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anrev1719

Gardenia Tree potted house plant 5 feet

anrev1719
11 years ago

I have a 5 foot gardenia tree that I bring into the house every year, this year slowely the buds droped then the leaves so i still continued to water. ALL the leaves went and I was left with a stick tree, some branches were bendable and others snapped. I went and purchaed new potting soil, peat moss and Miracid plant food. I was able to pull the tree directly out of the pot, needless to say it was very much overwatered! Most of the thick roots were black, I did scratcch some and the very base of the tree and it was green. (there were few and far between any young roots seen) I recently seen a video on a plant site where the instructions given was to allow the roots to dry for a day or two. Should I do this or plant in the new soil mix ( somewhat moist) and hope it recovers? ANY Help will be much appreciated as I had this beautiful tree for 3-4 yeasr and don't want to see it die. Thank You Lisa

Comments (19)

  • roseyd
    11 years ago

    Trim off the dead roots, they won't improve with drying. Take it and get it into a fast draining mix. Water it in a place that will allow full drainage. Don't water log it. Get a water bottle and mist the remaining leaves, and do some praying that the remaining roots will recover. Don't use any fertilizer for the next month. Good luck.

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Lisa, sorry you're having problems with your Gardenia. 5'ers are rare and oh so beautiful.

    Follow Rosey's advice.

    As long as stems are flexible, they're alive.
    If you peel a little bark from the stems, the inside will be green.
    Dead stems should be pruned. They're using energy directed at live sections.

    The video you saw might have been about growing a newly planted Gardenia, outdoors, in-ground.
    Please re-watch.
    If they're discussing indoor, potted Gardenias, they have no idea what they're talking about. lol

    Do not water your Gardenia every day or two; water when soil is on the dry side..especially during winter months.

    In summer, soil will probably dry out faster, therefore more water will be needed.
    But, soil should never stay soaking wet.

    Water thoroughly, then allow soil to dry between drinks. Dry soil looks crumbly.
    Stick your finger or thin stick deep within soil. If your finger or stick is wet, wait a few days then retest.

    Lisa, good luck.

    Hey Rosey. How are you? I hope well. Toni

  • roseyd
    11 years ago

    Hi Toni,

    I feel like it's been AGES since we've last chatted. I'm coming out of dormancy with the change of season. It may be to early to play in the yard just yet - but, I really want to get some bulbs in the ground.

    ONe of my neighbors had given me a square pot /kit of Angel whites, and I'd like to put those outdoors instead of starting them inside. The bulbs are already starting to grow and I didn't even prepare the coco media for them.

    Maybe one more week? and I can get them outside? I'd like to put them out there early - but, I know that there's still a chance of frost. Such a challenge trying to rush the change of season with plantings.

    Lisa, what's happening with the tree? any success?

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Hi Rosey,

    Yes, it's been a LONG time and a LONGER winter, unlike last year.

    I certainly know what you mean about coming out of dormancy. Some people are like plants and visa-versa. lol.

    Sorry, I never heard of Angel-Whites.
    What type of bulb is it?

    Honestly, I know little about outdoor gardening. Names, care, etc.
    I Googled planting bulbs for you, but most articles discuss planting late autumn, 'for spring bulbs.'
    Are Angel Whites fall bloomers?

    It's supposed to be warm all wkend, (high 50's to 60's) but drop by Monday, however, who really trusts weather-people? lol.

    Rosey, hope you're well, and coming out of dormancy. :)

    Speaking of Gardenias, lol, it's FINALLY warm enough to set outside.
    I first set my guy out Thursday, but had to haul back in at night. Then I placed it on the front porch yesterday, Friday. It's been out since.

    Lisa, if it isn't too cold there, is it possible to place your Gardenia outdoors? Toni

  • anrev1719
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello and thanks for all the help, so far NO change i'm hoping the roots are developing. I spritz the tree at the base because there are not any leaves left. The remaining branches and trunk are green, it gets decent amounts of light and at night i put a grow bulb spotlight on it. (at base) I figure as long as I see green I have a chance. Will keep you all posted. ;0) Too cold here to put outside zone 7

  • roseyd
    10 years ago

    Toni, I messed up the name - paper whites? ... I finally got them into a pot/ and coco husk and it was about time that I did - the bulbs had started without it. So that they are now about 2 inches poking out of the top of all the bulbs.

