Useful information

Gardenia Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Gardenia is an evergreen double-flowered shrub with a strong aroma, native to Japan and China.

In room culture, Gardenia jasminoides (G. jasminoides) is more often used.

« Full description Gardenia jasmine

Question: I bought a small gardenia with buds, can it be replanted now?

Answer: Gardenia is a very whimsical plant. Transplantation is now possible and even necessary only if the plant is in a substrate intended for transportation and sale (there are practically no nutrients in such a substrate).

Growing gardenias are transplanted once a year, after flowering. A substrate with a low lime content is used. The acidic reaction of the soil environment is optimal (pH not higher than 5).

During flowering, humidity is maintained at least 60%, otherwise the buds fall off without opening. It is advisable to spray the leaves before flowering, but after opening the buds, the ingress of water on the petals can cause them to turn brown. So, during flowering, the leaves can only be wiped with a damp sponge dipped in warm water.

To create optimal air humidity, you can place the pot on a layer of wet gravel or in a tray with wet peat or sphagnum, but not in a bowl of water. Since gardenia does not tolerate not only dry soil, but also excessive moisture. Watering is desirable with acidified water at room temperature (or warm). The placement should be very light, but not in the sun, the optimum temperature is 18-22 ° C, and the soil temperature should not be lower than the air temperature. And even in winter it should not fall below 16 ° C. Drafts and sudden changes in temperature are also unacceptable for this plant. Due to the peculiar conditions of detention, it is believed that in indoor conditions a gardenia can last 6 months - a year, and in a winter garden or in a heated greenhouse for 3-7 years. In summer, the gardenia can be taken out into the fresh air.


Question: What if, after transplanting, the buds dry out without opening?

Answer: This is natural. The buds, flowers and fruits of plants are the first to suffer during transplantation. Therefore, transplanting plants with buds and flowers can be carried out only in one case - if there is a real threat of the death of the plant itself. If there is no such threat, you must wait until the end of the flowering period.

There are many reasons why gardenia sheds buds:

- plant transplant during flowering;

- insufficient lighting (gardenia is very photophilous, but does not tolerate direct sunlight);

- fluctuations in air and soil temperature (gardenia is thermophilic, the optimum temperature in the spring-autumn period is 18-25 degrees, in winter not lower than 16 degrees, and the soil should be the same temperature as the air);

- lack or excess of water (overdrying or waterlogging of the soil is unacceptable);

- excessive lime content in irrigation water and, as a consequence, neutral or alkaline reaction of the soil solution. A prerequisite is that the water for irrigation, like the soil, must be acidic, pH 4.5-5.5. At least once a month, water the gardenia with a weak solution of citric acid (2-3 grains per 1 liter of water), or add 2-3 drops of lemon juice to 1 liter of water;

- lack of nutrition, especially microelements - feed the plant 1-2 times a week with liquid complex fertilizer such as Garden of Miracles, Ideal, Rainbow or Orton Rost, adding vegetable fertilizer to irrigation water.

It is useful to add the preparation Zircon 1-2 times a month to irrigation and spraying water (1-2 drops per glass of water).


Question:Brown spots appeared on the leaves of the gardenia, as if dried. What is it?

Answer: Gardenia is an acidophilic plant, that is, for normal growth and development, it needs an acidic reaction of the soil solution (pH at 4.5-5.5), therefore it is very sensitive to the lime contained in the water.When the soil is alkalized, the leaves turn brown, turn black, the buds develop poorly.

Lime must be precipitated. The easiest way is to boil water for 20 minutes.

You can use oxalic acid - 0.2 g of acid is added to 1 liter of water, then the water is defended for at least 2-4 days.

It is also useful to water the gardenia with slightly acidified water - add 2-3 drops of lemon juice or 2-3 grains of citric acid to 1 liter.

If you spray a plant when direct sunlight falls on it, then thermal burns are possible - the burned areas turn brown, turn black.


Question: How to water a gardenia?

Answer: Gardenia should be watered with settled acidified water about 1-2 times a week. The water temperature should be 2-3 ° C higher than the room temperature. Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice to 1 liter of water. The soil must not be waterlogged. Allow the soil to dry out at least half the depth of the pot between waterings. When watering, you cannot focus only on the dried topsoil - it dries out faster, and in the middle and at the bottom of the pot, as a rule, it is wet or wet.


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