Gardenias are one of the house and garden plants that require a lot of specialist knowledge to care for. Only if you keep a gardenia in the right location and meet all plant care requirements will the ornamental plant develop its beautiful, fragrant flowers.
How do you properly care for a gardenia?
For successful gardenia care you need a suitable location, regular watering with lime-free water, regular fertilization during the growth phase, repotting in spring and cutting branches and spent flowers. Make sure there is sufficient humidity and avoid drafts and waterlogging.
How do you water gardenias correctly?
Gardenias can neither tolerate complete dryness nor waterlogging. In summer you need to water the Gardenia regularly. Always pour off excess water immediately.
When watering gardenias, only use lime-free water that should be at room temperature. Rainwater is best. If you don't have rainwater, you can use still mineral water.
Humidity also plays a major role in indoor cultivation. It is advisable to spray the gardenia more often with lime-free water.
How to fertilize the gardenia?
Gardenias require comparatively many nutrients. You must therefore fertilize the plant regularly. During the growth phase from March to August, give liquid fertilizer for rhododendrons (€12.00 on Amazon) at fortnightly intervals. Do not fertilize immediately after repotting.
When do you need to transplant Gardenia?
Gardenias are only repotted when the root ball is completely rooted. The best time for repotting is spring.
Is cutting gardenias useful?
Gardenias tolerate pruning well. They can therefore also be easily maintained as bonsai. To ensure that they branch out nicely, you should cut the branches back in spring. Make sure that you do not use scissors before planting the flowers.
Cutting is always done directly above an outward-facing eye.
You should cut spent flowers and shorten the shoot tips a little in summer.
Why does the gardenia drop its flowers?
Gardenias do not tolerate drafts and do not like being moved frequently.
Another cause of falling flowers can be too low humidity.
How to prevent brown gardenia leaves?
If the gardenia is watered correctly and still has brown leaves, there is probably an iron deficiency. Therefore, add some iron to the irrigation water.
What diseases and pests can occur?
Gardenias are very sensitive and react to poor care with symptoms of disease. The most common problem is waterlogging. But nutrient deficiencies also cause the Gardenia to become ill.
Pest infestations occur frequently. A poor location is often responsible for this. Pay attention to:
- Aphids
- Scale insects
- Thrips
- Bigmouth Weevil
Flymouth weevils only appear if the gardenia has been in the garden in summer. You should immediately take appropriate measures to combat pest infestations.
How are gardenias properly overwintered?
Gardenia varieties such as Gardenia jasminoides are not hardy and must overwinter in a location where it does not get colder than twelve degrees. The place should be as bright as possible.
Tip
Some varieties of Gardenia are partially hardy and can be maintained in the garden all year round in a protected location. Since they only survive frost for a short time, you must provide suitable winter protection.
