GRAFTED VERSES OWN ROOT CAMELLIAS

     The advantage of a grafted camellia is mainly the instant vigor and the shorter time from graft to the point of sale while the disadvantage is it is more labor intensive and there is the real risk of losing the under stock during the grafting procedure.  Also some camellias that are grafted rely on the vigor of the rootstock and as such may not be a commercial/garden variety worthy of being grown own root.  Mass-produced own root camellias grown in most commercial nurseries are cultivars that thrive in well-drained, sandy soils of acidic reaction.  Inconveniently for many camellia enthusiast, their soils have poor internal drainage due to high clay content and are alkaline in reaction plus water sources are not perfect.

     Grafted camellias have all but disappeared from the nursery trade, but they are often the best way to obtain difficult to root and some show-winning varieties, or unique cultivars grown in some older gardens.  Very few varieties are produced using both methods, so the question of one method being better than the other really does not apply.  Since the propagation method relates to the camellia variety, the choice is usually determined by the camellia producers and their experience of what works best for that particular variety.