    They should be flowering in no time.

    Lisa, keep going with it - you probably don't need to have 24/7 lights though. I usually run my grow lights about 16 hours a day. I shut them off when I sleep.

    How warm is the room that your gardenia is kept in?

    Is your heat still on at your house?

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Morning Everyone,

    Lisa, Gardenias are difficult.
    My tree looks terrible. Low humidity and lack of fresh air are major problems.
    Usually, I mist 2-3 times per day, but winter makes me sad, 'lax.' I've neglected plants this year.
    To top it off, our humidifer isn't working properly. Sigh.

    Although your tree lost leaves, perhaps spraying stems will help.
    Do you have a hygrometer? What's the humidity?

    Living in z5, April temps can be warm, cool, freezing.
    It's 35F this morning. Too cold for 'denia to go out.
    Tomorrow, 'they're predicting,' 65F. If true, 'denia will go out, even if only a few hours.
    Gardenias prefer cool temps anyway, especially when budding/flowering.

    Last wkend was warm, BEAUTIFUL!
    Gardenia was placed outside. Believe me, there was vast improvement. By Sunday evening, it had to come back indoors.

    So, if you're home on warm days, have a nearby area outdoors to place your tree, (nearby, since your tree is so large,) setting outside will do wonders.

    I assumed z7 would be much warmer than z5. But, this winter, weather has been strange. Everywhere in US.

    Good luck, Lisa.

    Rose. Ironically, I wondered if you meant Paper Whites, but since I'm unfamiliar w/most garden plant names, I wasn't sure. Too many plants and bulbs to remember. lol.

    Have a pic of your pw's?

    Once warm enough, will your pw's be planted in the garden then dig up in fall? Or are they disposable?

    I've seen pw's sold at Jewel's and Dominick's..They're usually in boxes. In order to actually see bulb, I open the box. lol. I do this w/Amaryllis, 'if on sale, and flower color is unusual' which is almost impossible finding rare colors here.

    Rose, how are your other plants doing? Did they survive winter?
    2012/13 was hard on indoor plants.

    Have you started fertilizing yet? Toni

  • roseyd
    10 years ago

    no picture on me, at moment - but I can take a picture later. the paperwhites came in a box with a square porceline no-drainage pot, a coco-husk brick, and 12 bulbs. - the bulbs, by the time I opened the box (2 weeks ago) - were already growing. I held off putting the pot together, thinking It'd warm up and I'd get them in the ground - but, this current cold spell decided me to just pot them.

    I had to do some more plant shifting, but I have the bulbs under the plant lights and we'll see what comes of them.

    Most of my plants did ok - I lost one Jasmine, and the MOO looks pretty sad. I'll have to re-pot her this year and get her into some better soil. the hydrangea vine and honeysuckle and Mandavilla, all held on through the winter - but, they're in desperate need of real dirt and sun (and I'm anxious to get them all outside) and be damned with the difficult water routine.

    I started fertilizing about 3 weeks ago, after the logees trip. Mike was kind enough to suggest a few fertilizers, and Wes a few more - so between the two I should have a very happy garden this year. :)

    I have a gardenia which is so SO SOOOOO close to blooming - and yet, still hasn't ... the buds are pinkish...

    I'm ready... but yet, still nada.

    A one month wait. I'm hoping to have pictures this month for the flowers in bloom.

    my paperwhites should be white... :) I didn't have to open the box to know that. ;)

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Hey Rosey,

    12 bulbs! Wow...Here, you get 4-6 bulbs depending on cost, lol, and the pot is always shallow, plastic.
    I'm surprised the container is porcelain!

