I'm by no means a gardenia expert, so I'm going by my own murder of my gardenias. What is your soil like? Gardenias like lighter soil that is fast draining and a low ph. Is it rootbound? I finally figured out that I had killed mine because it was soooo rootbound and wasn't getting any more nutrients. I lifted it out of the pot and it was 100 percent roots! Combined with watering it too much killed it.

Also, and this is a big thing..do NOT be nice to your plant! If you talk nicely to it it will KNOW what you want it to do, which is produce beautiful fragrant flowers. Then the game is over, and it'll toy with you for awhile before it commits suicide (do a search for the 'suicidal gardenia' thread if you haven't seen it before, it's HILARIOUS!).

The way I have kept mine from dying is this:

I have it in a south facing window, it's in a big plastic basin thing, and is in a terra cotta pot. I think I just used miracle gro potting soil. I put it in a pot that is way bigger than the plant. I usually mist it every day or so. Occasionally like maybe once a week I will take it to the sink, plug the drain and fill it up with hot water and let it soak and mist it with hot water till the water starts cooling off. Just give it a good watering like once or twice a week, depending on if it's winter or summer.

Also someone here said to mix in some vinegar occasionally (just a bit) to keep the ph low. I also lightly fertilize mine with liquid iron with trace minerals. You might want to hold off doing that until your plant recovers though. I had seen some new growth in the gardenia I thought was dead. I lightly fertilized it and watered it (overwatered it I think) and the new growth died.

I find that gardenias like it dry. I avoid keeping them in plastic pots too, because of the drainage problems. Hope this helps!!

Thanks for getting back to me mersiepoo. The soil I'm using is Miracle Grow's organic potting soil. It seems to be moist and doesn't seem to be drying out much. should I repot the plant now, or wait till spring? i fear by that time, it will be too far gone.

I usually have good luck with most of my plants. I'm growing two citrus plants (Meyer lemon and calamondin) and both are doing rather well and a jasmine that seems to have adapted nicely to growing indoors. But this gardenia is frustrating me to no end.

Tony

Now, If you are underwatering your plant, and Gardenias do not tolerate lack of water to well either, that is a whole different ball park. Your plant may be dying of thirst with wet leaves only. Like I said, the only way you'll know is to check the roots while transplanting, which you should do anyways. Sounds like you have soil not condusive to growing gardenias indoors in the winter up north.
You should get a water meter, or a wooden dowel,and push these into the soil at least half way down. The meter will tell you what the soil is, you can feel damdness on the dowel when you pull it out. If you have neither, then push your finger into the root zone, not the top first couple of inches. You want to make sure the soil near the bottom is not wet. Hope all this helps you..:-)

Thanks, meyermike. Can I use the type of soil mix I use for my citrus plants? I use roughly 3 parts coconut husks + 1 part peat moss.

I have a sneaking suspicion the roots are too wet so I'll get this plant out of that soil and repot tomorrow night.

-- Tony

FYI, I repotted the gardenia. I found that the surrounding soil was quite damp, but the rootball itself was quite dry. In fact, I noticed the roots had not even broken free out of the original rootball -- could they have not been given the "green light" to spread out?

Well, I scraped the sides of the rootball and pulled some roots free (they were white, stringy) and repotted the plant. It's been in the shower tonight and tomorrow I'll water again and leave it in the shower. Hopefully it will stimulate some new growth.

Thanks for the feedback!

-- Tony

Anytime!!!!!Happy Gardenia growing!!:-)

I don't think my gardenia is going to make it. it's even drier today than it was 4 days ago! :-(

Could the location be too cold? I have it in a coolish room that gets east/southeast sun. At night the temp in this room tends to drop. would it be better off in a warmer room? I usually keep the house about 69F at the most, with the temp dropping to 66 during the evening. maybe this is what is causing my gardenia to flounder?

Tony, you probably have to let her go. If Gardenia gets root rot, she declines rapidly.

