|
| I am going to try growing some gardenias in pots (overwinter inside or in the garage) and would like to hear any information you guys have on the subject. I have never grown any potted plants before; I always plant in the ground. I am hoping this will allow me to grow a greater variety of gardenias.
Some topics that I would like to hear about: how big should the pot be, what material should it be made of, what should I use in lieu of soil, how often should the potting soil mix be changed, when should I transfer the plant to a bigger pot, how & how often do you water in pots, how/when do you overwinter, etc etc etc. Thanks in advance, Luis |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by silverkitty777 9b (My Page) on Thu, Mar 22, 07 at 20:16
| I don't have to overwinter, so I'm no help there. I have one in a pot, Miami Supreme,it is about 3 feet tall and wide. I have it outside and water twice a week, it's in a 7 gallon pot, in miracle gro soil. I used the acid fertilizer once in the fall and will use it again soon. Only problem I had was scales, which I spray off with the hose once each week. |
|
| Thanks for the info, silverkitty777. Let me ask you a few more questions. Are you suggesting that Miracle Gro Potting Soil provides an acid medium that gardenias like so little acid fertilizer is required? Does the pot need to be of a certain size relative to the size of the shrub? Why did you choose a 3 feet tall pot for your plant? What type of pot material should I use? Plastic? Something else? TIA, Luis |
|
- Posted by silverkitty777 9b (My Page) on Mon, Mar 26, 07 at 20:29
| Hello again! I used miracle gro potting soil because I had some left from a large bag, it doesn't provide the acid medium though. I just use the acid fertilizer that is labeled for azaleas, etc.. and so far haven't had a problem but I have only had this gardenia since the fall. I have it in a plastic pot because it is grafted and I will have to bring it inside if our temps go below freezing(plastic being much lighter to carry in). So sorry to not be clearer on the pot, the pot is 7 gallons, and the plant is 3 feet tall. I purchased it in a 5 gallon pot and put it in the 7 gallon when I brought it home from the nursery. I wanted to give it a little room to grow. I wish I could help you more but my others are planted in the ground. Wendy |
|
| I'm planning on getting a gardenia to kill, I read that a good soil mix is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 coarse sand and 1/3 regular potting soil. That is what I will try. |
|
| Thanks, and wow! You only fertilize in the Fall/Spring??? I thought that, with all the frequent waterings, the fertilizer nutrients would easily leech out the bottom of the pot and force one to fertilize as often as monthly! |
|
- Posted by silverkitty777 9b (My Page) on Tue, Mar 27, 07 at 20:50
| I'm sure your right to fertilize a potted one more frequently, my experience though is with ones planted in the ground which get needed nutrients from the soil. I am just lazy about feeding my few potted plants more frequently. Hopefully someone will answer your questions better than I can. This will be the first rain season my potted gardenia goes through so maybe I will have to fertilize during the summer, I 'll wait and see how it looks in July or August. Good luck with yours- they are just wonderful when blooming! Wendy |
|
| Try this and other old posts you can find via the "search": http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/fragrant/2004052353021643.html I've killed my share of gardenias. Make your potting mix very quick draining and only water when dry. Most of the deaths are due to drowning. |
|
| I've heard that fertilizing in the fall causes the buds to drop off. But, this is what I heard. I haven't ordered the poor victim plant yet however. |
|
| Thanks for the info so far. Here are a few unanswered questions: 1. How do you know it is time to replant in a bigger pot? 2. How often (and how much) do you have to water YOUR Gardenias that are in pots? TIA, Luis |
|
| Hi Luis, I only grow a couple of standard Gardenias in pots and I bring them in over the winter and have them grow indoors (yes, I almost lose my mind over this...LOL). I don't pot them up to larger sizes because the pot is already a large diameter. If you're growing the smaller Gardenias, you can look for roots coming out of the bottom drainage holes, or lift the plant out and look for the roots circling the pot. They don't seem to need a lot of repotting. I water my gardenias almost daily (or every other day) in summer when they're outdoors. I rinse off their leaves, too. I think I just like playing in the water, though. I do feed them monthly during the warm season. |
|
- Posted by Eileen(efroth@zoominternet.net) onSat, May 14, 11 at 17:14
| What would cause some of the flower petals to turn brown when opening. Too much late day sun? |
|
- Posted by meyermike_1micha 5 (mikerno_1@yahoo.com) on Sun, May 15, 11 at 17:56
| A HUGE change in it's extremely comfortable situation. If the leaves are green and staying that way it should be fine. No late day sun ever hurt a gardenia. Good luck MIke |
|
| Gardenias are very temperamental. Petals can turn brown if the plant is grown in too little light, if the plant is not kept moist (try keeping the soil constantly moist -not wet- as best as you can), if temperatures fluctuate too much (they prefer mid-to-lower 70s during the day and lower nights by night) or if they have an infestation by aphids (common this time of year) or thrips. However they develop, these brown spots are areas were fungii are developing so dispose of the flowers in the trash, not the compost pile. Pick up plant debris around the base of the plant and also dispose of it in the trash. Do not touch the petals much as they easily bruise and infections can then get into the plant. Always water the soil, not the leaves or flowers, in order to minimize the chance of fungal infections in flower petals (they turn -of course- brown). Mulch lengthens the times between watering and that is always good. |
|
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Wed, May 18, 11 at 12:25
| Splashing water on the petals will turn them brown. Keep in mind that Gardenias are shrubs not annual flowers so their fertilizer requirements are much lower even in pots. They do often get iron chlorosis which appears as light green/yellow new leaves with dark green veins. MirAcid has chelated iron in it and will correct the problem. Gardenias will rot out if they stay too wet in pots. I lost four in my greenhouse two winters ago because I used Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil. It did not drain well and I lost almost everything in my greenhouse. I will never use it for anything but hanging baskets of annuals again. Even my fuchsias rotted. |
|
- Posted by meyermike_1micha 5 (mikerno_1@yahoo.com) on Thu, May 19, 11 at 15:45
| I always wondered why the sell that MG soil crap? It has been the death of means for everyones plants I know, and they still sell it. Shame isn't it? Maybe that stuff would be great for indoor bamboo trees. I am sorry you lost so many plants. Mike |
|
- Posted by Hoda 11(sishak9029@aol.com) onThu, May 19, 11 at 22:20
| My potted gardenia plant blooms but the blooms turn brown dry and die before opening. Why? |
|
- Posted by butterfly4u 8 (My Page) on Thu, May 19, 11 at 23:55
| Hoda, Your gardenias have bugs. Look online under gardenia pests, they will show you pics and mabey you can ID what is ruining your blooms. |
|
- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (hopefulauthor@sbcglobal.net) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 15:04
| Actually, MG Moisture Control Soil is crap. Regular MG, amended with a few other ingredients, (coarse sand, peat, bark and tiny pea pebbles) does great. My Gardenia was purchased 1994 and alive and compact today. If a plant is watered properly, there shouldn't be any reason it dies. Of coarse there are other factors keeping Gardenia alive and well. Potted Gardenias are not the easiest plants to grow in the first place, despite soil/medium. Toni |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fragrant Plants Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.