The Jasmine Gardenia is a beautiful plant with lovely flowers that have a delicate and exceptionally pleasant fragrance. The flowers are large, double-petaled, and soft, while the foliage is dark green, smooth, and glossy. Many gardeners dream of having it in their homes.
But what care does the Jasmine Gardenia require at home? With proper care, the gardenia blooms profusely and almost continuously throughout the year. This question is not simple, as the gardenia is quite finicky in its care.
This beauty originates from subtropical regions, growing naturally in Japan, China, and South Africa. While creating conditions close to its natural habitat is possible only in a greenhouse, it is also feasible to provide gardenia with sufficient care at home to enjoy the beauty of this plant.
Basic care rules for Gardenia
The main attraction of the gardenia is, of course, its pale cream-colored double flowers, which contrast beautifully with the dark green leaves and have a charming, delicate scent.
Temperature
To make the gardenia bloom, maintaining the right temperature is crucial. Since the Jasmine Gardenia comes from the subtropics, it needs a winter temperature drop to 16-18 degrees Celsius. In summer, the most comfortable temperature for it is around 25 degrees Celsius. The gardenia does not tolerate sudden temperature changes well.
Watering and spraying
The gardenia is sensitive to watering and air humidity. It needs to be sprayed as often as possible, especially in summer. Watering should also be adequate. In summer, the soil should always be slightly moist, while in winter, it should dry out a little between waterings but never dry out completely. The gardenia can die at any time if the roots are consistently waterlogged. Water from the saucer should be drained after a while following watering.
The water, especially for spraying, should be soft to prevent spots on the beautiful smooth leaves and to avoid salt buildup in the soil. It is recommended to add a few drops of lemon juice to the water for watering once every two weeks. You can also steep water for watering gardenias in peat, for example, by placing a gauze bag with peat in the watering container. The peat in the bag should be changed periodically.
Propagation of Gardenia
Gardenias are propagated by young, still green cuttings taken in February or March when the shoots start growing. For better rooting, and as gardenia is very difficult to root, it is recommended to use soil heating. Cuttings can also root well in soil without heating but in a warm room if the planted stem is covered with a transparent bag or jar while maintaining sufficient moisture without overwatering the soil and airing it daily by removing the bag or jar for no more than a minute. Of course, special rooting stimulants, such as heteroauxin, can also be used.
Soil and transplanting
The Jasmine Gardenia is also quite picky about its soil. It prefers slightly acidic soils. You should buy a special soil mix at the store or prepare it yourself. For this, take equal parts of peat, sand, coniferous soil, sod soil, and leaf soil.
Gardenia is transplanted in spring, in March or April, every 2 years. Very young plants can be transplanted after a year. Drainage is used when transplanting the plant.
Fertilization
Gardenia responds gratefully to feeding. Fertilizers for flowering plants are applied during the spring and summer periods. Additionally, once or twice a season, it is necessary to add iron-containing preparations, such as iron chelate, to the soil and water for spraying.
Important tips for growing Gardenia
During the flowering period, gardenia should be sprayed with extra care because water on the petals leaves spots. Instead of spraying, you can humidify the air around the plant using a fine mist sprayer.
In winter and during cold weather in general, drafts should be avoided where the plant’s pot is located. The roots of the gardenia should not be overheated or overcooled, so it is undesirable to place it on a cold floor or over a hot radiator.
Indoors, gardenia is unlikely to grow taller than 40-50 cm. As it grows, the crown of the bush needs to be shaped by timely pruning of elongated shoots.
It is not advisable to move gardenia from place to place or change its lighting during the bud formation period, as this causes them to drop without opening.
Buds also drop when there is a sudden drop in temperature during the flowering period or if the plant is exposed to a draft.