Tony,
Are you still watching this post.?
How did the roots themselves look when you transplanted?
Did you rinse all the old soil off the root ball as suggested? Did you at least cut the root ball up..Not that I would do this.....
I got a feeling it is starving for water, dehydrating itself to death still, while the outer edges of the plant is getting wet. I almost lost mine for this reason last year. It kept wilting, and turnig yellow, looked kinda weak. I thought it was staying wet because the soil always seemed damp above and around the roott ball while the root ball was never obsorbing water! In effect, the rootball was dry anyways!! I hope it is not to late.
That is why you have to wash the old soil off. Or you could, which I do not do, cut into the root ball. Not sure how to do this though. I personally think it is less stressful to just rinse old soil off the roots. You still have a chance. Then you can see for sure how the roots look. If your afraid to do this again, then get a wooden dowel, or popsical stick, and shove it into the root ball and see if it comes out dry or wet? Let me know ok!!
Mike

>> Did you rinse all the old soil off the root ball as suggested?

Ummm.... err... no, I didn't want to be that radical. I removed the rootball but I found it totally dry. Do you think it's the soil that the plant was originally packed in? I guess I should remove all the soil and go bare root -- might as well -- I've got nothing to lose now, huh?

I appreciate your feedback. I'll keep you posted.

-- Tony

Tony, when you water, do you water in a circular motion, wetting the entire top? It's important you water up to the trunk, especially atop roots.
Little sips do more harm then good. Soil should feel dry, look crumbly, then a hearty drink given..supply water until it seeps out of drainage holes.

Perhaps your pot is too large..is that possible? It could be the container is too big, and soil too heavy.
I add some black soil, along with other mediums like peat, sand and Perlite.

For the time being, shake tree and remove dead leaves. Nutrients focus on sick/dead foliage, which is something you don't want..Also, plants look unsightly.

You mentioned little sprouts coming in..That's a great sign. By spring they'll be a lot bigger, until the tree is once again compact.

I agree with most of Mike's advice..I don't think I'd remove all the soil at this time, it's possible your Gardenia is in shock now..I also am a firm believer in daily misting. The chance of rot is 1 out of a million..Since you're in NJ, unless you're a Polar Bear, your heat is on..heat causes dry air..although misting isn't going to creat a green house atmosphere, it will help some..plus it keeps leaves clean, rids dust..Dust clogs pores.

Don't fertilize, but if you can get hold of Superthrive, give it a try..it does wonders for shocked/sick plants.

Tony, cold and heat lowers humidity..If you have a humidifer, turn it on. It's a wonderful device..for plants, pets and people. Gardenia's need humidity. They also require fresh air. It's way too cold to open a window, but if you have a ceiling or rotating fan, keep on low at least an hour a day..

It's unusal the root ball was dry, yet outer soil moist..How long have you had your Gardenia..Even if it was really potbound before purchasing, if you had the 'denia more than 6 months, added fresh soil, and a larger pot, roots should have spread out, so when soil was watered, all parts were equally moist.

BTW, if there's any foil around the pot, please remove ASAP.
Make sure the pot isn't too large, and water when soil is dry. Insert your finger in the soil to check. Good luck, Toni

Hi, Toni -- was wondering when you'd chime in :-)

>> It's unusal the root ball was dry, yet outer soil moist..How long have you had your Gardenia.... I've had it since August of this year.

I did repot it, maybe the pot was too big?

At least now I know what plants to stay away from -- orchids and gardenias -- but that's probably true of lots of amateur growers!

If I give it a good shake I'm sure 98% of the leaves would fall off. I have a bad feeling about this!

