Loosecanon wrote:
"Rob B" wrote in message
news
Hi,

I am looking at trying to grow a Camellia Sinensis plant and
eventually making black tea from it. I have no gardening experience,
I just thought this would be a fun little thing to do. I thought I
would ask here to see if anyone has any experience growing it in
Australia, I live in Melbourne, around the Dandenong's.
I'm not even sure if I live in the right climate to grow it.

Do you get frost? That might be a limiting factor.


any comments are appreciated,
Thanks.

If you do decide to grow camellia's you will need an acid soil 6.2 to
6.8 pH.

I have little experience with camelias generally and none with C. sinensis
so bear with me. Why do you suggest such a narrow pH range that is only
slightly acid? This is right in the range usually given for growing most
vegetables and many grasses, shrubs and trees. Common wisdom is that
camelias like soil that is more acid than most, is this wrong or does it not
apply to sinensis?. A number of references about C. sinensis suggest ranges
like 4.5 to 6.0.

David