    99% of the time, bulbs, no matter which types, are growing whether they're in a plastic bag or box.
    Most of the time growth is crooked, because it's rubbing against the cardboard.

    Tropicals hunger for humidity.
    Remember I bought a MOO last year? It was lacking minerals.
    I ended up cutting it down to the base.

    What is your Hydranage Vine, Honeysuckle and Mandavilla potted in now? You said it needs real soil.
    The three are difficult growing anyway, so you're doing something right.

    You went to Logee's?? Wow..Did you like their gh?
    What size pots are plants in?
    Most plants they ship are in 2", and if lucky, and spend more $, 4" pots.
    I wish they'd lower shipping costs.

    What type of fertilizer did you get? Are they for indoor or outdoor plants?

    At least your Gardenia is setting buds..a good sign.
    My 'denia and Hibiscus need a dose of fertilizer..both plants get timed-release, SuperThrive and a little vinegar.

    Pictures are nice...this winter, I was too lazy to snap flowering plant pics. I'm sick of winter.

    Sure doesn't feel like spring. blah..lol.

  • roseyd
    10 years ago

    I'm being driven crazy by static'y styrofoam popcorn.... I just unpacked 5 boxes of award bases that I need to distribute and there's popcorn everywhere.... and it won't not stick to me ... so I can throw it away, yet not... throw though I may, it just clings.

    I wish someone would show up with a vaccuum and vaccuum me.

    everything is in dirt. the time I'd ordered those vines - most likely the dirt I used was a miracle grow citrus/cactus blend. The pots are all small 6 incher's though. They'd arrived as 3" pots, and I upgraded them - but 4 months and the growing season starting - you know that they're unhappy.

    the paperwhites were a christmas present from the 2nd floor neighbors. They somehow knew I liked plants? ...
    :) It was super kind of them. Good people.

    Most of my neighbors are blessings. Only two bad seeds in the bunch.

    Toni, it's spring - cold or not - time to get out of the doldrums and enjoy that the days are longer. Summer's coming.

    Put on your party shoes and plan a celebration! :)

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Rosey, IF I had scrolled down, I'd have seen the Logee's thread. Duh, lol.

    Isn't it amazing how much styrofoam is stacked in a box?
    You can order an item the size of a dime. It's shipped in a huge box, w/thousands of styrofoam peanuts.
    I can't stand the way styrofoam feels or sounds when rubbed together...Oh God!!
    It's like rubbing fingernails across a blackboard..

    Have you seen the new peanuts? They're made from corn, I think??/
    They don't cling, and dissolve in water. They can be tossed outside, poured with water and melt..no chemicals in this stuff. I wish corn peanuts were the only type used.

    Rosey, I'll be right over with a professional vacuum cleaner, and vacuum you down..lol.

    I don't understand. You potted plants in 3" to 6" containers? Wow, what a change.
    I do the opposite. I under-pot.

    Some nurseries pot in larger containers so they can charge more money.
    Don't know how many times I unpotted a new, 'established' plant, only to find roots the size of a medium size cutting.
    That pisses me off!

    Rosey, I use MG but amend with other mediums. Depends on plant.

    Giving you a plant for Christmas was a nice gesture..Your neighbors sound very nice and friendly.
    Ppl here stay to themselves.

    Rosey, it might officially be spring, but I doubt the weather knows how to read a calendar..lol.
    Nights at 20!! sure doesn't feel like spring.

    Longer hours are a blessing..that's true.
    It's supposed to be 65 tomorrow, but drop down, '30's-40's' by Friday and all of next week.. :(

    It's sunny, too.

    It's 44 now..think it's too cold to set out my 'denia?
    All I have to do is drag to the front porch..no stairs..once temps drop, haul back inside.

  • roseyd
    10 years ago

    Well, sell the house, and move our direction. I know an apartment that's open next to me. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath and empty. - I'd be happy to welcome you to our neighborhood. :)

    And, from that point on - you can visit Logees every other weekend, and shop to your heart's content. I even know a few shopping buddies who'd be willing to join you on those trips.

