I bought a blooming Mystery Gardenia about 2 1/2 months ago and it had many beautiful flowers blooming right and left. About a few weeks I noticed some leaves turning yellow and no buds left. I decided to give it Super Bloom. I watered well afterwards and it seemed like within about 2 days, almost all of the leaves are yellow! I am so upset about this. I put iron granules around it and watered again today but I don't know what else to do.
The soil always seems to be moist so perhaps I've either over fertilized or overwatered. I'm not sure which one has caused the yellow leaves - perhaps both. I don't know if this means the plant will die or if it can overcome this. There are a few green leaves here and there and I still see new growth on the branches so I'm praying.
Any suggestions on watering and fertilizing these gardenias?
Thanks.
Mystery Gardenia - did I ruin it?
Are the leaves all yellow, or do they have green around the veins still? If they're all yellow, it's most likely overwatering. If your soil is still really wet, I would try repotting in some dry potting mix, then water with a little dilute hydrogen peroxide (this will help prevent root rot), but make sure not to get it too wet. Gardenias don't like to dry out, but it's still possible to overwater them--I usually water mine when I stick my finger in the pot and the top couple inches of soil feel dry.
If they're green around the veins, and the yellow leaves are mostly the newer growth, then it's probably chlorosis and the iron you gave it should help, but it doesn't work instantly so you'll need to be patient. I would also check your soil pH, if it's too high then the plant can't absorb the iron you gave it. I generally feed my gardenias with a fertilizer for acid-loving plants, that helps keep the pH where it should be.
Hi eCrane,
Unfortunately they are completely yellow - even the large older leaves. I guess I really overdid it. I'll check the soil in the morning to see if it can be repotted...probably have to buy a new pot.
Thank you so much for your reply!
Only reason I recommend repotting is if the soil's really wet, it's the quickest way to get the plant out of a situation where the roots can rot (or if the roots have already started rotting, if you get rid of the soil it's in you'll get rid of some of the fungus and help slow down the process. Unless all the leaves are yellow and falling off I'd say there's still hope. I'm not sure what the symptoms of fertilizer burn are for gardenias, so I wouldn't necessarily rule that out if your soil doesn't feel too wet (again, repotting in new soil could help with that too)
Hi ecrane,
I printed out your reply last night and when we got home this afternoon, we took the gardenia out of the pot, rinsed off the roots real well and then repotted it in dry soil. We put a little hydrogen peroxide in with the water and - voila - we're going to keep a close eye on her.
Thank you so much for your generous information. I greatly appreciate it!
Do you have it in sun or shade? I tried for years to grow a gardenia with no success. It would turn yellow and the leaves would all fall off and in desperation I would give it to my mom who would have it recovered and huge by the next summer. She said it was where I was trying to grow it, that they cannot handle sun which completely contradicted what the tags said. So last year I gave it one last try, put it on the east side of the house that has a shadecloth roof, and that thing just took off! It is a big old monster now, flushes of blooms all the time and all I do is water it and throw a handful of acid loving osmocote in the pot every 3-4 months. So what was a little 1 gal plant, is now this monster that hits me almost chest high! I told DH this morning that I really did need to trim it some but there are so many buds that I don't want to give them up!
So maybe location could be the problem for yours too?
Hi PudgyMudpies,
Yes, it's out on our deck upstairs so it gets full sun. Perhaps I should take it out of the pot and plant it in the ground in our front yard under the deck. It would still get sun but during parts of the day, the deck would provide some shade over it. Good idea!
We just removed two monstera deliciosa plants from the front yard (my DH used a chain hooked to his truck to pull it up!) and I was trying to figure out what the put in those two spots. After reading your note, I've decided I'll plant our two cyperus papyrus plants (in pots now on the deck) down in that area on each side of the window and then I'll plant the gardenia and some pentas lanceolata that I love...or I should say the hummingbirds love. Not only will that provide some color to the front yard (besides our two trees) but it will give DH and I more room to sit on the deck....and more room means I won't keep tripping over my hose up there!!
Thanks for the great tip!
glad to help. hope it thrives for you there, imagine the smell while you sit on the deck!! :~)
I hadn't thought about the sun thing--I also had problems with gardenias in too much sun, although my leaves didn't turn color which is probably why I didn't think of it here! All that happened to mine when it got too much sun was that the buds would form but then they would dry up and fall off without blooming.
have either of you had any problems with ants on your gardenias? We live on a giant anthill so ants are EVERYWHERE farming their aphids, but they seem to gather in the little area where the bloom falls off. No aphid, just busy ants. That little cup shaped place will just be black with them! I blast them with my spray bottle of soapy water & of course it kills them, but they always return. I cannot imagine what they are finding there!
Hi Pudgy - I had an ant problem earlier this summer... couldn't deadhead anything without getting ants all over myself!
I just spread sesame seeds on the ground and they were gone - try it, at least it won't do any harm!
Good luck with those buggers!
Love
Hiraeth
I've never seen ants anywhere that there weren't aphids, but I could see that gardenias might be sweet enough that they'd like them all by themselves! However, I've never noticed any on mine. I've heard of using cinnamon and talcum powder to prevent ants, apparently they don't like either of them so if you make a line on the ground they won't cross it. Never tried it though!
well shoot, I have sesame seeds, talcum powder AND cinnamon! I can start today getting rid of those pests. They are in my pots and nesting, climbing the walls and getting into the eaves, it is a daily fight with these things! I hate using pesticides, soapy water is my preference, but there are just tooooo many. Thank you both.
Oh, just had a thought, even if it does not work, it will sure smell nice out there. hehehe
ecrane3 is correct- the ants are there because of the aphids. Why not release a pouch of ladybugs on the gardenia? Whenever mine get ants (aphids) the ladybugs clean them right up. I'm in florida and can't spray soap spray or anything until we have cooler weather so I do this every month in the summer.
The ants are not on mine because of the aphids, the aphids are there because of the ants. LOLOL They bring them and get their little farms set up and then proceed to protect them and milk them. grrrrr. I buy several bags of ladybugs every Spring & release them all around the yards, but they just don't want to fight the ants I guess.
I need some bionic ladybugs, LOL, anybody know where I can get a couple hundred? ;~)
oops! You are so right! the ants do the farm the aphids! how about praying mantis? they do eat everything though, beneficials and all.You can buy the coccoon thingy and they hatch in about 2 weeks in warm weather. I would hang it right on the gardenia.
I'm trying the praying mantis thing for the first time, I hope it works! That's it in the white net hanging off the branch.
Happy girl- it might be a magnesium problem too- if overwatering is not the problem you might need some nutrients - I use Rootblast when mine are lacking- it's the only thing I can find containing everything that's quick, easy and at Kmart! It has iron, magnesium, magnesium, calcium and a bunch of others. Just make sure to only use once or twice a year- an excess of one thing will cause an imbalance. Good luck!
To keep ants from getting on your plant just place some lard,vaseline, crisco, butter,etc... around the base of the plant. For a spray mix 3 tablespoons ivory soap, 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce, 5 drops sesame seed oil( get at health food store if your regular does not have) with a small bit of water. For getting rid of anthills use a quarter cup liquid hand soap and a galloncool tap water mixed well in a bucket. Pour 1 or 2 cups on the anthill and repeat after an hour.I'm getting these from a book called 1001 All Natural secrets to a Pest-free Property that just came out by Dr. Myles Bader.He also says to put a piece of melon in a far corner of your yard to get them away from the house. I have not tried these solutions but I like that it's all natural.