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Growing camellia sinensis in Socal ? (Tea leaves plant)

7 years ago

A reputable nursery told me it was very hard growing camellia sinensis in the ground in this area. It wasn't growing at all in the pot so I decided to finally put it in the ground and its actually growing new leaves and doing well but then it must have had some sun damage from the 90F + weather these last few days. Some of the leaves are turning brown and dried up. I also heard it requires a lot of humidity. I have a piece of plastic drop cloth over it now to block direct sunlight to it and to help with humidity.

I really want to know if anyone else in the West coast has successfully grown the tea plant in ground. Any ideas ? Tips ?

Featured Answer

luis_pr

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I would make sure that it gets sun (during the summer months) from morning until 11am or so. My camellias (not sinensis, mind you) require moist soil as evenly as possible, shade from 11am or so and 1 gallon of water per watering in Spring and 1.5-2 gallons from May (90s here) thru September (100s).

I am not sure I would put a plastic drop cloth in contact with the shrub but, above or beside the shrub would be fine. There is also something 'shade cloth' for sale and you can use 30% shade cloth to provide shade to camellias, hydrangeas, azaleas, etc.

You may like this website by Camellia Forest Nursery:

http://www.teaflowergardens.com/growineg-tea.html

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Comments (6)

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Original Author
7 years ago
I can probably partially cover the tea plant so that it only gets morning sun. The cloth is hanging over the plant right now with no contact. Yes, you just reminded me about the shade cloth. I do have it and I might wait till the plant grows into something resembling a shrub before I change it out.

I can't seem to find many people growing tea plant on here and almost none on the west coast. Tea is one of the most popular beverage around the world. It's weird that people don't want to grow their own.
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The truth is that, oftentimes, camellias don't seem to take well to being grown inside. Birdinthepalm is a happy exception! It appears to be difficult to create the kind of atmosphere that they will thrive in. Particularly during the winter, when typical indoor humidity levels go way down inside. That, in combination with some improper watering practices (maybe?) could cause some real problems. A fast draining potting mix is always best for containerized plants, making over watering more difficult. If your medium drains properly, then you SHOULD water it to overflow each time, rather than giving it little sips. However, I've sure seen some soils that were mucky and soggy, and difficult to manage. Birdinthepalm explained it perfectly....they like being uniformly moist, but must never be overwatered! A fast draining mix makes that possible.
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As for hardiness, I have had a Camellia sinensis planted by a west-facing concrete porch for several years with no problem. I bought it from Burnt Ridge nursery in Onalaska WA. Sometimes their plants are small but the first one below says it is a gallon. They sell inexpensive seedling plants in a lot of fruit and nut trees. I'm still waiting for fruit on some small plants I bought from them after several years. Maybe some day... Nice people, family business. http://landru.myhome.net/burntridge/ornament.html TEA BREEZE - A dark green leafed selection. Widely cultivated for tea. Hardy to zone 7. Grown in gallon pots, about 3 ft. tall. Multi branched $15.00 ea. BLUSHING MAIDEN - A pink flowered selection, otherwise similar to Tea Breeze. Grown in gallon pot, about 12-18" tall. Multi branched $15.00 ea.
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Hi lil tomato, I didn't look to see exactly where in Texas you are, but camellias can grow quite well in certain areas of Texas. If you're lucky enough to be in the eastern portion of the state with some acid to your soil, I'd give it a go. If you do a search for "Camellia Society Texas" there are links for the Houston Camellia Society and Coushatta Camellia Society which could provide great specific cultural information for you to decide if it's worth trying where you are located. I'm waiting for cooler weather to add a large specimen C. sassanqua to the back side of my pool. I want mid-winter color. You, I presume, might actually be interested in harvesting the leaves? Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU Dr. Welch Camellia Article
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pic of the whole so we can see it all ... might get some good info in the houseplant forum on growing this as such ... when you took it from winter inside.. to your balcony ... was there any hardening off issues?? [guess based on name] yes.. the stress of moving it around could be a trigger ... but for sure.. its not mad at you ... and i doubt its a nutrition issue unless you have had it in the same pot for a long time.. but even so.. that wouldnt make spots... all the leaves would tend to be off color ... ken
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luis_pr
7 years ago
Probably because it is so easy to walk into a store and buy the tea. ;o)

It does require unique pruning because you want to develop a plant with a large number of branches that will develop a lot of leaves that you can then use for the tea. Many people also buy more than one plant for that same reason. I guess it depends on how much tea one is going to consume! Ha!
Parker Turtle
6 years ago
Tea camellias grow very easily in the Pacific Northwest. Camellias in general do not grow as well in Southern California, but once they get older and more established, if they're in a spot that gets a little shade, and they are kept watered in the Summer, they can do okay. In the 40s camellias were a lot more popular in Southern California, probably because there were a lot of people coming from other parts of the country including parts of the South (i.e. Georgia, South Carolina, etc.)
davidrt28 (zone 7)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
"Camellias in general do not grow as well in Southern California, but
once they get older and more established, if they're in a spot that gets
a little shade, and they are kept watered in the Summer, they can do
okay."

The Huntington Library and Garden in Pasadena had some of the largest and most spectacular camellias I'd seen. There are over 1000 cultivars there. It's also been named an "International Camellia Garden of Excellence", whatever that means.

However, big picture that must be remembered is it not a plant truly suited to the region. Camellias are from a climate of wet, monsoonal summers. CA clearly has a water supply problem that's only going to get worse. People planting things that need a lot of water there doesn't help.
PNW-Transplant
6 years ago
If you have hard water, then that might be an issue also since camellias need somewhat acidic soil.

https://water.usgs.gov/owq/hardness-alkalinity.html

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