What is the reason why gardenia buds fall off?

The temperature is high in midsummer, and many plants will enter a short dormant period. But for gardenia and jasmine , it is their peak flowering period. Therefore, gardenia and jasmine are the "darlings" of the flower market in summer. They have emerald green leaves and white flowers. Keeping a pot of them at home can emit a faint fragrance, and they are very popular among flower lovers. However, some flower lovers found that the gardenia buds were falling off during the maintenance process. So what is the reason why gardenias fall off their buds? Let’s take a look below.

1. Insufficient light

Gardenia is a plant that prefers the sun. It needs to absorb a lot of energy to grow flower buds, and all of this energy is converted and absorbed by photosynthesis from the light energy of sunlight. If gardenias are kept in a place that is too dark, the growing flower buds will stop growing due to lack of energy and then fall off the branches.

Solution:

In spring, autumn and winter, gardenia needs to be placed in a sunny position and given sufficient light. However, after entering summer, the ultraviolet rays in the summer sun are the strongest in the year, which will sunburn the leaves of gardenias, causing the delicate petals to wither quickly and shortening the flowering period. Therefore, in summer, the gardenia pots should be moved to a semi-shaded place to avoid the scorching sun at midday.

2. Too much or too little watering

Gardenia is a plant that loves water very much. Especially in the hot summer, if it lacks water in less than half a day, the leaves of gardenia will wilt. After repeated water shortage, the flower buds will fall off. In addition to underwatering, overwatering can also cause flower buds to drop. Excessive watering will cause water accumulation in the flowerpot. The roots of gardenia are very thin, and soaking in water will quickly cause them to rot, resulting in the roots being unable to absorb water and nutrients normally, which will also cause the flower buds to fall off.

Solution:

When caring for gardenias, you should always observe their potting soil. When watering, follow the principle of "water when dry and water when wet". As long as you see the soil surface turns white and dry, you should water the flowerpot in time. The weather is hot in summer and water evaporates quickly. In extremely hot weather, it is even necessary to water the plants several times a day. The weather is cold in winter, and gardenias go dormant. In addition, the water evaporates slowly, so watering should be reduced accordingly. Wait until the soil in the pot is half dry before watering again.

3. Lack of nutrition

Gardenia requires not only energy and water, but also rich nutrients to grow flower buds. Gardenias have large flowers, and the nutrients in the soil alone are far from enough. We also need to fertilize regularly to supplement nutrients. If the gardenia is not fertilized for a long time, it is easy for the plant to lack nutrition and grow poorly and drop the flower buds.

Solution:

When the gardenia does not yet have buds but is just in the stage of growing branches and leaves, we need to regularly use some fertilizers with balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium elements. After flower buds grow on the branches, it is necessary to add flower-promoting fertilizers with high phosphorus and potassium content, such as Huaduoduo No. 2, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, etc. Prepare fertilizer liquid according to the proportions in the instructions and water it to the roots of gardenias. Usually use it once a week and stop fertilizing after the flowers bloom.

4. Soil alkalinization

Gardenia is a typical southern flower and prefers a slightly acidic soil environment. The soil we use for potted plants at the flower market is all acidic, but due to long-term use of tap water for watering flowers, long-term use of chemical fertilizers and other reasons, the originally acidic soil will gradually become alkaline. Gardenia cannot grow normally in alkaline soil. Even if a few flower buds grow occasionally, they will fall off later.

Solution:

The quickest way to solve soil alkalinity is to repot and change the soil, which usually needs to be changed once a year. In addition to changing the soil, you can also use acidic anthers such as ferrous sulfate to prevent soil alkalinization. Taking the most common ferrous sulfate anther as an example, dissolve it in clean water at a concentration of 1:1000 and stir it thoroughly to form a medicinal solution. Water the roots of gardenias with the liquid medicine 1 to 2 times a month to prevent soil alkalinization.

That’s it