I'll post pics, but I hope you don't think less of me when you see the condition of the 'denia! Really, I'm a pretty good grower -- my citrus, jasmine, and pachira plants are doing splendidly! ;-)

Hi.....I have never...never killed a plant no matter what time of year it is of shock rinsing all crappy soil off a plants root system. In fact I can hear them almost say..THANKS FOR TAKING RELIEF!!
If anything I have killed them by cutting or butchering the roots. Even by transplanting and breaking roots,especially this time of year. If it was already healthy, you could get away with doing that, especially in spring, but I will tell you, if you stick a wooden dowel into your root ball and find it is dry, even though the soil around it is too wet, you have a real problem.
You should take that unosorbale soil off your roots. If it is in old peatmoss that has dried beyong dry, then it will never osborb water right again.
I have myself killed a many plant in this caes and so has my neighbor. NOt to brag, but I have to say ever since I discovered great soilles mix and rinse the roots off any of my plants that are in cruddy soil no matter what time of year it is, I am pretty good with surviving any and all plants with this method of taking off useless soil around the roots with a stream of water until they are bare. Not one root breaks this way.
Your plant will not go into shock, infact, it will feel relief and perk right up, if the roots are not dead by now.. That is what happened to my friends gardenia. Within 3 days of changed soil, including a soil wash off the roots, hers perked right up and lived.
If your soil is so compact on the root system that the water does not obsorb into it while the soil around it is getting wet, your going to loose it anyways. That is why I suggested using a wooden dowel or even a dry popsicle stick,even a water meter to make sure. You need to see for sure if your root ball is getting watered. By the time we get to this conclusion, I am afraid it is too late to save your plant. Roots can get so DRY, that they will rot becasue they are to brittle now to take up water.
If if is going to die anyways, why not give the rinsing off your roots a try and put in gently in better soil. Then you will be able to see the health or the roots FOR SURE. At least it will give it a FAR better chance.
If your feet were so tight in a pair of shoes that there was no room for your feet to breathe, would you just shove your shoe into a better one without removing the old shoe? Well your roots could be in a very tight shoe not allowing any air nor water to penitrate, don"t just stick it in better shoe, or soil without first removing the old one... Just trying to help from my experience of failure and success....You don't have to listen. Good succes and happy Friday tommorrow. I hope it works out for you.
And by the way, Toni, Where have you been again!!!
I always miss you!!:-)
Your bug spray is the best yet I have ever had!!!
I could say that Al's soil is a miracle, and your spray is just as valuable to me too. Now I use the best soil, and the best spray!!!

Happy Friday tommorrow.
Mike

Mike,
Didn't mean to imply that I wouldn't listen. I just wasn't sure if I should go to such drastic lengths, but it seems my hand is being forced, so I will get to this ASAP.

Thanks for your patience and good advice.

-- Tony

Wow,
Talk about lousy grammer and rushing you do take care of your plant. I'm sorry. I was too tired to proof read, and I desperately want you to save your plant...:-)
I hope you can save it.
P.S. Everytime you take a plant out from a pot it has been use to growing in, weather it is by transplant with original soil, lifted carefully and gently put into another,knocked out of it from a wind gust, or soil washed of roots, a plant goes throuh some shock no matter which way it is done. They don't know the difference. But if done right, they will respond better. So if you shock it anyways, do it thoroughly the first time, and you might save it and spare yourself from having to do it again.:-)
Let me know how it goes...I wish you sucess...

Howdy Tony,
You forgot to post a picture. :)
Think less of you? Are you serious? Tony, I hope you're kidding. If anyone said they 'thought less' of a person because of a plant, oh I won't even go there..
Gardenias are difficult, especially overwintering indoors. They are fussy, don't like artificial heat, stuffy/dry air, and wet soil during gray winter days/weeks/months.

I think most of us, especially we who live in cold climates have gone through a handful or more Gardenias before getting one to live. Not just thrive, but flower too. Without chilled days, nights or both, it's difficult forcing a 'denia to bud, flower, and keep more than 2 days before fading away.

I found it strange the rootball was dry, yet outer soil wet..That's weird.
Actually, I've seen something similiar..the problem being, the rootball wasn't potted deep enough, so after it was watered, it slid upward, pushing out of the soil.
Its roots were tightly wound, it was like two separate sections. Because the roots were up higher, in open air/non-sheltered, the rootball dried faster.
When the plant was repotted, soil was placed on bottom, sides and top, making no contact with roots because they were intertwined.
Some people attempt separating roots, but talk about disturbing! I don't have the courage. lol.

