10 secrets for gardenia care (+video)
May 28, 2021 132 Comments
Impressive, delicate, adored, classic and unsurpassed gardenia! Whatever adjective we use, it is too little to describe the gardenia, the ornamental plant that has the most fanatical fans in Greece and all over the world.
Most of us remember it from the porch of our parents’ house and the yards of our grandmothers, standing out with its lovely white fragrant flowers and glossy leathery green leaves.
The gardenia is planted in the spring in a garden but also in a pot to give us its unique beauty in yards, terraces and balconies. It usually blooms at the beginning of summer and gives a second flowering at the beginning of autumn.
It is considered a delicate plant that requires a lot of care to give us its flowers. But if we take the necessary time to get to know her better, it is certain that she will reward us even more.
In today’s article, we will go into detail about the secrets of gardenia care. In addition, we will analyze the most common problems that we may notice, along with the causes that cause them. To enjoy beautiful gardenias with a wonderful aroma, lush vegetation and impressive flowering.
1. What are the best known gardenia species?
Gardenia is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Australia. There are many species and varieties of gardenia, from dwarf varieties that have a height of 50-60 centimeters to small seedlings that exceed three meters in height.
- Common gardenia, gardenia or jasminoides ( Gardenia jasminoides ) : The best known variety of gardenia that stands out for its green foliage and the characteristic intense aroma of its flowers.
- Gardenia grandiflora ( Gardenia grandiflora ) : Gardenia grandiflora is very popular in Greek nurseries and stands out for its large flowers. We prefer to plant it in pots to give an impressive note to our space.
- Lemon gardenia ( Tabernaemontana divaricata ) : Also known as musk gardenia, this is a different species that has resulted from crosses. Lemon gardenia is considerably hardier than common gardenia and has smaller flowers with a soft sweet scent.
Advertising
2. Which location is suitable for planting gardenia?
Gardenia has a reputation as a sensitive plant and it is very important to plant it in the right place for healthy growth and abundant flowering. Gardenia grows best in cool semi-shady or shady locations with sweet afternoon light. The midday sun is causing our gardenia leaves to burn and the buds to drop.
We prefer a relatively sheltered position, away from hot winds, as well as strong north winds. We avoid having it near walls and under awnings to facilitate its proper ventilation. For gardenias that we have planted in a pot on a balcony, we choose points with western or eastern exposure, while avoiding balconies with northern and southern orientation.
Gardenia is sensitive to severe frost in winter and high temperatures in summer. Ideal temperatures to grow and flower are in a temperature range of 10-20°C.
During the winter, and since the gardenia is exposed to the cold or to strong north winds, it is advisable to protect it with some nylon to protect the plant against frost. Alternatively, we can move it inside the house for a few days, in a well-ventilated, bright place away from heating elements.
The gardenia can be kept for a long time indoors as an indoor plant, as long as we place it in a bright spot and make sure that it has enough moisture in its leaves.
3. When does gardenia need transplanting?
We usually transplant gardenias as soon as we buy them in bloom from the nurseries or flower shops, although it is more correct to do the transplant after they have finished flowering.
We will also need to transplant gardenias that we keep for a long time in the same pot as in this case the root system has become too dense resulting in wilting of leaves and drop of buds.
If we want to enjoy garardenia in our garden, we plant in soil with a low pH. Above all, gardenia belongs to the acidophilic plants, like hydrangea, camellia and azalea, and they grow best in brown soil, heath soil or heath soil.
If our gardenias want to be transplanted into a bigger pot, we follow the steps below:
- We choose a pot, clay or plastic, 1-2 sizes larger than the pot in which our plant was planted. We make sure it has holes in the base so that excess water can escape.
- We source special potting soil for acidophilus from agricultural stores that is enriched with nutrients and contains perlite or pumice.
- We place a layer of gravel or pebbles 2-3 cm thick at the base of the pot to ensure better water drainage.
- When transplanting, it is important to thin out and break the tips of the plant’s roots when they have thickened too much, so that it can immediately absorb water and nutrients.
- Water the gardenias well and place them in a cool, bright environment that is not exposed to direct sunlight.
