Hi savy4 , i am pretty sure its not a seeding the leaves look to big for that size of plant to be a seedling i would say more like a air layering as to a cutting! as Michelia champaca is not easy to strike from cutting! and if its either of them and from a mature plant you will soon know as it should flower from 1-2 years but if its a seedling i am afraid it can take any where up to 10years before it flowers. Only transplant it to a larger pot if it really needs it! best not to disturb the roots to much as it has already been stressed plus a larger pot could mean excess soil so more likely to stay damp longer! (unless the plant looks unhealthy to you if so then knock out the pot and check the roots) Champaca likes a nice open free drainage soil "leafmold, osmunda fiber (orchid mix is OK), perlite, azalea/camellia-type potting soil, composted pine needles, and horticultural coconut coir (coir poses far less danger from overwatering than water-retentive peat moss). The cutting does look a little droopy might just be from being in the post! i would not give it to much sun at the moment maybe morning or evening sun and i would also spray or mist the leaves. Here is a link you can read on Michelias
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/fragrant/2005034256008093.html
and i know there are a few other ppl with this beautiful plant here who might be able to help :)
Wish you all the best with your Michelia

Hi fragrant, the plant was in a one gallon pot. And the seller repot it into a 4 inch pot for shipping purpose. So, I don't know when to repot it. Should I give it some time to adjust to the new enviroment also wait for the weather to be warmer. Because right now the weather is unstable to repot anything. One day cold one day hot.

Thanks Savy4

Yours does look to be a rooted cutting. I bought from the same seller earlier this year and mine is a rooted cutting. You can tell by looking at the base of the roots during repotting (if you bare-rooted it).

If your temp is above 55F you can repot it now. Use a larger pot and a free draining mix. Michelia is really easy to grow so don't worry too much. Post pic when yours flowers!!! : )

Yes!

In the beginning, your CUTTING will look like garbage and may even look like it's going to die, maybe loose a leaf or two, but if you learn to give it a good start in a well draining mix just like the very helpful friends above stated, it will thrive!

Let me take a picture of mine that looked just like yours that I got 3 weeks ago since I repotted it. I love this plant! You didn't happen to order an orange flowering one, did you? That is what mine is.

Mine was the color of yours and now look at the darker green it's becoming in a very well draining 5.1.1 mix.
See the new growth at the tips already?

Here you go:

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Hi Mike,
I repot the plant into the 5:1:1 mix like you have mention last night. I bareroot the plant then I put into the ceramic pot. I don't know if mine is a yellow or an orange but the seller keep saying a golden michelia alba. And from the picture that I saw online it was an orange. I don't know where you order yours from but I order mine from the nursery in CA. The seller keeping on insisting that his plant is from a cuttings. So, I hope that it is. Oh, one more thing I also bareroot my michelia alba that I bought from last year into a 5:1:1 also I put they both I hope they do fine. And today I'm gonna change my gardenia in a the same mix. This is my first time to put any plant into a 5:1:1 mix. I'm keeping my finger cross that mix works fine for these plants. Because I went through alot of process preparing the mix. I can't wait to see the end results. And I hope my plants looks like yours Mike because your plant looks great. I was hoping that you would give me some advice. And you did. You told me last year to change my alba into a 5:1:1 mix but I didn't understand but now I do. Thanks alot for your help.

Savy

Hi Kemistry,
Here's the picture of my plant. Do you know if this plant is the same as michelia champaca? Because the seller keep on saying its a golden michelia alba. And I don't know if it is the same or not. And he also said the smell is not very good at all but I insisted on buying it because I want to know the different smell between the alba and the champaca.
Savy

There is no such plant as the "golden michelia alba" you have Michelia champaca which has orange/golden flowers and is used in the most expensive perfume fragrance in the world Joy and Michelia Alba which is believed to be a cross between Michelia Champaca and Magnolia Montana (so you could say there is a white version of champaca) you will not know until it flowers! Do not worry about fragrance if it is either they both smell divine some ppl prefer the white alba some the orange champaca but like with all flowers you need the right atmospheric condition for them to be at there best! i find they give of there best fragrance on a warm humid evenings

Hi Fragrant,
Thank so much for clarification of the plant.

Savy

I agree with fragrant2008 but just an additional note: there is a yellow michelia abla that comes out of Thailand. There is, as we have discussed, the regular michelia champaca, a michelia champaca var 'sinuan' (which is said to have a lighter scent) and a yellow michelia alba. I'm not familiar with any of them. Last year I bought a dwarf champaca from Thailand but unfortunately it didn't pass Customs so I hope the plants we bought are the regular michelia champaca. : )

Your plant is taller than mine savy. And yours looks great too Mike! : )

This post was edited by kemistry on Mon, Apr 22, 13 at 18:44

Hi Kemistry,
I bareroot my michelia alba the same night that I bareroot the champaca. And the next day I do the same thing to my gardenia they are all in the same mix 5:1:1. But it seems like the michelia alba is not doing so well like the other twos. What happend was when the plant Istarted some new sprouts thats when I decided to transplant the alba into the new mix. Before I transplant it the new growth of the plant seems to do the same thing like the new leaves just curl a little and it also feels soft. I don't know if I overwatered it or not. So, when I change it into the new mix it does the same thing too. But when I bareroot the plant the root system it seems to be fine there is no root rotting. See the picture of plant when it is bareroot. Then I will upload a another picture when it is into the mix about 3 three days already. Can you please tell what's wrong with the plant? Why is it not happy like the other two.
Savy

And here is the picture of the plant when it is into the new mix for about 3 days already.
Savy

Not all the of the leaves do that. Just two to three leaves. I hope the plant survive the transplant process.

Savy

Hi Kemistry,
my michelia champaca seems to not growing after a 3 weeks of transplanting. So, I did a check up on the root system it to almost rot. And then I decided to do a transplant again into a new soil. This I'm not gonna water as much. The leaves of the plant seems to wilt then I water it. But what I didn't know was the wilting from over water not under water. So do you think my plant will bounce back after the new pot change. I hope it will.

Savy4

Savy ... 3 weeks is too early for new growths. I know you are eager and excited but you need to let the plant gets over the transplant shock/ new environment / shipping.

Just watch your watering, and slowly moving it into a sunny, spot. Are you using a clay pot? How big is your pot? How often did you water?

Savy..Your very welcome! Kemistry asked you some very good questions... You should be having GREAT success if the mix is made the way it should be.
Do you think the bottom of the pot is holding to many fine particles that way have made their way to the bottom? It happens if not careful.

Kemistry..Thank you for your kind comments!:"-_) I got the cutting today! I e-mailed you:-)

Mike

Hi Kemistry,

I put the plant into a clay pot of 10 inch. The thing about it is when I see the plant wilt I just watered it. And then the next thing I know is the is water logged. So, I took the plant apart then I see to much water. Then I decided to change into a new soil. Now I look this morning the plant looks wilting.

Savy4