How to care for potted gardenia
This article introduces the experience of caring for potted gardenias and some plant cultivation tips. Next, the editor will introduce the information to netizens.
Gardenia, also known as mountain gardenia and jade lotus, is originally from the Yangtze River Valley. Its flowers are pure and elegant white, with single or double petals, aromatic and refreshing, with lush green leaves. It can be grown as a potted plant on a balcony indoors or in a courtyard. Gardenias planted in the ground are more robust and easy to care for, able to withstand strong sunlight, heat, and drought. Potted gardenias may be a bit more delicate, but with proper care, they can also grow vigorously and bloom abundantly every year.
The blooming period of gardenias is from June to August. There are large-leafed and small-leafed gardenias, as well as gardenias that bloom all year round. They are all easy to care for, with beautiful flowers and fragrant scents. Gardenias have a strong ability to absorb sulfur dioxide from the air and can also resist some harmful gases, such as ozone and hydrogen fluoride. They can also absorb dust from the air to purify it. So, how can you care for gardenias at home?
There is a post-90s gardening enthusiast, a girl, who particularly loves to care for gardenias. She has been nurturing a gardenia that started from a single cutting and has been thriving for several years, blooming beautifully and abundantly every year. Everyone who sees it loves it. So, how exactly should potted gardenias be cared for? Let's take a look.
1. Choose the right pot and soil
When choosing a pot for planting gardenias, it should not be too small, and it's best not to use ceramic or plastic pots. The best pot to use is a deep purple clay pot, which is breathable and aesthetically pleasing. When choosing soil, gardenias prefer fertile, loose, well-draining soil with a slightly sticky texture. It is not suitable to use alkaline soil, as it can cause yellowing of the leaves. Being an acid-loving plant, gardenias require slightly acidic soil. When preparing the soil, you can use half garden soil, add a small amount of fertilizer soil, decomposed leaf soil, a little coarse sand, and a small amount of animal manure as a base fertilizer.
How to care for potted gardenias
2. Light requirements for potted gardenias
Gardenias love sunlight, and a growth environment with ample light is more beneficial for them. They can also be kept in semi-shaded areas. However, during the hot summer, avoid placing them in direct sunlight, as this can cause leaf yellowing. In the middle of summer, you can place them in a shaded area with 50% light blockage, and in other seasons, you can expose them to more sunlight.
3. Frequent watering is needed for potted gardenias
Gardenias do not have a very developed root system, with many fine roots, so they are sensitive to water. When watering, it is important to keep the potting soil moist and maintain a slightly damp state while increasing air humidity. For watering, you can use rainwater or fermented rice washing water, which will promote better growth. In the summer, it is important to water more frequently, and you can also spray water on the leaves. In the winter, reduce watering and keep the soil slightly dry.
Gardenias are very fond of fertilizer. In the growing season, you can apply some thin fertilizer, or every half month, apply ferrous sulfate water, which can keep the potting soil slightly acidic and also supplement some iron to the soil, preventing leaf yellowing. At the same time, before the flowering period, it is necessary to supplement phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote larger flowers, a stronger fragrance, and the smooth blooming of flower buds.
Gardenias are relatively tolerant to pruning. In early spring, you can cut off some dense branches, branches that cannot bloom, and some withered old branches to protect branches with flower buds, which can promote the growth of more branches and more flower buds. In winter, as long as the temperature does not drop below 3 degrees Celsius, they can be kept outdoors. They have good cold tolerance. However, for newly transplanted gardenias, it is necessary to keep them warm, while older plants can be kept outdoors above 3 degrees Celsius.
The above is the complete content about how to care for potted gardenias and some tips for maintaining gardenias from [Greenthumb Enthusiast Network]. Have green thumb enthusiasts understood it?