Guide to Gardenia Care

One is enthralled by the beauty and mesmerized by the sweet-smelling flowers of the gardenia plant. Gardenia is a shrub that is grown as an ornamental plant in the southern part of America. They flourish in regions that have 68º to 74º F day temperature and 60º F evening temperature. Gardenia care in pots involves growing the plants in full sun indoors, and growing outdoor plants in partial shade.

You can grow gardenia plants indoors successfully with proper care. Growing gardenia indoors requires bright light. You need to provide high humidity when growing gardenia indoors during winter. The dry season can cause the flowers to droop. Thus, use a humidifier or group several plants together on wet pebbles trays to help increase the humidity. Do not mist gardenia as it may lead to fungal leaf spot.

While growing gardenia plants in pots, soil should be loose, organic, and moist, but not soaking wet. You should water the plants when the top inch of soil dries out. Maintain warm day temperatures and cooler night temperatures for gardenia plants in pots. You should feed your plants fertilizers between April and November, as it will promote healthy growth.

You should use fertilizers that are specially formulated for acid loving plants, and do not over fertilize the gardenia plant. You can damage the plant by over fertilization, as excess salt can prove fatal for the shrub. Avoid fertilization in fall, as it will promote new growth.

The new growth is vulnerable, and can die when exposed to cold winter temperatures. This was all about how to care for gardenia plant. Let us now understand how to grow and care for gardenia bushes.

Gardenia plant care involves providing a lot of humidity to the plant. Outdoor gardenia bush care requires the plant to be planted in a sunny area, that is partially shaded during the hottest time of the day. Gardenia tree care involves fertilization of the plants every two weeks with a soluble fertilizer.

You can fertilize the plant with an acid-based fertilizer every three to four months. You should wait till the end of blooming cycle before pruning the plant. Gardenia care in winter also involves avoiding pruning in the cold season.

You need to provide good care, as these plants are susceptible to many diseases. The common diseases that may affect gardenia plants is canker. The main stem near or below the soil line becomes swollen, and causes the plants to remain stunted and die slowly.

Bacterial leaf spot is another gardenia bush disease that causes spots on the young leaf. A severe infection may lead to defoliation. You need to avoid overhead watering to prevent the disease and use sterilized pots and soils. The rhizoctonia leaf spot is a fungal leaf spot disease that affects older leaves. You should avoid making the leaves wet when watering. Sooty mold is a black, thin layer of fungus that covers the upper surface. Sooty mold is spread by white flies and therefore, it controls white flies.

Bud drop is abnormal droppings of buds that are caused due to high night temperature and low intensity of light. This is a natural condition and you need to keep the soil uniformly moist and not wet, during the blooming period. Powdery mildew and many other diseases like root knot nematode, crown gall, etc., may need to tackled with, during gardenia plant care.

Gardenia care is somewhat difficult and time-consuming. You need to take ample precautions to help gardenia bloom. You need to provide the right humidity conditions, temperature, and care to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and feel the heavenly scented flowers.