A Detailed Guide to the Latest Hydroponic Method for Gardenia, Easy to Master

The gardenia's pure white flowers, emerald green leaves and rich fragrance make it the most attractive flowering plant of early summer. Gardenia is a common flower for courtyards and indoor decoration, so besides soil culture, can gardenia be grown hydroponically? Below, we will introduce the hydroponic growing method for gardenia.

Can gardenia be grown hydroponically?

Gardenia can be grown hydroponically. Gardenia likes warm, humid environments with plenty of light and good ventilation, and dislikes strong direct sunlight. Gardenia is suited to living in slightly shaded spots, tolerates partial shade, and fears waterlogging. Gardenia is very well suited to hydroponics; hydroponic gardenia roots very quickly and has strong adaptability.

Gardenia's growing habits

Gardenia likes a growing environment with humid air, plenty of light and good ventilation. In summer, direct sunlight should be avoided; it is suited to living in slightly shaded spots, tolerates partial shade, fears waterlogging, and is fairly cold-tolerant. Its most suitable growing temperature is around 16 degrees; in winter the temperature must not fall below 0 degrees, as too low a temperature will bring on a dormant period. In the Northeast, North China and Northwest, it can only be grown as a potted greenhouse flower.

Gardenia is best planted in loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly clayey acidic soil; it is a typical acid-loving flower.

Hydroponic method for gardenia

1. Choose sturdy branches. The quality of the branch directly determines how well the plant grows. For hydroponic gardenia, you can choose a branch with a thick main stem and more than three small branches growing from that one main stem; gardenia like this is easy to keep alive in hydroponics and has a beautiful plant shape. Because gardenia branches may carry insect eggs, to avoid insects during hydroponics, first wash the gardenia branch clean, taking care not to damage the bark. For the hydroponic branch, trim off overly dense foliage and leaves that have been bitten by insects, and cut large leaves crosswise, removing more than half, to prevent water from evaporating too quickly and causing the gardenia leaves to wilt and dry up.

2. Cut the tip of the gardenia branch into a horse-ear shape, soak it in a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for 4-6 hours, then take it out and insert it into clean water, with the submerged length being 1/3 of the total length of the cutting.

3. For hydroponic gardenia, use a brown bottle as the container, and change the water once every 1-2 days. Alternatively, drill small holes in a wooden board or foam board, insert the cuttings into the holes, and then let them float on the water surface, with 2/3 of the cutting length needing to remain above the float and 1/3 inserted into the water. After the hydroponic gardenia grows new roots, move it from a dark place to a bright place. When the roots grow to 1.5-2 cm and a single plant has 6~7 roots, it can be transplanted into a pot or planted in the ground.