I don't know what you decided, but no matter which soil or soil-less medium you go with, after your gardenia is potted, place in a sink or bucket filled w/warm water, let soak until soil is wet.
Remove dead, brown/yellow leaves from stems and any that fell atop soil. Check for insects. Especially mites. Tis the Season to be Mitey...la la la la la la la la la :)

You asked the age of my Gardenia. It was purchased in 1994/5, so it's either 13 or 14 yrs old..The date is written in an old plant journal, but I'm too lazy to find it..lol. Actually, I've been up all night, so I'm a tad sleepy. Been working on plants, soaking each in the sink, drying, then placing in their spot. The Gardenia will be last since it's bulky.

Mike, I don't want to debate soil with you, :) but I've had better luck using both house plant soil and soil less mediums. Black soil contains nutrients soil less mixes don't. I wouldnt' recommend using heavy soil w/o adding sand, Perlite or both though. That's just my opinion, what works for my plants. Soil less dries way too fast for my liking. Too much work..lol..

Tony, I hope your Gardenia makes it. If you use Superthrive, add some when you water. They suggest 10 drops per gallon of water for stressed plants..Good luck, Toni

Hi toni!!
If I knew how to grow plants in a soil mixter with peatmoss and not the gritty mix I would for sure. But I have no luck in it. The only plants I have managed to grow well without killing them off with root rot is the ones in Al's gritty mix. But this I will tell you. If I am growing anything in a pot 6 inches or smaller, especially in a clay pot, I use the type soil you do. In fact I even add worm vormicompost. Here is something strange.
I actually planted 3 small gardenias in the soiless gritty mix I use and I was watering everyday in the 6 inch pots they were in. So I took one gardenia and stuck it in the same size pot, taking it out of the gritty mix and putting it into a soiless mix with peatmoss and worm compost, and that plant is double the size of the ones that I left alone. I mean much bigger. I guess I don't know how to grow anything that is not in Als griity mix in anything larger than a 6 inch pot without killing it. lol
But I think your soils are great too, if you know how to water properly in it. I look at your beautiful plants, and I envy the fact that you know how to without killing them and that you know what your doing..Hugs
Hope you are well!! :-)
Mike

Here are some photos:

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

I have repotted it (again, but this time bare root -- nice white roots) and removed all dead and shriveled-beyond-recognition leaves. Now it looks like a dormant tree, however, there are very tiny leaf buds peaking out so maybe, just maybe, the roots were able to absorb some water.

Hi Tony,

Your gardenias have that *CLASSIC* tell-tale signs of *SEVERE* dehydration. Did you water them at all?
If they are still alive, the *FIRST AID* should be to soak their roots in water for at least 3 hours.

You probably are not watering enough your gardenias (at their roots) or the original potting medium (immediately around their roots) is probably too fast drying.

If the latter is the case, then you need to remove the still routbound plants, soak them for 3 hours (as stated above). You should consider using real garden soil mixes for your gardenia as it may work better given for your
watering habits.

tropical

Hi Trop,
>> Did you water them at all?
I know it doesn't look like it, but if you read up post, you'll see that I described the surrounding soil as moist, but the plant's original rootball being dry. I removed the old soil that it was originally planted it, all the way down to bare roots, and re-planted it. I think the soil it was originally planted in was too old and ill-cared for.

Now I have to play the waiting game and see if I saved it in time -- but there are signs of promise -- white roots (when I bare-rooted it) and little leaf buds breaking through.

I'll keep ya posted.

Tony

Tony
NICE!!!!!!!!! I am so glad you took all the old soil off. And better yet you saw WHITE roots!!! NICE!! HOPE!! !!
I am proud of you. Don't worry, the tree will respond better to a soil change than to what it was going through before hand. Can you here it thanking you for relief???

