Camellia sinensis

Care to join me in a cup of tea?  .... In a few years ....

I've not had much luck finding an economical source for a plant or cuttings; so I ordered seeds.  And those are some huge seeds.  Pictured is one of the many hybrid camellia bushes around here.  Neighbor planted a whole bunch years ago.  Mother nature tends to them.  They are lovely this time of year.

I'm going to follow this Camellia sinensis seed germinating guide.

Update!  Florida has a nice Tea Growing in the Home Landscape Guide.

"Germinating Tea Seeds (Camellia sinensis)

Use freshly harvested seeds. Soak them in water for 24 hours. You may want to use a bag made of cheesecloth to help submerge the seeds. After the soaking, empty the bag into the water and use a strainer to separate the “floaters” from the “sinkers.” Use the sinkers as your primary batch for sowing. The floaters, which may germinate but could become weaker plants, should be labeled as such and separated for follow-up growth observation.

Spread the seeds on a tarp or a plastic nursery flat in full sun and keep them moist with frequent sprays of water. Plant seeds that after a day or two have developed a crack in the seed coat. Sow the seed with its “eye”(the hilum) in a horizontal position (parallel to the surface of the medium). Bury it under 1 inch of medium.

Use a medium that has good drainage. Coarse vermiculite has both excellent moisture-holding capacity and good drainage. Keep newly planted seeds under shade(shadecloth rated 80%), and keep the medium moist. Seeds will germinate in about 1–2 months.

After three to four leaves have developed, the roots should be fairly well established. Move plants to 30– 40% shade. You may apply a few granules of slow-release fertilizer (e.g., Nutricote 13-13-13 or 18-6-8) and a light dose (half the strength recommended on the label) of a foliar fertilizer formulated for “acid-loving plants.” Soluble formulations for azalea, camellia, gardenia, and rhododendron are suitable and usually have NPK in the ratio 3:1:1 (e.g., 30-10-10, 21-7-7), plus micronutrients.

As the seedling develops, gradually move it to full sun in preparation for transplanting when it is about 1 foot tall.

References and further reading
Feathers, D.L., and M.H. Brown (eds.). 1978. The camellia, its history, culture, genetics, and a look into its future development.
American Camellia Soc. R.L. Bryan Co., Columbia, S. Carolina. Wilson, K.C., and M.N. Clifford (eds.). 1991. Tea cultivation to consumption.Chapman & Hall, London.
Zee, F., et al. 2003. Small-scale tea growing and processing in Hawaii. Univ. of Hawai‘i, CTAHR publication NPH-9."

Out of 30 seeds; after 48 hours of soaking; 2 sinkers the rest floaters.  Sigh .....

I just love my recycled clamshells.  So good at keeping moisture on seeds.  These are setting on a deep bed of coarse vermiculite; because the seeds would not stay damp just setting out.  See those big ole seeds?  Those are the Camellia sinensis seeds.

Notice baby radish plants sticking their little heads up to the left!

Now, just wait patiently.   Very patiently.  And read up on how to make our own tea.  And keep buying tea for now.  My neighbor came out to admire the first bloom on one of his rare hibiscus.  Neighbor is into propagating rare and unusual tropicals.  He looked down at the tag on the plant, and said "I started this from seed in 2008 and this is the first bloom"  Wowzers.  He also said out of 400 seeds  he purchased at $2 a seed he now has 20 plants.  Double wowzers.

I have started sweet potato slips.  Well, started the process that is.  I bought a package of organic Florida grown sweet potatoes, let them sit inside for a long time.  Now, I have moved them out to the starter bench and have them laying in trays of shallow water,  I roll them and mist them.  They are starting the very tiniest of roots.

The process, if I understand it correctly is that once a root is going gang busters you remove it from the potato (leaving a bit of the potato attached) and put it in a cup of water to grow some more.  Keeping all inside until you have very warm weather.  Around these parts that is typically late May.

Why didn't I think of that Department!*

I have abysmal luck getting sweet alyssum seeds started in ground.   But, I really want it growing in the part sun gardens.  Finally, I experienced an Eureka!  moment.  Scatter a few seeds in each of the starter cups that are destined for the part sun gardens. 



* a new sub-feature of Seedy Saturday's here with the Imps - as I illustrate the power of the dormant brain cell

Drop on by Dave's Place to see what he and others are up to on this Seed Sowing Saturday.