Gardenia leaves yellow- questions

15 years ago

My Gardenia's have got yellow leaves and are rather tall & leggy....are these shrubs supose to be trimmed...if so, is it too late since they have grown so tall? The shrubs are at least 9 years old. Thanks for any info.

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Comment (1)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Yellow lvs in gardenia are an indication of iron deficiency, common in alkaline soils and gardenia; if the veins are green, then that is an indication of nitrogen deficiency. Gardenias need well-drained acidic soil and occasional flushing of soil to wash out salt build-up - you may want to do this before adding iron (as a chelate) or N (not too much), whichever is indicated. Do not disturb roots and instead if you need N put down blood meal on surface & don't work in soil. You may want to get some pine needles as well & place around plants.

Tall and leggy is an indication of insufficient duration in the sun. You can trim the shrubs if you wish but their not having been trimmed is likely not a contributor to their current condition; prune out dead wood now.

Dan
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I use Miracle Grow EVERGREEN plant food. 3 days in a row then wait for 2 weeks then more for 3 days. Keep following that routine until the leaves get greener. You should see the leaves turn green within the first days of doing this. ** MIX The Miracle Grow powder with WATER as per the instructions for proper mixing. SORRY I had to add the MIX WITH WATER comment I actually gave a friend that same advice, but didn't think I needed to say MIX WITH WATER; she threw the concentrated powder on her plants..(No Kidding) Also, check the leaves for aphids...Make sure your pets are not going on it. Sometimes the leaves turn yellow because of too much water.. The Miracle Grow Evergreen food should make your Gardenia happy. I tried Miracle Grow Evergreen food on my Gardenia for the first time in Early Spring..I have never used this product before. My Gardenia has so many blooms right now the branches are drooping from the weight. This stuff WORKS... Maybe you are trying too many things to fix the plant...My Gardenia seems to do better the less I do for it...Maybe you should wash the ground with fresh water before you try the Miracle grow. Try to rinse away all the stuff you put on it.
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Gardenia leaves yellow- questions

Comment (1)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

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