The key now is to give it as much light and sun as you can. Stick it in a south facing window. Put it on a plant stand if you can and let the sun even hit the pots to warm the soil up by day. Find a way to keep the roots warmer. Directly on floor tends to cool soil down in pot signifcantly and since your plant needs to strenthen, it will help. Then if you can, buy a grow light and suppliment with this two. The more light you give it, the more the growth will take off and the stronger it will become faster....Too bad you couldn't just stick it outside and it was summer ha , right. That tree would have new leaves within days like one of the gardenias I saved by way of the same process. Please let us know how it is doing ok. Keep us posted on updates and pictures. Remember, give this poor plant all the sun and light you can give it ok.
Don't foget to watch for pests too ,because it is in a weakend state, it is a pest magnet, especially for mites!
ANY, and I mean ANY irregularities in your new growth, other than smooth new leaves, spells bugs, even if you can't see them. Get a magnifyer glass, and be sure to use toni's spray every other week ok. All you need is for the only fresh new baby leaves you get to be attacked by bugs..lol
That will be your final straw probably and you will probably rid of it. Please don't. Just spray it regularly, don't over water, use a wooden dowel if you have to to make sure soil is still moist, if you can shower it or mist it do so. A good showering to wash the plant and soak the pot once dried is wonderful for them.
I would NOT FEED at this time. Wait until spring. And most of all, do not give up, ok. You can do it. You can be a great plant doctor for all your babies and succeed!!! You can revive any sic plant once you get the science down..:-)
Mike

One more thing. If your having a drying issue for this plant or others this time of year, either because the soil is too heavy, or you used peat, or pot to big, I use a FAN in the room for circulation. For some reason moving air in the room seems to dry my soil out in the pots this time of year alot better. Stagnet air does allow evaporation as good and allows for insects.:-)

Stagnet air DOES not allow evaporation. Moving air repels mold, insects, and fresh air for vibrant plants, and dries out potted plants better this time of year!!

Thanks, meyermike! I AM hopeful as the roots looked like they were in good shape despite the leaves being shriveled up. I'll definitely keep you posted and my fingers crossed!

Hey Mike, and everyone else..Did you guys have a nice Thanksgiving? I hope so..
Speaking of turkey day, most who do the cooking know turkey takes hours baking..while the oven is doing its job, the house (air) dries a lot. Anyone notice? I double mist when baking anything that takes over 2 hours..

Mike, I think you've seen posts where I said, we growers should use soils/ or soil less mixes that work for us.
Back in the 70's and 80's, (at least here in Il) indoor plant growers didnt have much choice buying packaged soils. We bought what was available..soils were heavy, black soil, yet we who grow house plants managed..some died, some lived. Especially when first starting out.

Guess you get a feel when to water, especially using this heavy soil.
I would never say anyone's mix, no matter what they use, is wrong. When people ask, in general, 'what type of soil do you use?' I reply what I use..some ppl might say it's wrong, but they're wrong for making that statement. If it works, and one is satisfied with the results, then we're doing something right.

I agree adding soil=less mediums such as Sand, Perlite, Peat, bark, etc, help w/drainage..peat improves plants that need acidic soil, too. I'm not saying planting in all peat is a good idea, on the contrary, but adding 'x' amount increases acid..I tests soils using guages, so I know for a fact when peat is added to acid loving plants, the needle/s display acid. Lower pH.
So, it's up to the individual.

Mike, I'm assuming your mix is well-draining, right? If so, do you water more now than you did when using soils?
If this is the case, then your mix would be beneficial for ppl who cannot help themselves watering plants..lol..At least that's what I get from soil less mixes..more water, more fertilizers, since soil less doesn't contain nutrients.. I'm not sure what your mix consist of.
Do you use gritty mix for citrus too?

Oh Tony..Wow! I am happy hearing your denia is sprouting little leaves..that is positive..Rid dead foliage so sprouted won't be obstructed. Allow as much light as possible.
You may or may not be with me on this, but if you have Superthrive, add some. Please.

