Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is an evergreen flowering plant which is native to South-East Asia. This flowering plant is famous for its heavily fragrant waxy creamy white coloured flowers that bloom in summer season. You can start growing gardenia in your garden by following these important tips.
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Gardenia Care Guide
Follow these guidelines to care for your gardenia plant.
- Growing Season: They can grow well in warm, humid temperate to sub-tropical & tropical climate. In cold temperate climate you can grow gardenia as a houseplant.
- USDA Zones: Gardenias can grow well in USDA Hardiness Zones 8, 9, 10, & 11.
- Temperature: Temperature between 16o Celsius to 24 Celsius is ideal for this plant.
- Soil: Well drained soil rich in organic matter with pH in the range of 5.0 to 6.5 (slightly acidic) is good.
- Potting Mix: Prepare potting mix with 50% garden soil + 40% dung manure + one handful neem cake fertilizer + one tablespoon bone-meal.
- Sunlight: 6 to 8 hours of bright direct to indirect sunlight daily. Provide shade if day temperature is above 30o Celsius.
- Watering: Avoid waterlogging in pot, only water when top layer of soil seems dry. Make sure that water drains out properly from drainage holes properly after watering.
- Fertilizers: Gardenia bush is a heavy feeder. Once plant start blooming, apply one handful of leaf compost or dung manure along with onion or banana peel fertilizer & 1 tea-spoon bonemeal once after every 14 days. Before blooming period you can apply only dung manure or leaf compost.
- Pruning: To get good growth and flowering in the next season you should prune old branches just after their summer blooms fade.
- Bloom Colour & Time: They produces white, red, pink, to pale yellow colourd flower depending on variety in summer season.
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How To Propagate Gardenia?
If you want to multiply your plant then follow these instructions carefully.
- When To Plant: You can start planting gardenia in early to late spring season.
- Where To Plant: Select a spot where there is presence of bright indirect sunlight throughout the day to plant cuttings.
- How To Plant: Take 4 inches stem cuttings from just below the leaf node, dip bottom end in rooting hormone. Now plant the cuttings in pots filled by potting mix prepared with 60% soil + 30% river sand + 10% perlite. Keep the soil little moist.
FAQ’s On Gardenia
How tall do gardenias grow?
They can grow up to 10 feet tall depending on variety.
How to make gardenias bloom?
During flowering season which is summer, reduce amount of nitrogen fertilizer, and increase adding phosphorus & potassium rich fertilizer such as onion peel, banana peel, bonemeal, etc. to promote blooming.
How often do gardenias bloom?
They can bloom from mid-spring, summer to fall season. “Four Seasons” a cultivar of gardenia can bloom continously from spring to fall.
How do I treat yellow leaves on my gardenia plant?
Yellowing of leaves could be due to over watering, waterlogging or iron & magnesium deficiency. Dig away the soil around base of the plant and add 1 teaspoon of epsom salt.
How to acidify soil for gardenias?
Mix one tablespoon of vinegar in 3 litres of water and use this to water gardenias. This will increase acidity of the soil.
How to treat powdery mildew on gardenia?
You can treat powdery mildew by removing affected leaves and spraying diluted neem oil or any organic fungicide weekly.
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My Amhersta Nobilis is in a pot. It started putting out shoots but it has suddenly started shedding leaves and the new shoots are dying. What am I doing wrong?
Hi,
It is a tree that grows naturally in ground soil; maybe due to root bounding or waterlogging in the pot plant can go under stress.
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