    How much effort would it take to convince hubby to pack and move you? :) Packed by the weekend? :) Great!

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Rosey, moving is something I wanted to do for years, but dh is too, darn lazy. lol.

    I'd need more than a 3-bedroom appt..With 350-400 plants, where would they fit? lol. Plus, birds, dog and iguana....

    Wish I'd win the lottery. I'd be gone yesterday..lol.

    If I won, I'd draw blue prints and have a house built.
    NO stairs, and a built-in solarium. lol. Large rooms. CLOSETS. Great view. I love cornfields..lol.
    Imagine looking out a bedroom window, seeing large corn stalks??? Heaven!

    My fantasy life...lol.

    We have one, huge nursery, with several green houses. Ted's. Ted 'usually' has a good selection.
    Prices aren't bad, but it depends.

    His MOOS are beautiful! One year he had variegated MOO's, but they were large and costly.

    I lost a variegated Pink Princess Philodendron this winter..It was in the LR, but I moved it upstairs, west window..I think the sun was too strong. Philo was used to low light.
    We usually stop at Ted's in Feb. We went last Feb, but PP Philos were out of stock.
    PP is one of the prettiest Philos..green, white and pink leaves.

    I lost a few other plants, too...either the room was too cold, too dry or lack of light..I dislike IL. lol.

    Stupid, new Walmart humidifer isn't working. The house is super dry.

  • roseyd
    10 years ago

    I put a pot of water on the furnace. I have to refill the pot about 2ce a week. But, it helps. Since I started doing that, this year - it stopped me from having bloody noses from to much dry air.

    And, it saved me from having to do half as much spritzing.

    I can't imagine wanting to see ? cornfields ? ... not water? not mountains? ... cornfields? ...

    why not ask for cows too? :)

    A dream view for me - is a large lake, with a mountain behind it. I'm boring - I know... :) No cornfields, no cows... a couple of trees would be nice... preferably the fruiting variety.

    yes, boring me. :)

    don't know what's so exciting about cornstalks...

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Rosey, lol.
    Cornfield are comforting, serene.
    We used to drive to Springfield twice a year.
    About 100 miles sw, around Sept, the fields were filled w/large corn stalks.
    Maybe I'm boring, lol, but they're fascinating.

    Water is nice, but scary, too. lol.
    Long ago, I'd go to Lake MI at night..Kids drinking, ya know?
    Although the water was lovely, I'd get a creepy feeling up and down my spine..to the point my stomach would upset.

    Mountains are beautiful,, but I have a fear of heights..lol.
    Don't know how ppl drive so fast while on mountain roads..scares the heck out of me. lol.
    But I agree, mountains are gorgeous.

    Our furnace is exactly like the monster in Freddy Krueger. lol. Seriously. I can add water, but the basin is corroded with rust and filled with spider webs. YUCK.

    Maybe I'll try it anyway.

  • anrev1719
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello and thanks for all the help, so far NO change i'm hoping the roots are developing. I spritz the tree at the base because there are not any leaves left. The remaining branches and trunk are green, it gets decent amounts of light and at night i put a grow bulb spotlight on it. (at base) I figure as long as I see green I have a chance. Will keep you all posted. ;0) Too cold here to put outside zone 7

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Morning,

    Lisa, I guess no change is better than change for the worse. :)

    As long as stems are green, your 'denia is alive. Now that days are lenghtening, you should start seeing new growth. Baby leaves.

    About your spotlight. Is there a way you can adjust the light to aim on the entire tree? Base and stems?

    It's important stems get light, too.

    Yep, you mentioned stems being bare, but leafless stems should be misted, too.

    The only time my plants aren't misted is during budding/flowering. Stems need moisture, too.

    Well, wishing your tree the best. Toni

  • anrev1719
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks will take the 24 7 lights off, the entire tree is in a sunny location on the southern side of my home sitting between 2 corner windows and the average temp is between 65-72 degrees. If she lives I will gladly post before and after pictures but now I am TOTALLY ashamed to show it ;0(

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