Since you've repotted, is the rootball level? It should be level so rootball doesn't sit higher than outer soil, and all parts get watered evenly..I truly hope it works.
Tony, what type of soil did you use? Soil or soil less? If soil less, you'll probably need to water more..
The few plants I potted in completely soil-less mix, dry way too fast..
Tony, I'm not telling you what to do, but besides using soil=less mediums, I'd add a couple handfuls of real soil. If you didn't already, don't unpot again..lol..the poor plant will go into deep shock. Too much stress, especially this time of year. You don't want to lose baby growth.
In the meantime, fill up a container, eg, a used, cleaned out, milk container, with water. When it's time for a drink, use that water.
Keep in brightest light, and artificial light if possible.
Add Superthrive.
Do not fertilize.
Remove dead foliage, including any that dropped on soil.
Check for insects.
Mist or shower in sink. I mist daily, shower once a wk.
Allow soil to dry, (stick finger deep into soil, if it comes out wet, wait a few days and recheck. If it's dry, water.) Guages sometimes work, or lifting plant..if it's heavy, the soil is wet, if light, it probably needs a drink.
Increase humidity, and keey Gardenia away from heat. For instance, don't set directly in front of a vent.
Good luck, I hope it works out..keep us posted..Toni

My gardenia leaves turned dark brown, brittle and falling off. The over all leaves become sad. Please help me with the problem

Root rot is the most common ailment of Gardenias. Tip it out of the pot and check the roots. If roots are healthy, the whole rootball will come out in one big chunk, and you can just stick it back in the pot, no harm.

If that is the problem, you need to start over with a new plant.

Hi,

I brought my gf's baby gardenia back to life last year and it was full of green leaves. However, i recently decided to put it in a bigger pot that i bought from Walmart.

I used miracle grow potting mix for flowers and cleaned the root ball. A few weeks ago i noticed the leaves were drying out. Now it is practically bare.

Any idea what is wrong or what I should do???

Hi Lyle,

The miracle gro mix is a kiss of death for gardenias. I know from experience because it holds too much water, as it is designed to. But in gardenias, this spells root-rot.

Click on the link below and you will learn why it is important to have a well draining medium for your plant.

I currently have my gardenia in the "511" mix and it is thriving. I've had it for several weeks and repotted it after bare-rooting it, into the mix.

You might be able to save your gardenia, good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: container soils and water movement

I want to comment on the gradenia that dehydrated, rootball being completely dry while surrounding soil was moist.

This happened to me several years ago with a brunfelsia. It came rootbound. It kept declining despite all my efforts, and died. Unpotting it, the rootball was bone dry in a pot full of wet soil. Reading up, I found out that when severely rootbound, the roots become *hydrophobic* -- ie actually repel water. Sounds unlikely, I know.

Here's what I found helped correct for the pproblem of getting new roots on rootbound pants:

First, I soak the plant thoroughly for an hour or two before repotting. If you have some root hormone or root stimulant like DynaGrow K-L-N, add some to the soaking water. Turn the plant upside down and swish the leaves thru the soaking water, as some root stimulant can be absorbed thru the leaves. Also add several drops of a dishwashing liquid like Ivory Liquid to the soaking water. This makes the water *wetter* and more likely to wet the roots.

Soaking it before repotting gives it a better start in its new pot.

I also cut the roots on a couple of sides. After repotting, for about a month or so, add the KLN and Ivory Liquid to the watering water. *Water the pot near the trunk of the plant*, where the roots are, not the outside rim of the pot which is empty of roots.

After a month or so, new roots have started and you can water with plain water again.

Hope this is of help to someone.

I'm heartbroken! I nurtured my gardenia all through the winter in my cool, back hallway to keep it away from my kitten, because he ate some of the leaves and got sick. Recently, I brought it to my new office and it was doing wonderfully...until I was away for 6 days. No one watered it and the thing is just crispy.
I tried to bring it back w/ water, to no avail. I'll follow all the advice here about repotting, but should I also just trim the branches and get rid of the crispy leaves? I'm afraid to do it, though, it seems logical. How far back should I cut??? Thank you!

