okay, lets just say you have fallen in love with this plant, not hard to do so far huh? You have one or know of somebody that has one and you want more. Never fear, more plants are as close as a pair of clippers. Persian Shield can be started from stem cuttings taken in Spring or Summer. If you have a place to do it, you can also take cuttings before the first frost gets it.
There are a couple of ways to do it. You will want to start with a cutting about 4 to 6 inches in length. Use sharp scissors, clippers or shears and make the cut 1/4 inch below a leaf node. A leaf node is the small swelling that is the part of the plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge.
The first way is to place the cuttings in some plain old water. With this method, you take a container such as a plastic cup. Fill it three quarters of the way with water. Cover with cling film and make a hole in the middle. Stick the cutting through the hole until it is in the water. In 3-4 weeks, you should have some pretty decent roots. I do not recommend this method. The roots that are formed are water roots and will have a harder time adapting to growing in soil. It will work and can be done, but you could have a higher percentage of failure however.
The preferred method is to take your cuttings as described above, dip them in a little root hormone and stick them in a mixture of one half peat and one half sand. Keep them in a warm, humid environment by placing them in a large plastic bag. Bright indirect light is everything else you need. The cutting should root within two to three weeks.
Persian Shield makes a wonderful contrast when planted in mass with a bunch of other plants such as Hosta and Coleus.



I hope you give this plant a chance, it might just be the "shield" you are looking for in that hard to grow anything shaded area.
Happy Growing!
Darren