What is wrong with my gardenia plant?
Question:I have managed to keep a gardenia plant alive through the winter and now have it outside in the sun. It has bloomed several times and has more healthy buds that will bloom soon. However, many of the leaves have turned a solid yellow. I had to water it a lot when it was in the house this winter. What do the yellow leaves mean? We have had a lot of rain--do you think it is now getting too much water?
Answers:
Solid yellowing of the leaves just means a natural shedding...maybe too much water..check the soil for acidity...drainage of course..if the leaves themselves are green-veined or yellow-veined..it would reveal a magnesium or an iron deficiency..then Epsom's salts or chelated iron would help remedy the problem...also check with a magnifying glass for any insect activity...they often go hand in hand..Good luck.
yes too much water. p.s. gardenias like pine needles
you may need to make sure you have it in a good pot with good drainage. Where you have had it in and now have it out, the sun may have burnt up the leaves. Set it in a semi shade location and change the pot to a well drained one.
Gardenias like a good drainage. They also like water, but Too much water and they'll die. They also like an acid soil...could be why the leaves are turning yellow. Mine do that sometimes. Get some Epsom Salts... you know, the kind you find at the pharmacy dept.. for soaking baths... and sprinking it around the plants. It will make the soil more acidic.. and more healthy.
You can also use a commercial fertilizer made for gardenias...but Epsom Salt is cheaper and works just as well.
If your gardenias are sitting in a puddle of water, dig a trench so the water can drain.
And in the house for the winter? Not necessary... Gardenias are hardy... will stay green all winter...
But, uh, ok...yeah, depends on where you are and the climate, but here.. they stay green and hardy all winter.
Go to any plant care website and check with your area and hardy plants.
Try giving it some Ironite- before my gardenia croaked last
winter... it had the yellow leaf problem, my local nursery
suggested the Ironite, it seemed to do the trick.
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