You can cut back into green wood. ie, the tips may be dead, but if further back the wood has that thin green rim at the edge, the plant is still alive and may re-prout. Start off by cutting a little and see if that yields living tissue. Leaves like those in the picture above are worthless. Iagree with the others that you should just shake them off.

Remember that a leafless plant needs much, much less water, as there is no transpiration.

I bought 4 gardenias from a local Home Depot earlier this week, 3 of them resembling the pics above. I brought them home, fed them a smidgen and watered them and I didn't see any improvement :( One of them has nice leaves and blooms and I thought I could save the others, if I tried. I scoured the internet and came upon your site Mike and thought, what the heck. Sounds like something my Grandma would have done. So, I set about to doing just that. Talk about root bound! YIKES! I don't think i had ever seen it so bad! I don't even see any signs of dirt. A few wood chips yes. Soon after I started the rain came down, thankfully! So i let them sit out like they were, letting the rain kiss them all over :D When its done, however long it will be, I will continue to, carefully as i can, break them apart and wash them. Any other thoughts and suggestions? Thanks a bunch! I have never had much success here with them inside so I thought to try them outside.

I am new to the gardenweb, and a novice gardener. I have read many old posts about gardenia help, and I sure could use more help. My gardenia is about one year old (don't know what variety it is). When brand new, all the buds dropped off gradually, but then it grew and tripled its size. Last August I was away and relied on a neighbor to water in our absence of about 3 weeks. When I returned, the plant was covered with white spots, and some sooty mold. I treated it with alcohol, baking soda, etc., and got it under control. Then I noticed that no matter how much I watered it, it didn't seem to drink it in. I repotted it in December in fast-draining soil (I had purchased a brand specifically for bougainvillea) but I only stretched out the roots a bit, I did not bareroot the plant. Since Dec, it has continued to grow, has started to set quite a few buds, but then over the past three weeks, many leaves have started turning yellow. As I read more GW posts, I learned that I should have barerooted the plant when I repotted it to eliminate all of the old, dry, impacted soil that was probably preventing the plant from up taking water and nutrients. Sooo, three days ago, I soaked the plant in warm water for a half-hour, then I rinsed all of the old soil away completely...scary. I had the pot and fresh soil ready (I had also added a cup of worm castings, and two handsful of rinsed and drained coco coir. I put the plant in full sun outside
(with some mid-afternoon shade). Two or three leaves yellowed the next day.
I have been using a moisture meter each day. Today, our temperature reached about 80 degrees, and when I went to check my finicky plant, many leaves were curled and crunchy. I watered it well. My questions are, is it too late for this plant? What did I do wrong? I have read about the gritty mix and the 5:1:1, but I had purchased a lot of the above-mentioned soil, and the nurseryman said that it would be fine for the gardenia. Can anyone please advise?

I have a gardenia and live in Chicago Illinois I brought it in and kept it by the window in bathroom all the leave have fallen off except like 10 many branches are dry and dead and twigs are sticky I watered it regularly I cut off dry twigs all the way to branches that still were alive green and bendable I will put back outside when it gets warmer in end of May will it come back?

I read through your advice Mike and the results are splendid! I bought a gardenia and left it in the balcony, it started drying out and wilting in the heat. I repotted it, and noticed that the roots were pretty tight (and white) and old soil stuck to it. I scraped it off and repotted it as it is. there was no improvement. after going through your comments, I removed the whole thing from the soil (roots still white) soaked the root for two hours, hosed the entire plant and soaked it, and repotted it again. the leaves were starting to rise up and new growth which was earlier wilted now looked better. but it was slow. so I plucked out ALL the old leaves, leaving only the small new growth on the plant and the result is good. it is sitting on a sunny windowsill and enjoys my morning spray.hoping it has full growth by the time summer starts
crispy, but I noticed that

this is my gardenia with small new growth

This picture is such a relief ! I just removed all the soil from my partially fried gardenia , scraped of the drenched soil and cleaned it nicely and repotted it into a banana first and buried it in fresh soil . Thankfully the roots are still white . I tried the banana because I read somewhere that it needs potassium . I removed all the fried leaves . I hope it will live and I also plan to only spray it instead of watering it so that i don’t drench them again . Please correct me if am wrong .

mine died afterwards! didn't survive. I gave up. no more gardenia for me!

