Nice, Mike! Good luck!
Fafard's 52 is a great pre-bagged mix. 51L and the Nursery Mix are also excellent.

Josh

Excellent, Mike! I have just the run of the mill gardenia both as a little tree in my upper back yard, and as a large bush in my lower "jungle" area. I just love them. Never, ever get tired of that fragrance. It's like none other.

Patty S.

Mike!@!!!!!!

Lol........My gardenia have had their day of final resting places until 3 years ago!lol

You do realize that I have skeleton gardenia behind my garage and every time I get a new one, just for good measure, I introduce them to these skeletons and tell them that if they don't do good, this who they will hang out with. They never give me a problem after that.lol

VERY nice buddy! You also picked a great mix to use too. I use that mix and also the number 3 mix. You know, you can always sift out some of the peat if you find the mix stays wet for too long. That is what I did for some of my plants. I would end up with more bark and less peat.

That is a beauty. I must agree with Patty, they are like no other and I just can not go without one of these in my collections. You know me, I have several. I also have yellow flowering ones if you would like me to root you a piece.

By the way, I am so proud of you for coming so far. You will find it much easier to care for your plant since you have learned soooo much. I am confident this one will do just fine.

Thanks Mike and hello Josh and Patty!

Mike:-)

MIKE!!!!

how can this happen so quick? seriously its only been 8 days and I have already ruined my gardenia. We have a decent amount of rain, the temps have been consistently around 50+ at night, I just dont get it.
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If this one doesnt recover I will NEVER buy a gardenia again!

Mike

I'm no expert but I believe it all has to do with alkalinity. Out here on the East Coast where Gardenias grow easily everything is far more acidic - the rain, the soil, the moisture in the air, etc. You're on the eastern side of OK which is more neutral than central or western OK so you should have less of a problem, but still. I have seen gardenias in gardens around Tulsa and I remember one in Norman while in college (it was protected each winter). I say I have seen them but it was only a few - they are hard to grow there.

Mike...Please don't give up!

You can do it, I know you can. That is was use to happen to mine all the time until I got the mix and watering just right. Mostly the mix:-)

Take a look at what I am growing mine in. I am thinking that you and I get just about the same weather conditions, fluctuating at times. Whatever the conditions, gardenia need a very open mix and we know that.
It seems that your mix is too fine and all the rain has already started root rot on you. That is a classic symptom of a mix holding water to the point of beyond moist way too long.

I took a couple of pics to give you an idea of what your gardenia should be growing in. I have many in the gritty mix and many in the 5.1.1 mix, but with only 1/2 the amount of peat.

I would let that pot dry out as soon as possible to give the few healthy roots a chance to stay that way. The yellowing should abate as soon as they do. You might even save the few green ones you have.

Do you have Hydrogen Peroxide and or a wick incase you can't repot right now? The Hydrogen Peroxide will kill any bacteria on the rotted roots and provide instant air to the root zone. The wick will pull all the water away from your mix very quickly and help to dry things out much more evenly and rapidly.

Or, you could set that pot directly on the soil or on bark mulch and the water will be tricked into coming out of your mix.

Please let me know if you need more help buddy.

I'll go and take some pics right now and be right back and post them for you.

I will show you the plant then the mix. These plants were all carried over from last year so had to sit out my winter.

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Mike:-)

Thanks Mike

Im just amazed how it went downhill so fast, I mean the ones at the store are in terrible soil and they stay fine for weeks.

I do have some hydrogen peroxide here, how much should I try. Ill also find something to make a wick, I can probably just poke it through the drain holes for now.

Mike

Hey Mike.....

Sometimes they do so well because many of the workers forget about them, kind of a two edge sword. When I see them at Lowe's, they are usually neglected for days on end without a drink of water, almost wilted, then watered again.

Those in the nurseries adapt much better and usually respond very well right away.

Those we take home, well....They are either on the decline already and we just don't notice it until weeks or days later.
Add to that the extreme change in care, light and environmental factors.

Have you ever notice that once you change up the environment on most plants, it takes quite awhile for them to drink until they adjust to our care?
Have you ever notice those brought inside after a long summer outdoors take forever to dry out? Roots shut down until they adjust.

I would use 1/2 cup of 3%, you know the kind you buy at the supermarket and water..Make just enough for each plant and water. You will notice a lot os bubbles.

Mike

The potting medium is not the problem....it's a wonderfully coarse textured, fast draining medium. However, the pH MIGHT be an issue...and over watering, if you think that you might be guilty of that.

Ah Mike, my bad!

For some reason I NEVER looked back at the beginning of this thread and never noticed that you had started it! I thought this was another thread that someone else had started, and that you just threw your gardenia onto this thread at the end. From a far, that medium looked too fine to me.

Rhizo's cooments made me look up further and realize that you used that Farfad mix and that YOU started this thread, lol......Must be the pain killers or my stupidity.

Could be the pH then if it's drying out just fine. Thanks for that Rhizo:-)

Mike

No big deal Mike.

Thanks for the input Rhizo

Well I have to find a way to check the PH, I have a meter at home but I dont know how accurate they are. I have PH test kits for my aquarium here at work. I wonder if I can find a way to use it somehow. As far as overwatering, We did have a good amount of rain of the weekend and thats all it has gotten since the first day I had it. I just keep an eye on it an see what happens.

Thanks friends

Mike

Ok so I just tested the tap water PH here at my office and its 7.9. I did mine at home which is from the same source and its about the same. How much vinegar should I be adding to bring it down or do I just need to do a little and test it.

Mike, add a little at a time and test.

Hello, Mike ;-)

Josh

HEY MIKE

Check this out!!!!

came to work today and my gardenia had bloomed. Now I just need it to grow a few more leaves and not look so skinny.

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I can help you on this one.. your plant is not getting enough nitrogen because of the high ph. Gardenias need very acidic soil much like rhododendrons and blueberries, approximately PH 5.5 You can get PH down solution from a hydroponics store and make batches of water or sprinkle some sulphates for rhodos on the soil(less precise). Generally Gardenias are grown in high peat mixes to keep the mix acid.

Wow Mike!!!!

Now that is what I call fantastic! I'll bet you are either using vinegar, or your weather has warmed during the night as well as the day.

Thank you for this pic. Great job buddy!

Hey Josh!

Mike