Fertilizing your Camellias

Fertilizing is a task necessary in having healthy Camellias.  Once established, camellias need only minimal amounts of fertilizer to remain healthy.  Healthy camellias are less prone to disease and pests than unhealthy camellias. 

What you use depends on your time, your budget and the particular needs of your camellia.   Camellias have only a few basic needs - water, nutrients, oxygen, and room to grow. 

Here are a few basic tips to consider when fertilzing...

1.  Use only fertilizer that is formulated for Camellias or Acid Loving Plants.  If it doesn't say Camellias on the label, then you should not use it.   Hollytone™ is an excellent choice when feeding your camellias.

2.  Liquid feed works well ONLY if applied every 7-14 days.  Once per season is not enough and  you will see no effect.  Deep feeding with liquid feed is recommended. 

3. Make sure when you fertilize that your plant gets plenty of water.  Plants that are inadequately irrigated will benefit marginally from the nutrients and it could even cause damage.

4.  If your plants are mulched heavily, you may want to rake back the mulch, apply the fertilizer, then replace

5.  Timed release fertilizers such as Osmocote™ are recommended only for more established camellias planted in the ground.  They should be avoided on plants younger than 3 years due to the possibility of the fertilizer over-releasing due to temperature fluctuations. 

By providing adequate nutrients you will have beautiful camellias in no time at all!