What points should be noted when growing gardenias?

Summer has arrived, and the gardenias have bloomed, their white, fragrant flowers catching people's eyes. Have you grown gardenias? Do you know how to grow them? Come and take a look at the growing methods and points to note for gardenias!

Growing methods for gardenias

Growing potted gardenias is very simple. Just follow the steps below for care!

1. Choose suitable potting soil

Gardenias like acidic soil, with a suitable pH of 5 to 6. Prepare suitable soil before planting. If the soil's acidity and alkalinity are unsuitable, later care will be very troublesome.

For the growing medium, usually choose leaf mold and peat soil plus half garden soil. Do not use coal cinder, or simply buy special soil for clivia, which is convenient and practical.

2. Fertilize reasonably

Gardenias like fertilizer. When planting, add decomposed cake fertilizer to the soil as a base fertilizer.

During the growing season, use cake fertilizer and ferrous sulfate fermented into fertilizer water, and water with it once a week. A complete organic liquid fertilizer can also be used.

At the bud stage, apply additional fertilizer 1~2 times, watering with a potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution, which can make the flowers larger and the fragrance richer.

When the summer temperature is above 35°C, and in autumn above 15°C, stop fertilizing.

3. Water scientifically

Gardenias like a moist, humid environment. During the growing period from April to September, keep the potting soil moist, watering so that it dries before watering again, and at night you can spray to wet the leaves to maintain humidity. If the plant grows too vigorously, do not water at night; water after the sun comes up in the morning.

In alkaline water areas in the north, when watering, let tap water sit for a day before watering. Every 3~5 days, water with a little citric acid aqueous solution to keep the leaves emerald green.

4. Get plenty of sun

Gardenias need plenty of sunlight to grow. If kept in half shade for a long time, the flowering branches will be weak and slender. During care, apart from needing shade at noon in July and August and during winter dormancy, they can be cared for in the sun at other times.

5. Good winter dormancy

Although gardenias are cold-tolerant, potted gardenias will have their root systems damaged after experiencing a harsh winter, and recovery in spring will be slower. But if placed indoors with heating, where the temperature is higher and light is insufficient, the plant's growth will slow down and it will bloom later the next year. The best method is to place the pot in a 5°C environment to let it go dormant, or wrap the flower pot with insulation material and place it outdoors in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot to overwinter.

6. Prune appropriately

When the main stem of a gardenia grows to 20 cm, pinch off the growing tip, leaving 3~4 branches to encourage branching. After flowering each year, prune lightly, cutting off weak and diseased branches. But in spring, gardenias must not have the branch tips cut back, otherwise it will be difficult for them to bloom that year. (Editor's recommendation: How to prune gardenias?)

7. Repot and change the soil at the right time

Gardenias are very vigorous, with small seedlings growing from a few centimeters to tens of centimeters, so they should be repotted according to the size of the plant. When the plant's branch length is 2~3 times the diameter of the flower pot, it needs repotting. When repotting, promptly prune the old roots, replace half the soil, water thoroughly, place in half shade for a week, and move into the sun after new buds grow.

Points to note when growing gardenias

1. Pest and disease control

Gardenias are relatively prone to chlorosis, leaf spot disease and scale insects, especially in the flowering summer, when the weather is muggy and humid, and fungal infections trigger diseases and pests. Once discovered, promptly spray pesticide to disinfect, and isolate from other plants to avoid contagion.

2. Soil acidification

Gardenias like fertilizer, but fear strong fertilizer. During the growing season, apply decomposed cake fertilizer water once every half month, at a low concentration, so as not to burn the roots and affect the growth of flower buds. At the same time, note that the soil needs to be acidified in time. Most water at home is alkaline, and long-term watering will cause the soil to become alkaline. Watering with ferrous sulfate solution at the right time changes the soil's acidity and alkalinity and can promote plant growth.