Saving this Gardenia
Ghibie19
2 years ago
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PLEASE help me save my gardenia!!!
Comments (1)First of all, relax. People who gift bonsai to others with no knowledge of how to grow them deserve whatever happens :0). Giving any plant (short of a philodendron or something) to anyone is risky, let alone something requiring specialized care. Anyhow, the yellow leaves are from too much water, ok, but not the end of the world, and the fact plenty of water was left over just shows that the tree knew to only take in so much (rather than turning to soup). The blooms may certainly have been ready to drop anyway - many flowering plants only keep them a day or so at a time. Not watering for "several days" may be the way to go, but not necessarily, so compensation for overwatering is not always the answer depending on the plant, what it's planted in, where it's located in terms of light, etc. etc., which is not to say you shouldn't wait until at least the top layer of soil is dry, and maybe even more (it's impossible to judge from here). What you do need to find is a place in a very sunny location (indoors) for it, but also an airy, and even somewhat cool place, as they prefer it to hothouse conditions. Once leaves have actually died (vs just turning a bit yellowish) then take them off the tree and new ones should grow, even if not for weeks or even months, as it's now early winter (and the hours of light it gets will tell it that spring's months away). Don't sit the pot in water ever again, and water only from above, slowly, so it doesn't run off the sides, til you're sure all of the mix has had a good drink. DO have a wide tray of stones and water under the pot for humidity (don't spray it) but the stones should always keep the pot above the water, so roots don't rot. Do see if you can find a local bonsai club as that's the best place to learn because you can see how things are done, and question what terms mean vs guessing, etc. etc. Right now your mission is to keep it alive over the winter and get an idea of how often (or not) to water, plus how much light it likes. Things like pruning and shaping (both roots and everything else) can wait indefinitely. And you know what? If you do lose it (don't be impatient to decide that's happened though at any time) then you've joined the illustrious club of newbies here. You didn't ask to be thrown in the deep end (and gardenias are a lot deeper than, e.g. a Ficus would have been) and all you can do is your best....See MoreHelp me save my Gardania!!
Comments (9)Thanks for your reply everyone. I was not aware that the gardania was such a fussy plant... sigh. Im just going to ignore it from now on. Today I placed it outside(second day I did this) when I came home at around 6 pm, it looked like there was even more brown leaves on it but the rest of the green leaves had all PERKED UP. Im not sure what to make of this, more brown leaves but better looking green leaves?? I also repotted it in a bigger pot in a mixture of scotts soil, perlite and peat moss. There was no way to loosen the roots, I tried but I was afraid I was going to damage them... I poked a few holes through the middle thinking that maybe this would help the core in receiving some water. I sure hope this helps. My mother in law also got two gardenias that same day as I got my own and hers seem to be doing well enough. sigh.. maybe if mine dies shell give me one of hers... lol...See MoreHelp me save my Grandmother's Gardenia
Comments (6)I had the same issue with my gardenia once I moved it inside. My gardenina tree struggled in a morning sun, open-room area by patio doors. It lost a lot of leaves and had mostly bare stems. I lightly scratched some stems to reveal green wood underneath ( I knew it was alive), so I then move the 4 foot tree to my laundry room (8 x 10 feet). Although the room is unheated, it is warm and humid from many shoplights in starting seeds. I put a flourescent compact spiral light in a metal plug-in housing unit and kept it overtop of the gardenia. Between the warmth in the room, light intensity from the flourescent spotlight, and increased humidity, the gardenia has leafed out and even has flower buds now. It is prone to mealy bugs, but I keep an eye out on that and use alcohol swabs/mist to eradicate anything. If you could move the gardenia and create a warm microclimate inside of your house, that would work with a small light setup and increased humidity. You can even make a small greenhouse type plastic enclosure in your house, just big enough to enclose the gardenia with a light source, to trap humidity and heat. The spiral flourescent bulbs in 60 watts (high lumens) runs about $7.00 a bulb, with the metal unit about $5.00-both at Home Depot. Those cheap portable greenhouses would also work with the light setup. Good luck :) ps gardenias inside are a lot of work, IMHO...See MoreDog peeing on my gardenia
Comments (2)I doubt that dog urine could have any effect on your gardenia. It is a notoriously fickle shrub that suffers from yellowing leaves for multiple reasons, not all of which are obvious. Planting depth, soil nutrient and/or mineral deficiency, too much (or maybe not enough) water, or you looked at it wrong. In fact, maybe it's just sulking because the dog peed on it!...so I retract my first sentence. As for me, I've killed many more gardenias than have survived in my garden...it is the way of this garden diva. Try the Fragrant Plants forum and post pictures there for specific help....See MoreGhibie19
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