What does a healthy gardenia look like?
Pure white, tennis ball-size blooms contrast beautifully with waxy, deep green leaves. Plants grow 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, with a strong upright shape. Gardenia is an evergreen shrub, typically hardy in USDA Zones 8 to 11, that’s beloved for intoxicatingly fragrant, creamy white flowers and thick, glossy leaves.
How long will a gardenia plant last?
Average Lifespan. Although most mature gardenias remain about 4 to 6 feet tall, older specimens can easily reach past 10 feet. To create this large shrub, gardenias live up to 50 years old with proper care.
How do you keep gardenias healthy?
Gardenias also prefer moist, but well-drained, acidic soil with plenty of organic matter. Water gardenias regularly, even once the plant has finished putting out blooms. Prune the gardenia bush after flowering has ceased to remove spent blooms and untidy branches and to keep the plant in good condition.
What is killing my gardenia?
The most common cause of a Gardenia dying is root rot caused by soggy soil conditions or overwatering. Look for generalized leaf yellowing and wilting despite wet soil. Pests, disease, insufficient light, and overfertilizing are also common causes of a Gardenia struggling.
What is the best insecticide for gardenias?
Gardenias can also be sprayed with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to control aphids. Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil must be sprayed onto the aphids to be effective. Repeat spray three times at 5 to 7-day intervals.
How do you treat a sick gardenia?
Infected stems should be pruned out, taking care to disinfect pruners in a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) or 70% alcohol solution between cuts. Avoid stressing an affected gardenia further by over-or under-fertilizing or over-or under-watering.
Are coffee grounds good for gardenia plant?
In addition to amending the soil with compost or aged manure, these acid-loving plants will appreciate coffee grounds, tea bags, wood ashes, or Epsom salts mixed into the soil as well. Since they are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium, coffee grounds are oftentimes a more favorable homemade gardenia fertilizer.
Why are gardenias so hard to grow?
If they say it can’t be grown, it’s probably true. Gardenias need even moisture throughout the year and prefer a rich and slightly to moderately acid soil (a pH of about 5.0 to 6.5). They also need good atmospheric humidity, plus cool temperatures in late winter and early spring for bud set.
What do you spray on gardenias?
Spray with eco-neem. Mealybugs – you can control these blighters by spraying with eco-neem. It’s important to spray thoroughly so the solution reaches into all the crevices where mealybugs often congregate.