7 secrets to transplanting gardenias
4. How often does gardenia need watering?
Gardenia has significant water requirements to have lush foliage and many flowers. Proper watering is probably the most essential factor for it to thrive both in the garden and in a pot on the balcony.
We water the gardenia twice a week during the spring and autumn and at least every 2 days during the summer. If the gardenia is not watered regularly, its buds may drop before they open.
Especially in the summer season, in hot weather conditions, where high temperatures prevail, we may need to water the gardenia daily to keep it cool with lush green foliage. At the same time, during the hot summer months, we spray the gardenia leaves with water to maintain relative humidity for the plant and to prevent drying and browning on the edges of the leaves.
In any case, be careful not to water with more water than necessary, as excessive watering can cause yellowing of the leaves.
The gardenia needs very good quality water that does not contain salts as it can present problems in its growth and also in its flowering. Rainwater is very beneficial for all plants but especially for gardenia and acidophilic plants. It is therefore important to collect rainwater to water the gardenia and also to spray its foliage.
Rainwater for watering the plants and the garden
5. How often should we fertilize the gardenia?
Gardenia is particularly demanding in terms of nutrients and needs regular fertilization to maintain its bright green color and to give us many flowers. We add fertilizer to the gardenias once a month, except in the period of August when the temperatures are very high and in January when there is a lot of frost in order not to create a problem for our plant.
Gardenia needs a complete fertilizer fortified with potassium and magnesium. We prefer special fertilizers for acidophilic plants that enhance the flowering of the gardenia, without increasing the pH of the soil. We avoid putting fertilizers with a high nitrogen content in the garden, such as ammonia and urea, because they can create brown or black burns on the edges of the leaves, as well as the fall of the flowers.
Because gardenia is sensitive to iron deficiency and shows yellowing of young leaves (the veins of its leaves remain green), it needs an iron fertilizer. Of the various types of iron fertilizers, for our gardenia we prefer chelated iron fertilizer which is water-soluble and is absorbed directly by the plant. So we put chelated iron in early spring, early summer and early fall.
It is worth mentioning that the traditional addition of nails, rusty objects to the gardenia pot that our grandmothers did is certainly not suitable for direct absorption of iron.
Advertising
6. What diseases and insects attack gardenia?
Several diseases and insects can appear in gardenia, especially when it is in poorly ventilated conditions or when it is not properly cared for.
Gardenia is affected by fungal diseases of the root system such as phytophthora and rhizocides, as well as foliar diseases such as powdery mildew and alternaria. To treat diseases that cause root rot, dissolve 1 teaspoon of copper in a liter of water and repeat after 2 weeks.
Other diseases can cause white or gray leaves and brown spots. To deal with foliar diseases we spray with a solution of copper and sulfur that we get from agricultural stores. Alternatively, we use homemade ingredients and dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a liter of water to spray the gardenia leaves.
How we use baking soda on our garden plants
The gardenia, however, can be attacked by various insects, such as coccoids (the well-known scab or pseudococcus), meligra (also known as lice or aphids) and tetranycho which attack its leaves, shoots and buds.
For the preventive protection of the gardenia from insects, dissolve in one liter of water, one tablespoon of grated green soap and one teaspoon of alcohol and spray the gardenia leaves. If we have a heavy infestation of insects, we get organic formulations of summer pulp or potassium salts from agricultural stores to spray our gardenias and deal with the problem.
How we use green soap on our garden plants
7. What are the most common problems in gardenias?
Very often, gardenia shows several problems due to incorrect care. It is important to be able to immediately recognize the symptoms, as well as the possible causes in order to deal with them in time.
Below, we list the most common gardenia problems with their symptoms and possible causes so that we can properly care for our gardenias:
- Why do gardenia leaves turn yellow?
If we notice yellow leaves or brown leaves on our gardenia, this may be due to excessive moisture, due to over watering or poor drainage of the pot.
The yellowing of the leaves can also be due to insufficient fertilizing of the gardenia and especially to a lack of iron which occurs more strongly when the gardenia is not planted in acidic soil or in a potting soil suitable for acidophilic plants.
Another reason we may notice yellow leaves is when the gardenia is in low light conditions.
