What Type of Soil is Best for Camellias?

kathleen williams
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May 31, 20100 found this helpful

Camellia growers seldom get into trouble from using organic soil amendments such as peat, well rotted sawdust or bagasse. Frequently it is desirable to supplement these organics with mineral fertilizer or to add other organics such as cottonseed meal.

A mixture that has worked well on neutral to slightly alkaline soils is made up of 5 parts (by weight) of cottonseed meal, 3 parts of superphosphate, and 2 parts of sulphate of potash. This mixture became quite popular and was commonly but erroneously been called a 5-3-2 mixture; actually it is more nearly a 3-6-12 mixture that is, contains about 3 per cent nitrogen, 6 per cent phosphoric acid and 12 per cent potash.

Even this formula should be used in small quantities not over 2 pounds to each 100 square feet once each year, usually about six weeks before the approximate date when growth starts. In the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast sections new growth begins, in normal seasons, about March 15, so that the fertilizer should he applied about February 1 to 15. No hard and fast rule can be laid down, however, and it may be necessary to increase or decrease the dosage of either fertilizer to meet individual soil requirements.
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