Hahahahahah!!!
Hi Mike. Reading your posts in different forums, I realize that you also struggle with gardenias, like me, and you are quite a pro with clivias, while I'm just a beginner hoping to learn from members like you.
This evening , though, I just want you to know that after a stressful day at the office, it feels good to be able to read your post, see the picture and laugh hard before going to bed.
Good night and thank you!
Consentida.

Mike, although the scene is beautiful, I'd appreciate it more in Dec-Feb..lol
Temps here have dropped considerably. I am SO depressed. A few mins ago we had another downpour. Rain rain rain.
Winds have picked up again. Been outside 3 times today, picking up plants. One flew out of the pot, the pot broke!
It's also sunless..

Our poor Gardenias..they're waiting for sun, warmth and humidity..where is it? If 2009's summer over? In July? Toni

Lol..

Well I am glad I was able to make someones day...

Now I need to find a way to keep my gardenias happy!!

I hear ya on the weather..STINKS!!!!!! I did loose one plumies..It tooks it toll. I hate this summer..Then fall before we know it!! I have been depressed too...ouch

Consetida, keep laughing, becuase you havn't even seen how vicious our denias can be to us once October rolls around..This place will be hoping with us trying to look for help on how not to murder our plants!!

Nice scene ha...That was me before I took a tumble and sprained my wrist!!

Take care all,

Mike

Mike, I had no idea the guy in the pic was you..you're a very good-looking guy..
You sprained your wrist? Ouch..When was this pic taken?

Mike, please do me a favor..before bringing your plants indoors come autumn, please spray them..promise me..okay?
Use my insecticide recepie plus Fish Emulsion. What will it hurt? Right? If it doesn't work, so be it, but at least give it a try. There's nothing in it that will kill your plants, and the FE also works as a foliar feeding. After spraing, then bring indoors..Before spraying, if possible, hose off foliage, stems, branches, etc..let air dry..then spray with the insectide. I do this before bringing plants in the house..It's been a long time since finding an insect on any plant. Will you do it? Toni

Hi toni!!

Yes it is me, and thanks for the compliment..lol. I rather think it was a terrible picture...lol
It was taken just this march on top iof Cannon mountain in New Hampshire..I love snow boarding and skiing!

My wrist healed fast with having message therapists, chiropractors and workout buff friends to help me get better..LOL...They know nothing of plants though, except my buddy from Mexico..

I PROMISE..I will spray...

Do me a favor..k
When you start treating your plants before they come in, let me know, and remind me of what to do..ok
I would really appreciate it...

Hey toni.....Do you miss merciepoo? I SURE DO!!!

I also miss Rick, and many others. God, I hope they are all doing ok...

Much love,

Mike:-)

Hi Mike, I laugh because your picture reminded me of the irony of the situation. Here we are, waiting anxiously for summer to let us forget the long white winter left behind and what do we get? rain, rain and more rain all month of June and July. I preferrred to laugh then to cry because the weather is really depressing.
Oh!I do not have to wait until october to see how vicious my gardenia is to me. This lady is vicious NOW. I bought it in April and to this day I have not have the priviledge of having a single bud to open for me. I guess that I'm not doing everything that I should be doing, I'm still learning and I refuse to give up, so even if the two of us struggle with one another I will keep on trying to please her and hopefully she will reward me with a few flowers, perhaps?. I HOPE SO!
Toni, would it be too much to ask where to find your insecticide recipe? Did you post it in another forum? I'm relatively new in GW and have not come accross it. I will treat my plants and follow the advice you are giving to Mike before I bring them indoors in the fall.
Thanks!
Consentida

Hey consentida,

Do you suppose your gardenia might be a male and is so insulted you are calling it a she, that it is not going to be nice to you? hahahahaha

You too funny too.....I hate this summer too..It is only 68 degrees today and 60's tommorrow. Rain rain, rain, and mold, slugs, mosss, weeds, and anything but the growth of my plants properly.. But my container plants although smaller than usual, are so GREEN!!! Lol. Like Ireland.
Wait, they are getting a heatwave all summer. Is something wrong with this picture?
If toni doesn't come to the rescue, I will.. I know she will though. Her magic recipe has svaed all my plants from the pest invasion! Second to the the evil gardenia nimphs!

