How to care for gardenia

1. Potting soil

Gardenia prefers acidic soil with a suitable pH value of 5 to 6. Prepare suitable soil before planting. If the pH value of the soil is not suitable, subsequent maintenance will be very troublesome.

The soil for cultivation is usually leaf mold, peat soil and half garden soil. Do not use coal slag, or directly buy special soil for gardenia, which is convenient and practical.

2. Fertilization

Gardenia likes fertilizer. When planting, add decomposed cake fertilizer to the soil as base fertilizer.

During the growing season, use cake fertilizer and ferrous sulfate to make fertilizer water, and water once a week. You can also use complete nutrient organic liquid fertilizer.

Top dressing 1 to 2 times during the budding period and watering with potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution can make the flowers bigger and have a stronger fragrance.

Stop fertilizing when the temperature is above 35℃ in summer and above 15℃ in autumn.

3. Watering

Gardenia likes a moist and humid environment. During the growing season from April to September, keep the soil in the pot moist, water when the soil is dry, and spray the leaves with water at night to maintain humidity. If the plant grows too vigorously, do not water it at night, but water it in the morning after the sun comes out.

In the alkaline water areas in the north, when watering, let the tap water stand for a day before watering. Every 3 to 5 days, water the plant with a little citric acid solution to keep the leaves green.

4. Lighting

Gardenia needs plenty of sunlight to grow. If it is placed in semi-shade for a long time, the branches will be thin and slender. During maintenance, it can be kept in the sun at all times except for the need for shade at noon in July and August and hibernation in winter.

5. Notes

1. Disease and pest control. Gardenia is more prone to chlorosis, leaf spot and scale insects, especially in the summer when it blooms. The weather is hot and humid, and fungal infections can induce diseases and pests. After discovery, spray disinfectant in time and isolate it from other plants to avoid infection.

2. Soil acidification. Gardenia likes fertilizer, but is afraid of concentrated fertilizer. During the growing season, apply decomposed cake fertilizer water once every half a month. The concentration should be low to avoid burning the roots and affecting the growth of flower buds. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to acidifying the soil in time. Most of the water in the home is alkaline. Long-term watering will cause the soil to become alkaline. Timely watering with ferrous sulfate solution can change the acidity and alkalinity of the soil and promote plant growth.

3. Hibernate in winter. Although gardenia is cold-resistant, the root system of potted gardenia will be damaged after a severe winter, and its recovery in spring will be slow. However, if placed in a heated room, the temperature is high and the light is insufficient, the growth of the plant slows down and it blooms later in the second year. The best way is to place the potted plants in an environment of 5℃ to make them hibernate, or wrap the pots with insulation material and place them outdoors in a sunny and sheltered place to overwinter.

4. Prune appropriately. When the main trunk of gardenia grows to 20 cm, remove the top, leaving 3 to 4 branches to promote branching. After flowering every year, lightly prune and cut off weak and diseased branches. However, the top of the branches of gardenias should not be pruned in spring, otherwise it will be difficult for them to bloom that year.

5. Change the potting soil in time. Gardenia has strong vitality, and the seedlings can grow from a few centimeters to several dozen centimeters, so the pot should be changed according to the size of the plant. When the branches of the plant are 2 to 3 times longer than the diameter of the pot, it is necessary to change the pot. When repotting, trim the old roots in time, change half of the soil, water it thoroughly, place it in semi-shade for a week, and move it to the sun after new shoots grow.