Okay that’s really sad .

Yeah, I can grow just about anything, but I have gievn up on them too. Unless you grow them in the perfect conditions with the perfect pH, water, nutrients, light, warmth, humidity and location, they usually croak of will barely grow and hardly ever reflower or are attacked by mites.

Yeah, I can grow just about anything, but I have gievn up on them too. Unless you grow them in the perfect conditions with the perfect pH, water, nutrients, light, warmth, humidity and location, they usually croak of will barely grow and hardly ever reflower or are attacked by mites.

So my idea clearly didn’t work . So I again cleaned the roots , soaked in water for 3 hours and then mixed the soil and potted the dying gardenia (roots still white ) and kept it outdoor . My friend send me pictures of her gardenia placed outdoor and it’s grows wonderfully . So am trying my last luck now . I have also drilled a hole in to my pot for drainage which it didn’t have until now . Let’s see . Will provide an update once I see any progress .

I’ve had the same gardenia standard (tree form) for 15-20 years (?) and here are my thoughts.

- most homes are too hot in winter. The dry air from the heating is tough on them (also on my michelias, citrus), and I see them suffering as soon as the central heating kicks in. I like quite a cool house (everyone complains when they visit haha) so this is less of a problem for me. Usually I just have to water more often. Over winter there will inevitably be a bit of leaf drop but plants perk up as soon as spring comes and the heat is off.

- I am too lazy to mist. I water when soil is a bit dry (once a week?) and then give them a good drink. Do it slowly. Let the water absorb, come back after a bit and water again. When the soil is dry, water just runs out and you think it’s watered but the soil is dry as a bone inside. Your pot must have a drainhole! I water until water drains out of the bottom. If your plant has dry crispy leaves, then you haven’t given it enough water.

- In the spring on a warm day, I take my plants outside to gently hose them off, give them a little pruning etc. & bring them back inside. I tried leaving them out all summer before and yes they grew very well outside. However, my pots were big and too much work to haul back inside. More importantly being outside meant a lot of pests, so it involved a lot of work to clean them up or suffer with mites, scale, etc once they came inside

- in the fall, they get another cleanup outside, and I found that Neem oil is my saviour for keeping them pest free indoors. This product is a lifesaver! No more sticky sap from the scale insects:)

- in the spring, after the dry less than ideal conditions, they respond with a heavy flush of buds then have sporadic blooms throughout the year

Wow this looks great . I have created a hole for My pot and kept my plant out in the hope to revive it . Fingers crossed

What zone are you in - is it warm enough outside?

A couple of other points:

- yes they like moving air. Makes a big difference. Another reason why they sulk during the winter when windows are closed

- yes they like light, but indirect, filtered light. Not right in front of a hot window. This is like a dog in a hot car.

Now is a good time to show the whole tree not looking its best due to some leaf drop over the winter, but central heating has just been turned off so it will put out a lot of growth soon. Sometimes I need to prune so it doesn’t get too big for the hallway. It’s been in the same pot all these years. (It’s about 4 ft tall)

Maggie. What a great job. I’m so proud of you and thanks for the encouragement ! Shows you that it can be done.
By the way , I’m so glad to see you. Have you heard from Brian ? Worried about him. Also I hope you are coping with this virus. Please be safe. Get back to me. Missed you

Hey Mike. Hope you are well. I’m in BC and we’ve been fortunate as far as this situation goes. I’ve just been busy and happened to check back in here now that spring has lit up the garden.