Hi, We have a fairly nice sized gardenia planted outside (Florida). It is flowering and has buds, but the leaves are yellow and the leaves are not dark green. We just moved in here and it would be a shame to have it die. There is an automic sprinker that waters it 3 times a week. I would appreciate any suggestions since I would like to save it from death. Thank you
You live in a good climate for gardenia so the problem may be with the soil. Gardenia needs a fast draining soil but one that retains moisture: if the soil is sandy it needs a large ammount of organic matter from a good soil conditioner. We used to recommend peat, but from an ecological perspective this is no longer advisable because peat bogs are being overmined and are not being allowed to regenerate. Use compost or ground bark as an organic matter ammendment to the soil. The leaves yellowing could be due to salt build-up from excess watering with high salt content water. Check with knowledgable gardeners in your area as to the water quality there. If the soil is poorly drained and water-logged, the plant needs to be located in an area of higher elevation relative to the area where it now resides. Using mulch to help keep the soil moist and add to the organic matter is a good gardening practice and allows you to water less often, which is particularly important if your water is high in salt content. Leaf yellowing is sometimes a sign of nitrogen deficiencey, but be careful not to overfertilize, because this can damage the plant and always is a risk to the environment by run-off into groundwaters. During the growing season you could lightly fertilize monthly with a balanced acid based plant fertilizer or fish emulsion.
Since you aren't registered I don't know if you'll get this, but the problem could be chlorosis. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/focus/chlorosis.html http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/microchlorosis/microchlorosis.htm Growing info: http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/shrubs/GARJASA.PDF http://www.floridata.com/main_fr.cfm?state=ref_master&viewsrc=lists/plists.cfm?list=type Newt
Same problem here, only I live in South Texas. Going to visit the links posted under this thread. Thanks Newt!