Mike..:-)

Hi Mike! Oops! you may be right! My gardenia could be nasty to me because I have the gender all wrong! You see, in my native language, Gardenia is a "she", but who knows what happens in the plant world?
Gardenias are acid loving plants, Right? I have mine in mixed soil composed of peat moss, compost and good soil. I water it solely with rain water (of which we have plenty) I do not let the soil completely dry out. It gets sun in the morning and later on in the afternoon; total about 3 hours. I fertilize it with coffee tea every 2 weeks.( I haven't been able to find Miracid in my area). At the moment the plant has two buds, but they are like that for the last 3 weeks and they do not open. What am I doing wrong? Is there another acid fertilizer that I could use?
anything , at all that I could do to get it t o bloom? I have checked for insects and the plants seems healthy otherwise. What is it?Please help!!
Europe is going through a heat wave, no rain and we here in the east are short of having a deluge. Every plant is nice and green but my tomatoes are waiting for some sun to ripen. My geraniums are reeling from so much water. I lost two pelargoniums and who knows what else I will lose!

Mike thanks for the offer to come to the rescue with the insecticide recipe. My plants will apreciate and so will I!
Today sunday is raining again! Depressing!

Ok...I am here..

To me, it is a myth that that they need miracid.
You can learn alot about fertilizers and how they work in the container forum.

What I use on mine is foiliage pro. Epsom Salts, and Iron are a help, but I havn't had to use them this year.
Just get a well balanced fertilzer with all the minors if you can. FP has this, and I ordered mine from online.

How much sun does your plant get? Does it get morning and late in the day sun?

Here is a very most important thing. Because of your area, not the hot tropical and sunny area,your plants vitality and performance is abosolutely depenadant on the soiless mix you use from growing leaves to flowering.
If your denias feet are getting a good supply of oxygen, you will have no problems getting it to flower profusely as you have seen my pics.

Please, take a gander to the other side, the container forum, and see what even yellowthumb says about denias.

You will do well, and can ask as many questions to us as you need be. I forgot the rest you asked, because when I went to refresh my page, i lost the thread, except what I am writing..

Mike

So sorry, what I meant to ask was, can you give it more than 3 hours of sun? The late in the day and early morining kind?
The less sun, the less of chance of blossom opening.

Mike is right on the sun. You weather is exactly like mine. Our full sun is far less powerful than Florida's. That's why we can never grow apples and pears as sweet as our south neighbour's. Nothing you can do about it. Although we indeed has lots of UV.

I normally give my denia all day sun except from 12:00 to 3pm. Or full day if I forget to bring them in the shade. If they have healthy roots, they love the sun and the heat. Remember, more sun, more water usage, more frequent to water, more air to the roots and most importantly more sugar produced. Bigger plants and more flowers.

Once you get all the environment factors right, fertilizer is not as important as you think. Your container mix is the most important factor and your current mix is a NO NO in Montreal area. Your only chance is to use extreme fast draining mix like gritty mix.

Right on yellowthumb!!:-)

Well... No wonder my gardenia is rebelling . I don't know the very basics! I will place it in full sun except between 12:00 - 3:00 pm and I will transfer it to the gritty mix ( Hopefully I"ll find the ingredients without too much trouble). What is the best season or time to switch to the gritty mix?
Yellowthumb and Mike, my most sincere thanks for your advice so graciously given. I will keep you posted of my progress.
I believe that I have my work cut out for my upcoming vacation: I will print and take along with me the great Encycopedia that is found in the container forum. There is so much reading material that I need some extra time to go through it all, but it will be worth it.
P.S. It is really a great experience to go through the posts. People are helpful, they are funny and most of all very generous with their talents and time.
A BIG THANKS!

The ideal best season would be the spring. But I doubt your denia is able to see the coming spring. So now is the best time to repot, since we have a cool and wet summer, it's ideal for plant to recover from the transplant stress.

AW, you are welcome!

Yellowthumb has hit it right on again....
HIi yellowthumb! Hope it has finally warmed up there. It has here. You would be suprised what 3 days of sun and hot can do three days in a row..lol

Ok, I'll try to do the transplanting right away. Hopefully this poor gardenia will survive. If it doesn't, at least I will know what to do the next time around.
Thanks!
I can't believe that we have in Montreal 2 consecutive days of sunny weather . Yahoo!