Find Your Ask the Expert: Gardenia plant ( not flowering)
wife bought me a plant a few years ago it is growing very nicely getting plenty of new leaves but never get any buds or flowers keep plant in pot water as needed gets eastern sun lite what am i doing wrong Rishard
Reply:
Rishard,
To determine what your gardenia needs inside, we must first determine what it needs in nature. The normal bloom time for a gardenia is late spring or summer. However, the blooming cycle begins way before the blooming time period. Gardenias will set their bloom buds the season before they actually bloom. So December and January are when a gardenia forms it blooms. Therefore any pruning of this plant must be done before October 1st. If you trim your plants in the winter then you could be cutting off the blooms without knowing it.
Temperature is a very important part of the gardenia blooming cycle. When it is forming it bloom buds it needs a day time temperature range of 65 to 70 degrees; anything above 70degress will inhibit bud formation. The night time temperature range needs to be 60 to 62 degrees; anything below 55 degrees will cause the bud to drop. Once the bloom formation period is over the temperature requirements change. The day time temperature needs to be 70 to 75 degrees with night time temperatures of 58 to 60 degrees,
If you feel that keeping this temperature change is difficult don’t sweat it. Try adjusting the temperature on or 2 degrees from your normal household temperature or find a position in the house that has a natural tendency towards these temperatures. One helpful tip is to position the plant so that it is not in the air pathway of doors or airs vents.
Your watering and light practices probably are sufficient. Gardenias require moist but not soggy soil and bright light. If your eastern exposure seems a little dull, give the plant additional light exposure.
As for fertilizer use a balance fertilize with an acidic based and a 3:1:2 (15N-5P-10K) or 3:1:3 (15N-5P-15K) ratio during the growing season every few weeks.
Hopefully this information will help you achieve the blooms you want. Good luck and please keep me posted.
