Hi Schic - your plant look so healthy and happy.

Kasie

Kasie, I have to confess, I have finally moved. My previous apartment was like a greenhouse, hot and cold. I was suffering but my plants loved it.

Now I moved to this nice new apartment. The temperature is steadily in the 70's. The jasmines are fine. But guess what: this indoor gardenia is declining. The soil is wet, yet, several branches dried up completely. I have no clue what to do now. The gardenia may leave me soon.

Another gardenia outside is doing fine. But I cannot imagine what will happen when I move it inside in the fall.

Hi Schic - if you're referring to the gardenia next to your Angel Wing jasmine, then to me it looks so healthy. I hope you're cutting the dead branches off. Good luck Schic.

Kasie

Schic,

I've never found angel wing jasmine to be that fragrant, although it's one of the prettiest in leaf and flower. You could try a light fertilizing with kelp solution or a fertilizer with trace elements, but beyond that, I don't know any tricks.

The gardenia indoors is probably reacting to less light by slowing down, so it needs less water -- you may have some root rot. Check the roots?

Jim

Jim,

If I detect root-rot of my gardenia, what shall I do? Do I dig it out and let it dry out? I really don't know what to do.

Shic,

If I suspect root rot on a plant, I let the soil get dry (not too dry with a gardenia!), dig carefully around the outside of the container to loosen the soil, turn the pot upside down, and ease the whole root ball out. If I see brown, mushy roots, I trim them all off, sprinkle with cinnamon (orchid growers use cinnamon as an anti-fungal treatment on orchid roots), and perhaps add some gravel, bark, or other coarse, fast draining mix to the bottom before repotting the plant. Then, water lightly and watch for new growth.

If the roots are white and firm, they're doing fine, and the plant's just slowing down in its new location; give it time, it'll start growing again.

Or not. You never know with gardenias! Good luck!

Jim

Jim, I thought Gardenias "resent" disturbance to their roots. I am too lazy to do anything. I will just let it dry a bit. Either ways are traumas to the gardenia plant though ...

It does not make sense because I have rooted branches in water before. The roots did not rot when completely inundated in water??

Water doesn't cause root rot, but lots of water in soil does since its the soil that carries the bacteria/fungus/whatever causing the rot. Same thing happened to one of my gardenia.

Uh, I see. If this is the case, then there should be some product like "rot out" for Gardenias ... The product should clear out the harmful bacteria/fungus/whatever.