How often should gardenia be watered, and how should it be fertilized?

Gardenia is both heat-tolerant and cold-tolerant, so at different times, in different seasons, and in different places, its watering requirements differ. Besides watering, fertilizing is also very important for its growth. Hearing this from the editor may leave some of you confused, so below let us take a look at the specific methods for watering and fertilizing it.

How to water gardenia (how often to water)

There is no fixed rule for how often to water gardenia, because the climates across our country vary greatly, and watering should be based on your own actual conditions. In spring, generally water once every three days, and sprinkle water around the potted plant every morning and evening to increase air humidity.

After the start of the dog days in summer, the weather is hot. Water less in the morning, and water thoroughly after 2 p.m. It is best to water with soft water, because hard water contains more calcium and magnesium salts, which is very unfavorable for the growth of gardenia. In mild cases the branches and leaves turn yellow, and in severe cases it soon dies. In winter, watering should be controlled: do not water if the soil is not dry. Long-term excessive water content easily causes root rot and death.

How to fertilize gardenia

1. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: During the care of gardenia, if its growth is slow and the branches are thin and weak, and frequent topdressing is needed, it means the base fertilizer was insufficient at planting.

Before planting gardenia, add organic fertilizer (rotted animal manure, cake fertilizer) to the soil and mix it evenly with the soil.

2. Apply slow-release fertilizer: In fact, most households grow flowers with few fertilizations, or even without regular care. For convenience and to save trouble, agricultural scientists developed a lazy person's fertilizer——slow-release fertilizer.

Apply the fertilizer in the pot, and the nutrients in the fertilizer will be released slowly. There is no need to worry that too much fertilizer will damage the plant. However, stop fertilizing after October and during the flowering period.

3. Topdressing: From April to October, apply topdressing once a month except during the flowering period. Starting in April, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate once a week until flower buds appear on most branches of the entire gardenia plant.

After buds appear, water the roots with potassium dihydrogen phosphate twice, which can enhance the plant's stress resistance and promote larger flowers and fragrance. But as soon as the flower buds crack and show white, stop fertilizing.

4. Fertilizing after repotting: If the plant has been repotted, place it in a cool place to recover from repotting, and fertilize only after the recovery period.

The flowering period of gardenia

The normal flowering period of gardenia is May—July. If you maintain a warm, humid environment with sufficient sunlight, it should still bloom in May-July. But gardenia is not cold-tolerant, tolerates half shade, fears waterlogging, and requires loose, fertile, acidic sandy loam. In the Northeast, North China, and Northwest, it can only be grown as a potted greenhouse flower. In Guangdong, because the weather is relatively good, it will bloom in May-July. Nowadays, flowers can be cultivated artificially to bloom out of season, so it is not strange that it has flower buds in March.

Propagation methods of gardenia

1. Cutting propagation

In the north, do it in a greenhouse from October to November; in the south, cuttings can be taken anytime from April to the beginning of autumn, but the survival rate is highest between summer and autumn. Select healthy 2-year-old branches as cuttings, 10-12 cm long, cut off the lower leaves, cut the lower end into a 45-degree angled surface, tie every 20-30 into small bundles, soak the cut angled surface in 0.05% rooting powder solution or 0.05% naphthaleneacetic acid solution for 15 seconds, take them out and let the liquid dry, then they can be inserted into sand at a row spacing of 20-25 cm and a plant spacing of 7-8 cm, inserting the angled cut of the cutting 2/3 into the soil, firming and watering, and setting up a low shade shed for shading.

Under conditions of 80% relative humidity and a temperature of 20-24°C, roots can form in about 15 days. If soaked in 20*10 to the -6th power to 50*10 to the -6th power indolebutyric acid for 24 hours, the effect is even better. When the rooted seedlings begin to grow, transplant them or pot them individually, and they can bloom after 2 years.

2. Layering propagation

In April, select robust branches 25-30 cm long from 3-year-old mother plants for layering. If there is a three-forked branch, then at the fork, three seedlings can be obtained at one time.

Generally, roots can form after 20-30 days, and in June they can be separated from the mother plant; by the following spring they can be planted separately or potted individually.

3. Seed propagation

Mostly carried out in spring. The seeds germinate slowly, sprouting about 1 year after sowing, and blooming after 3-4 years. In the north, it is not easy to obtain seeds from potted plants.

It seems that the most commonly used propagation method for gardenia is still cuttings. This method is both simple and greatly improves its survival rate. Friends who like it can use this method to grow a pot. If a pot of gardenia is placed at home, every time you see it, your mood will be very joyful, and it also serves a decorative purpose.