Hi,
Is anyone good at gardenias that can give me advice please? My gardenia is in a pot in full sun. The plant itself is healthy, yet I can't get it to bloom. Everytime I have a bud, it eventually turns brown and falls off like this one is about to do. It looks like it gets so close, but just can't get to the final step. What should I do to help it over it's hurdle?
Thanks so much!
Not need in full sun only in shade.
Really? I've read that it was a sun lover. Maybe that's what my problem is. Thanks
I've been able to keep them in sun, but they look better with dappled or afternoon shade. The main thing is even moisture, acidic soil and iron in the spring after the rain stops. Treat it like an azalea or camellia and it will love you.
K
Hi Kachina, How do I give it acidic soil and iron - is there an additive? It's funny that you'd mention azalea, as that's the pot directly beside it. I haven't used anything acidic for either one. I have camelia's too, but they're in the ground. Perhaps you can suggest something for all three? (although the camelias seem happy without special treatment??) Also, my drip system seems to drown the plants so that there's water in the pan - but it's so hot where they are that it dries up completely in a couple hours. I do notice that the soil is evenly moist most of the time after the initial watering. I don't seem to have a happy medium on watering - if I turn the nozzle only slightly it turns off (it's kind of annoying).
You should be able to acidify the soil they're in by adding Azalea Camellia fertilizer, Iron can also be purchased at your local nursery. Read the label for the correct amount for a potted plant, and also the right time of year to use it. If the fertilizer builds up (in the form of salts) in the pot, the tips of your plant's leaves will burn. Should this happen, take it out of the saucer and set it where the water can flow freely from the holes. Set a slow-running hose in the pot and flush well. When I plant something I know is acid-loving I use straight bagged Azalea Camellia soil mix in the pot, or mix the bagged soil with the ground soil in the planting hole.
K
Gardenias like moist soil, but not soggy. And they don't like the soil to dry out in between waterings. I finally stopped trying to grow them in the sun, and when I moved the pot to shade with only early morning sun, it was finally happy. It blooms its heart out. I use osmocote for azalea and other acid loving plants.
Hey! I know you! :~D
hehehe ditto
Ok, I'm writing this down for my next nursery trip. Thanks very much! Hopefully I'll be posting gardenia flower photos soon! :) I've been dying to smell them as they're my favorites.
Potted plants in the full sun really over heat the soil. If you keep it in the full sun find a way to shade the pot. Al
Do you have any pine trees in your neighborhood? They love pine needles. The best place to grow them is under a pine tree or with lots of pine needles around them.
In the absence of pine needles, follow KachinaGirl's instructions. There are several brands of special ARC (azalea, rhododendron, camellia) food. Gardenias need exactly the same things as those three.
Hi, Kachina. Hi, Pudgie. Nice to run into you again. By the way, I use Osmocote on everything, even lime-loving plants. Should it be reserved for the acid lovers?
Hi Zuzu!
There are 3 osmocotes:
Osmocote Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron (Acid lovers) 9-6-6
Osmocote Outdoor & Indoor 19-16-12
Osmocote Vegetable & Bedding 14-14-14
one for every occasion. LOL Which one do you use?
Orchard Supply Hardware has their own brand & its cheaper. That is what I got last year & it worked fine. I could not tell the difference.
Hi, Pudgie. See, this is what I get for pretending I'm paying for the top brands. I now have to admit I was using the cheapie Wal-Mart version of Osmocote. As far as I know, there's only one kind.
LOL, too funny. Nothing wrong with a cheapie, they are usually the exact same ingredients.
I don't have pine trees around really, so I'll have to go with the ozmocote (or generic). We do however, have tons of eucalyptus trees in my neighborhood and I live on a canyon that has a grove of them. I think they may be acidic?
I don't think I'd use Eucalyptus. The oils are different in composition. Although, I've heard Eucalyptus is good for fleas! You probably don't even have any with all the Eucalyptus trees around. The regular fertilizers for acid loving plants should be fine.
k
Hey K, where are you finding the Azalea/Camellia potting soil?
I went to Home Depot & Lowes this morning to get some to repot my gardenia and neither had it!
Nope, no fleas on my little pupster. I'm grateful for that! I'll go with the fertilizer and hope for some future blooms. Thanks!
I get the A/C mix at Morris Nursery in Riverbank. It's a "Master Nursery" product. Do you have a "Master Nursery" nursery up your way? Here's a link so you can find the closest one to you. Just add your zip code and off you go.
K :~D
http://www.masternursery.com/gardener/
I'll check it out. Thanks Kachina!
The best plants I've seen growing over the years have been those that are exposed to the full rising sun of the east. They also like the soil fairly open and acidic. Put a fair amount of peat in where they are planted. This helps them take up the iron. Water regularly, but don't overwater--deep once or twice a week (depending on the time of the year and the temperature). If you can grow great Camellias, you should be able to grow great Gardenias.
If the plant is in a pot and it looks healthy but can't hold new blossoms, I'd say the soil is too warm. Find a way to shade the pot.
-Ron-
I've been trying to work that one out, but haven't come up with a solution yet. I don't have another spot for the pot that would have a drip line to it in the shade. I can take it out and plant it somewhere else, but most of my areas are full sun. I think I'll try the ozmocote first and see how it does. My camelias are in the ground but the blooms are actually doing the same thing - turning brown before ever blooming. It's so sad! I have this furtilizer on my shopping list and hope to try it out this week.
Thanks so much neighbor!
There is a disease that camellias get called flower blight, you might want to check this link just in case.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pestnote/camellia.htm
Gardenias can also get "bud drop" if things aren't right for them. Here's an excerpt from Clemson Extension....
"Another problem encountered is "bud drop." Flower buds abort and drop off just before they open. Common causes include low humidity, overwatering, underwatering, insufficient light and high temperatures (night temperatures between 50 and 55 ° F are necessary for the formation of flower buds)."
k
I'm probably overwatering too. It's really hard to get the watering just perfect for all the plants. It does usually have water in the pan for a few hours after watering, but it sucks it back up during the day.
I looked at the link for the camelias, yet mine don't ever get to that stage. They just bud up and then eventually turn brown and never open. Exactly like the gardenias.
Thanks for all this great advice! It's funny how I'll write about one problem, and then get answers to it along with several others to boot. :) This website was the best 15 bucks I've ever spent!
This message was edited Sep 18, 2005 10:05 PM
I ditto your last sentence. This place is great!
K
Hi All,
I'm writing this as a follow-up to the questions I had. My gardenia flowered! I tried the ozmocote to make the soil more acidic, and I can't believe how immediate the change was made. I wouldn't have dreamed that I could have flowers so soon! So a big THANK YOU is owed to all from me and my gardenia!
Thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!
Christina :)))
Yippeee! Congratulations, it looks great.
Success!
good for you!!!
