A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum gardenia trouble's

Hi, i have 2 potted gardenia that are growing leaves at the tips of thier branches and blooms also. at the time of the blooms are just about to open they drop off. i did fertilize with miricale grow azalea food, did i over feed or do they need repotted or what? thanks for any help.

Hi WW, if I remember correctly, growing gardenias in pots is a tricky business. How long have you had them? I remember reading someone had the same problem one year but the next year the same plants bloomed a bunch. Someone else will come along that knows a lot more than I.

they have been in the same pots for a year that i know of.i dont think they need repotted but i'm not sure.

don't repot unless you're sure they need it - I'm sure about that. I also heard somewhere not to move them around a lot during bloom time - like from window to window for sunlight. They're picky growing in pots. I've got mine outside.

I have quite a large gardenia in a pot that is 6-7 years old. It sits in front of a south facing slider that gets lots of bright light. I water it sparingly during the winter. I do turn it so both sides will get exposure to the light. You might be giving it too much water Mine does not like to sit in damp soil so I let it dry out between waterings. In the summer when it is out I can water all I want and it is ok. Are the leaves turning yellow? Check it for bugs, yes bugs, white fly &/or aphids. If you find them, use an insecticidal soap spray. I get mine at Wal-mart.I repotted mine 3 times in the 6-7 years I have had it and can no longer repot as it is to the point that I would not be able to get it out the door come summer. Good luck and let me know how you make out. I killed several before I stumbled on the right place to keep it. Sheer dumb luck!

Oh yeah, I was gone for 15 days in February and my daughter was in charge of the plants and overwatered Miss Gardenia and lots of leaves turned yellow. I didn't water it for a week and let the yellow leaves fall off and it is fine again.

I knew someone would come along with the right info.

One more reason for bud drop is fluctuation in temps. especially after buds have formed. In other words, if they get too cold or too hot, either which could happen if they are too close to a window or heater/air conditioner.

they are next to sliding doors faceing south, i might have givin them too much water be cause i work out of town alot and the X wife rarely waters them, when i get back i saturate the soil and then water about once a week, the last time i was gone no water and all leaves died. leaves are coming back fairly good but i have tons of premature blooms that are falling off. i realy want to have the house smelling like gardenia!!. thanks everyone for the helpfull information!

I think the buds have fallen off because of the total lack of water when you were away. Are the buds turning kind of black at the base before they drop off? Although mine doesn't like to be soggy, it does need water on a regular basis. I would just nurse it back to good health and hope that it survives to bloom another year. Mine will bloom most of the summer. Cooler nights wamer days.

the buds are a nice healthy green with white showing and then they drop off, i have buds in all stages, tons of them. some of the leaves are showing a tinge of yellow now. thanks, Greg

does anybody think i need to add some potting soil , i need to repot some other plants today also