How to Grow Gardenia? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Gardenia is an evergreen shrub, green throughout the four seasons. Not only that, it has a rich floral fragrance. Whenever people catch sight of it, they are drawn over by its scent, and the moment they look at it, they fall in love with its pure white blossoms. So how exactly do you grow a plant with so many merits? Let's find out together below.
How to Grow Gardenia
According to the growing habits of gardenia, in winter it enters a dormant period. During dormancy, it does not matter if the gardenia's leaves all drop off or if it stops growing. When overwintering gardenia, it is best to put it in the coldest room in the house, where it can receive diffused light. The temperature should not exceed 12°C, with 6-10°C being most suitable. Water once a month, or according to the dry and wet conditions in your home, watering again only once the potting soil has dried out. Be careful not to let the gardenia freeze in winter.
Gardenia Cultivation Methods
1. Choose suitable potting soil
Growing any potted ornamental flower places certain demands on the potting soil. Gardenia is suited to acidic soil, with a pH of 5 to 6 being optimal. If the soil chosen in the first step is unsuitable, then wanting to repot and change the soil later will be rather troublesome.
For growing gardenia, leaf mold and peat soil plus ordinary garden soil are generally chosen; coal cinder must not be used. The most convenient option is to buy the special soil for Clivia, which is equally suitable for gardenia.
2. Light requirements
Gardenia is a sun-loving plant and cannot be grown entirely as an indoor plant. In particular, during its growing season the gardenia must receive sufficient light. For example, in spring and autumn, the gardenia pot can be moved to a spot with light. Of course, in summer when the sun is blazing, it should be shaded at noon to prevent it from being scorched to death by the strong sun.
3. Temperature needs
Gardenia actually adapts well to environmental conditions when growing, but its optimal growing temperature is between 18°C-22°C. Below minus 10°C it is prone to freezing. The weather in the south is very suitable for gardenia growth.
In summer, the gardenia can be moved under the shade of a tree with good ventilation, high air humidity and filtered light for shelter.
In winter, the gardenia can be placed outdoors in a spot with good sun exposure and left to grow naturally; the grower does not need to worry too much.
4. Water needs
Gardenia likes a moist environment and must have sufficient water during the growing period. Each watering should soak through. In summer, when the weather is dry, we can spray water on the leaves 2 to 3 times a day to increase the humidity of the surrounding air. However, during the bud stage it should not be too much, to avoid the buds dropping off.
5. Nutrient and fertilizer needs
Gardenia likes fertilizer, but be careful to apply light fertilizer frequently, not too much fertilizer at once or fertilizer that is too concentrated. To ensure that the fertilization process does not damage the slight acidity of the soil, we can mix the previously prepared ferrous sulfate into the fertilizer liquid. After four months of the gardenia's peak growing season, a top dressing can be applied once every half month.
Precautions for Planting Gardenia
1. Gardenia propagation methods are cuttings, layering and division.
2. Pay attention to pest and disease control for gardenia. Gardenia is generally prone to yellowing disease, and in addition leaf spot disease, canker disease and others occur from time to time. Gardenia is also easily attacked by a pest called the Ma's whitefly. If you encounter this, you can ask professionals to deal with it.
3. Gardenia is very sensitive to water, so a clay pot with good breathability should be used as the base of the pot, so that watering the gardenia will not cause waterlogging, which leads to yellowing and dropping of leaves, and in severe cases can even cause the plant to die.
4. As for the cutting time for gardenia, in the first half of the year April, and in the second half of the year August to September, are best. These two periods are the best seasons for gardenia propagation.
5. Fertilizer should not be applied either before or after gardenia cuttings. At this time it only needs to grow naturally; even natural fertilizer, urea, chemical fertilizer and so on are all unsuitable.
How to Prune Gardenia
During the growth process, gardenia easily develops overlapping branches, which easily leads to poor ventilation and scattered nutrients, and is not good for the healthy growth of the gardenia. So prune away a portion of the branches according to real-time needs. Afterwards, each year after the gardenia has finished flowering, a light pruning can be done, cutting away the weak and diseased branches and leaves, which helps the gardenia absorb sufficient nutrients.
Gardenia is not only nice to look at and nice to smell, but also easy to grow, so it is one of the commonly cultivated plants. Although its flowers are quite ordinary, that pure white color makes people recall the little moments of their university days, when they were so youthful, so green. Whenever you see it, it can carry you back to memories of a beautiful past.