Gadenin日本語Get the appSemi-ripe cuttings are the method that works
Take cuttings from mid to late summer, once the spring growth flush has firmed but before the wood goes fully hard. The test is simple: bend a shoot, and if it is floppy it is too soft, if it snaps cleanly it is too old, and if it bends with resistance and springs back it is ready. That window usually lasts three or four weeks and it is worth checking the plant every few days rather than picking a date.
Choose shoots from the current season's growth on the outside of the plant, in good light, with short internodes. Soft shaded growth from inside the shrub roots less readily and grows into a weak plant. Avoid shoots that are already carrying flower buds, which will divert the cutting's energy at exactly the wrong time.
Sasanquas root more readily than most camellias, but they still take time. Expect six to twelve weeks to root at soil temperatures around 70F (21C), and considerably longer if you are working without bottom heat. Do not disturb them to check. Tugging a cutting to see whether it has rooted breaks the first fragile roots more often than it tells you anything.
- Cut in the early morning Take shoot tips four to six inches (10 to 15 cm) long into a bag with a damp paper towel. Cuttings taken in afternoon heat have already lost water they cannot replace and root far less well. Prepare them within an hour.
- Trim to two or three leaves Cut cleanly just below a node, leaving a cutting three to four inches (8 to 10 cm) long. Strip the lower leaves and cut the remaining ones in half across the blade, which cuts water loss without removing the plant's ability to feed itself.
- Wound the base Slice a shallow strip of bark about half an inch (1 cm) long from one side of the base, down to the green layer beneath. Camellias root strongly from a wound, and this single step makes a visible difference to the strike rate.
- Dip and insert Dip the base in rooting hormone, tap off the excess, and push into a free-draining mix of equal parts acidic potting mix and perlite or sharp sand. Insert about an inch (2.5 cm) deep, firm gently, and space so leaves do not touch.
- Cover and keep warm Put the pot in a propagator or a clear bag held off the leaves by canes, in bright shade, never direct sun. Aim for 65 to 75F (18 to 24C) at the base. Ventilate for a few minutes every couple of days to prevent rot.
- Pot on the season after Once new growth appears and roots show at the drainage holes, harden off gradually over two weeks and pot into individual pots of acidic potting mix. Grow on in shelter for a full year before planting out.
Conditions that decide success
Three things determine whether a batch of cuttings roots: humidity around the leaves, warmth at the base, and drainage in the medium. Get all three and most cuttings take. Miss one and the batch rots or dries out, usually within the first fortnight.
Humidity keeps the cutting alive while it has no roots. A sealed propagator or bag holds it, but stagnant saturated air breeds botrytis, which is the commonest cause of a failed batch. The balance is a covered container that you open briefly every two or three days and wipe dry inside.
Bottom heat roughly halves the time to root. A heated propagator mat set to around 70F (21C) is the single most useful piece of equipment for this job. Without it, cuttings still root outdoors in a shaded cold frame, but expect to be waiting into the following spring.
| Requirement | Target | What goes wrong without it |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting maturity | Semi-ripe, bends and springs back | Soft wood collapses, hard wood never roots |
| Base temperature | 65 to 75F (18 to 24C) | Rooting stalls or takes twice as long |
| Humidity | High but ventilated every 2 to 3 days | Leaves shrivel, or gray mold takes the batch |
| Medium | Half acidic potting mix, half perlite or sharp sand | Waterlogging rots the cut base |
| Light | Bright shade, no direct sun | Cuttings cook inside the cover within hours |
Layering: slower, but almost certain
If you only want one or two new plants and you are not in a hurry, layering is more reliable than cuttings and needs no equipment at all. Choose a low, flexible branch that will reach the ground, wound the underside of it where it touches, dip the wound in rooting hormone, and peg it into a shallow depression filled with gritty acidic potting mix. Cover with two inches (5 cm) of the same mix and weigh it down with a stone.
Do this in spring and leave it alone for a full year, keeping the spot damp through summer. The following spring, scrape back the covering and check for roots. If the layer has rooted well, sever it from the parent, leave it in place for another few weeks to recover, then lift and pot it.
Air layering works on a plant with no low branches, using damp sphagnum moss wrapped in plastic around a wounded stem, but it demands more attention and is not obviously better than ground layering on a shrub that has branches near the soil.
Do not bother with seed unless you are deliberately breeding. Sasanqua seedlings do not resemble the parent, they take five to seven years to flower for the first time, and the results are usually inferior. Every plant you buy or admire was propagated vegetatively for that reason.
Keep a record of each batch
Label every batch with the date taken and the parent plant, and write down the base temperature you were running and the medium you used. When one batch strikes at eighty per cent and the next at ten, the difference is nearly always one of those variables, and without a note you will be guessing.
Record the date you first saw new growth too, not just the date you potted up. New growth on a covered cutting is the first honest sign of rooting, and knowing how many weeks it took under your own conditions tells you when to start checking next year rather than disturbing them early.