How to Care for the Camellia Debutante

Plant camellia debutantes in well-drained, moist soil that is slightly acidic. Place your plant in an area with dappled or filtered morning sun.

Water regularly during the first growing season to ensure your camellia establishes an extensive growing system. Camellias like consistently moist, well-drained soil, so only water as much as the soil will absorb. These plants will die in standing water.

Apply organic mulch, such as wood chips, to a depth of 2 to 3 inches around your camellia, but avoid allowing it to touch the trunk. This will aid in retaining moisture and enhancing the soil structure as it decomposes.

Apply a dry, acidic fertilizer, such as cottonseed meal, around the drip line after blooming, and water to push it through the mulch bedding. The cottonseed will break down slowly while watering, which helps to provide a slow feeding. Camellia debutantes prefer a pH of 6 to 6.5, and a nitrogen range of between 5 and 7 percent. Cottonseed meal is organic and has a nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of 6-3-1, which is ideal. The nitrogen within it is not readily available for your plant to use, so the risk of nitrogen burn is reduced.

Repeat feeding in about 6 to 8 weeks. Often, camellia debutantes require only one feeding in April.

Stop feeding well before September to allow your plant to use up what is left in the soil before dormancy. When dormant, it will require a different fertilizer for feeding, although fertilizing during dormant periods is not necessary. When growth stops in winter months, feed with a low nitrogen, high phosphorous fertilizer with a content designation of 2-10-10 or lower.

Cover with burlap or sheets when temperatures are expected to drop or when frost is expected.

Prune in the winter after flowering. Pruning is not usually necessary with these plants, but if flowers grow to a density that prevents them from opening fully, you should prune away dead or damaged wood.