Treatment of iron deficiency in plants
- Why do gardenia leaves lose their green color?
If we find that the glossy green color of gardenia leaves fades and takes on a light green color, the most basic reason is reduced lighting. So we make sure to move it to a brighter place.
Also, in several cases, the light color of the gardenia leaves can be due to a lack of nutrients, such as nitrogen and manganese, so we need to apply the appropriate fertilizer.
- Why do gardenia leaves fall?
The leaves of the gardenia fall when it has been dormant for several days or when we have not added fertilizer for a long time. We make sure to water the gardenia regularly and add a suitable fertilizer that enhances its growth.
Also, the fall of gardenia leaves is quite a common phenomenon when we have very intense flowering accompanied by reduced fertilization of the plant.
- Why does gardenia show small new leaves?
The appearance of the small leaves of the new growth of the gardenia is due to the very dense and stressed root system that it has created inside the pot and which does not allow it to grow properly.
So when our gardenia shows small new leaves, it is a sign that it has been in the same pot for a long time and needs to be immediately transplanted into a bigger pot.
- Why does gardenia show brown leaves or leaves that turn black at the edges ?
Brown leaves usually appear in conditions of lack of moisture, especially in gardenia plants that we have inside the house during the winter.
The appearance of black or brown color on the leaves can also appear when we add an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer (such as ammonia for example).
Similar symptoms with blackening or browning of gardenia leaves occur when our gardenia suffers from a lack of the nutrient magnesium.
- Why do gardenia buds and flowers fall ?
Gardenia buds and flowers drop when we don’t water enough, as well as when we water too often.
We find similar symptoms of gardenia bud drop when we put an excessive amount of fertilizer, as well as when we have low temperatures during the flowering period.
Also, quite a few gardenia buds may fall when we have very abundant flowering as well as when our gardenia is not in a bright enough location.
View this post on Instagram
8. What season and how is gardenia pruned?
Although most people do not prune gardenias, it is necessary to do so every year to ensure lush vegetation and satisfactory flowering. The right time to prune gardenias is in early spring, in the March-April period, after the winter frosts have passed.
It is important to prune our gardenia in time, as if we delay and prune it in early summer, after the end of the first flowering, this has the consequence of losing its autumn flowers and limiting the growth of the shoots.
Initially, when pruning the gardenia, we remove dry and weak shoots as well as yellowed leaves. Then, if the gardenia’s foliage is very sparse, we corporate its shoots, cutting about 1/3 of their length.
With this method of pruning, our gardenia will acquire more compact and dense foliage and will gradually give us rich and prolonged flowering.
When and how to prune the gardenia
9. How is gardenia propagated?
Gardenia plants have a relatively high cost in nurseries and florists. If we want to create our own gardenia plants easily and economically, we can do it with the method of propagation by cuttings by following the steps below:
- In late winter or early spring, we take tender stem sections (cuttings) 10-15 cm long from the top of the gardenia foliage.
- Remove 2/3 of the foliage from the base of the cutting and leave only 2-3 pairs of leaves at the top of the cutting.
- We dip the base of the gardenia cuttings in rooting hormone powder obtained from agricultural stores to have more success in propagation.
- Then we plant the cutting in a small nursery pot containing potting soil for acidophilic plants with enough sand and perlite.
- Water the pot regularly to ensure moisture in its soil and place it in a cool environment with temperatures of 15-20°C.
- In addition, we can cover the graft with a plastic bottle or a nylon bag to speed up the rooting process by creating conditions of increased humidity.
- After a period of 5-6 weeks, the new gardenia plant will form roots and we will be able to transplant it into a larger pot or its permanent position in the garden.
We can create new gardenia plants, and in the summer with semi-woody stem parts, which however have a lower success rate. More information on gardenia propagation can be found in the detailed article we have published.
How is gardenia propagated?
10. And one last secret for gardenia care
We avoid frequently changing the position of the gardenia as it does not want a sudden change in temperature in the surrounding environment, either to the cold or to the heat. Such a change can cause the gardenia’s buds to drop, the foliage to wither and the plant to completely dry out.
Share the article with your friends: