Gardenia is not a frequent guest in the collection of florists, because it has gained a reputation as a fastidious plant. The patience of a florist who knows how to care for gardenia is rewarded with the exotic fragrance of festive white flowers. Gardenia jasmine-like care at home is not so difficult.
Gardenia grows in South Africa, Southeast Asia, islands of the Pacific. During the flowering period, the plant is covered with festive and fragrant white flowers with a diameter of 5-10 cm.
Gardenia jasminoides is a striking representative of a numerous genus Gardenia, which unites more than two hundred species of shrubs of the Marene family. Of the entire variety, only Gardenia jasminoides is successfully grown in indoor ornamental cultivation. The earlier name was Gardenia Augusta (Gardenia regalis). The court chronicler of the Chinese imperial palace wrote the history of the marvelous flowers, which only the lord of the Celestial Empire was allowed to look at.
The agronomy of the gardenia jasmine-like requires patience on the part of the florist. Jasminoides will reward the effort with flowers of amazing beauty and unique fragrance. The technique of growing gardenia jasmine-like at home consists of recreating a subtropical microclimate, maintaining the acidity of the soil, pruning. The regal beauty is very responsive to changes in watering or lighting regimes.
Choice of location and lighting for gardenias
The place for the gardenia should be determined even before acquiring the cherished seedling. Jasminoides requires prolonged daylight. The location of the vase near the southeast, east, west window will be the right decision. The plant is under great stress from any movement.
Draughts, overcooling of the roots have a devastating effect on the condition of jasminoides
In the autumn and winter period, you should extend the day with artificial light and arrange a foam layer between the pot and the window sill.
The optimum acidity for the substrate in a gardenia pot is between 3.5 and 5.0 ph. Deviation in any direction from the optimal values will make itself felt by stopping growth, lack of buds, changes in the coloration of the leaves. Before buying the soil mixture, you should carefully study the composition and the level of acidity. The substrate recommended for azaleas and roses will work well for gardenias.
It is also possible to prepare the earth mixture yourself. The substrate consists of equal parts of sod, deciduous, coniferous soil, peat or sand. Crushed pine bark increases the hydraulic permeability and aeration of the soil by an order of magnitude.
Main requirements for the microclimate
The queen of the subtropics needs to maintain an appropriate microclimate. This plant likes moist air, moist soil and does not tolerate flooding. Keeping the temperature and humidity between 20-24 degrees and 65-70% will provide subtropicals on the windowsill. Gardenias should not be sprayed. In the wild, gardenias drop their flowers during the rainy season.
A container of water next to the gardenia will be the best solution. Florists also use a multiple tray system. The lower container of a larger size is filled with expanded clay and water. On top, a smaller tray is placed, on which the pot with the plant will stand. It is allowed to wipe the leaves of the gardenia with a damp sponge. It should be remembered that jasminoides does not tolerate the movement of the vase.
Gardenia jasmine care at home
The main requirements for the care of the gardenia jasmine are to maintain the necessary level of humidity in the air and the earth substrate, pruning, transplanting and fertilizing the soil. Many florists lose the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of an amazing plant because they do not know how to care for gardenias.
Water for watering requires prior preparation. Tap water is very hard, and contains chlorine, making it unsuitable for gardenias. Leave the water for 2-3 days to allow the chlorine to dissipate. The water should then be boiled to remove the hardness.
Water the gardenia jasmine 2-3 times a week so that the soil is always slightly moist. Avoid overwatering or drying of the soil. The surface of the soil can be covered with a layer of peat or moss, which will retain moisture and serve as an excellent natural oxidizer.
Jasmine Gardenia needs regular fertilizing from early spring to late fall. Fertilize every two weeks during the active growing season. Gardenias respond well to liquid fertilizers for flowering indoor crops. The concentration of the prepared solution should be half the recommended. For preventive purposes, an iron chelate micro-fertilizer is added for general plant health. Gardenia is not fertilized in autumn and winter.
The level of acidity of the soil should be checked monthly. The plant, in the process of growth, assimilates organic matter and the substrate becomes alkaline. It is easy to measure it at home. To do this, a small portion of the substrate is dissolved in water, drain the mixture through a fine strainer and measure the level of acidity with a litmus strip. Soil needs to be oxidized if Ph is more than five. The acidity level can be adjusted by adding a few drops of lemon juice or a citric acid crystal to the irrigation water.
Replanting instructions
Repot indoor gardenias before or after the plant’s growing season in February or October. The pot and soil mixture are prepared in advance to prevent the weathered young roots. At the bottom of the vase lay an even layer of drainage. To this end, the fired clay crocks, purified, decontaminated expanded clay will do well. Drainage is covered with a small layer of earth mixture.
Young gardenias are transplanted every year for the first three years. During this period, the gardenia jasmine actively forms a root system. Transplanting is carried out by the method of transplanting. The plant is carefully removed from the pot together with the lump. Shake off the substrate from the roots in any case can not. The plant is placed in a new, more spacious vase. Carefully supporting the bush at the base, fill the voids in the periphery with soil. The above-ground part of the plant should remain at the same level.
Subsequent cultivation of the gardenia jasmine no longer requires annual transplanting. The root system of adult plants grows more slowly and transplanting is done every two to three years. If the purpose of transplanting young gardenias is to ensure the formation of a strong terminal system, the roots of adult plants need to be inspected and revitalized. The roots of the plant are very carefully shaken off the substrate. Old, dead roots are removed. The cut area is treated with charcoal or activated charcoal to prevent rotting or pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
Pruning and shaping the gardenia bush
In its native land, gardenia jasmine grows as bushes, trees and even lianas. The indoor gardenia does not grow taller than 1.8 meters. However, the height of the average adult plant varies in the range of 50-70 centimeters. Gardenia buds are formed on the edges of young branches. Hence the need to form the crown of the jasmine gardenia. Over time, the stems of the plant become woody and covered with a thin bark. Various pruning methods allow you to give the gardenia jasmine shaped trees or shrubs. Pruning jasminoides is done in February before the active growth phase.
The first formative pruning of the growth point is done on plants with three to five leaves. The first three years the branches of the gardenia are not cut, limited to the forming pruning of the outermost buds.
Adult jasmine gardenia needs full pruning of the crown. The plant is prepared for the procedure with special anti-stress adaptogenic preparations. An oblique cut is made 5-6 millimeters above the node. The wound is treated with powder of crushed charcoal or activated charcoal. Branches growing downward or inside the crown are completely removed. Old woody branches are partially removed. These will later produce buds and sprout young twigs.
All cuts should always be treated with charcoal dust. Gardenias may require more frequent fertilization after cutting due to the active growth of new shoots. The plant can bloom abundantly the same season with proper care. The branches left after thinning the crown are used for cuttings of gardenias.
How to grow gardenia jasmine
Gardenia jasmine is propagated by cuttings and seeds. For rooting cuttings, twigs left over from crown pruning are used. Seeds mature in seed boxes after flowering or are purchased in the store. The yield percentage for propagation by cuttings is 60-70% and by seeds 50-60%.
For rooting, branches with four to five nodes are selected. Rooting is successful for both young and one-trunk branches of gardenias. Cuttings are planted separately in small containers. Soil and drainage use similar for adult gardenias. Cuttings are treated with a growth stimulant for better germination. Keep in mind that it is extremely difficult for a plant without full-fledged roots to provide the necessary moisture to the leaves. Therefore, the lower pair of leaves must be completely removed. The remaining large leaves are cut in half. If the cuttings have an upper growth bud, they are pruned.
The substrate is watered with soft water at room temperature after planting the gardenia cuttings, cover with a transparent cap. The improvised mini greenhouse must be ventilated during the day. Containers with planted cuttings are placed in the penumbra or covered from direct sunlight. The signal of successful rooting is the awakened buds in the axils of the leaves. Rooted cuttings are replanted in October.
A seed pod is formed in place of the fragrant flower. Also the seed material is sold by retail outlets. Seeds are soaked in water until they swell, sown in a pot with the same soil as for adult plants. They are covered with a five-inch layer of soil, watered, and covered with glass. The mini-garden is placed on a sheet of Styrofoam. The first sprouts of gardenias appear after 30 days. Plants are transplanted into separate containers after the formation of three leaves.
Florists wonder about growing gardenias when the plant stops growing, drops the buds, the edges of the leaves or veins turn yellow. Gardenia jasmine stops pleasing to the eye, requiring closer attention and the ability to distinguish the symptoms of specific problems.
Signs of improper cultivation
Gardenia jasminifolia is a subtropical plant that cannot tolerate hypothermia and needs soil aeration. The tips of the green, leathery leaves turn black if the root system suffers from hypothermia or souring of the soil. The solution: put Styrofoam under the vase, water less often, set the vase on its feet.
Signs of chlorosis occur with a lack of nutrition. Gardenia leaves turn yellow in different ways with a lack of different micronutrients. Yellowing appears on the leaf veins, while the rest of the leaf remains green in nitrogen deficiency. Green veins on a yellow background indicate a lack of iron. Solution: feed the plant with nitrogen fertilizer or iron chelate.
Gardenia stops growing, does not bloom – the roots have braided the clod, the acidity of the soil has exceeded 3.5-5.0 Ph. Solution: replanting or applying potassium and phosphorus fertilizer. It also drops buds, due to draughts, lack of light, moving to another place.
Jasmine gardenia can be attacked by spider mite, thrips, whitefly or scale. Floral pests are eliminated by treating the plant systemically with an insecticide and repeating the treatment after one week. Dry or diseased leaves are removed. The remaining leaves are wiped on both sides with a damp sponge soaked in a disinfectant solution. Personal safety precautions should be kept in mind.
