about a months or two I planted 2 gardenias bush,one of them is not doing so well leaves began to turn yellow.
by
Marily C
+20
bought fertilizer for camellias,I tried so many things. help!
23 answers
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Can you tell us what type gardenia, where you have them planted (sun/shade/wet/dry)? When and how much fertilizer did apply? What type soil did you plant them in? Are they planted flush to the ground, or above or below? Have you inspected the leaves for possible insects? Can you take a picture of the good one and the bad one far away, and one close up of the leaves and root area? It would be helpful to help you diagnose with a bit more information.
360 Sod (Donna Dixson)
on Jun 18, 2012
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I wish I could give u some good advice maybe, u should go back to where u bought them and tell them about the problem. I bought some hisbiscus a@ a nursey in McAllen I also had a problem with one of them and they gave me some great tips. Good Luck
Maria D. M
on Jun 18, 2012
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it may not be getting enough iron..have you tried ironite ?? that may be why the leaves are turning yellow
Ann S
on Jun 18, 2012
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If one is doing well and the other is not but they are growing in the same area I would try not to worry too much. Keeping them watered during dry spells (once a week should be fine), water long and slow, a trickle from the hose placed at or near the trunk and make sure they get a good soaking. I would hold off on any fertilizer if the plants are stressed. They will naturally get some yellow leaves. If you don't see signs of insects be patient. Take a photo to post if the problem continues and call me in the morning. (just kidding about the call) but do post a photo.
Erica Glasener
on Jun 19, 2012
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Gardenia's need ph balance food.. Miracle grow use have it in a silver and black box but havent seen in awhile.. but look for any one else that may have it .. ask your nursery person in Lowes or Home Depot ... mine have done great with just Miracle Grow soil ...moisture control
Mary G
on Jun 19, 2012
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@ann I love Ironite....but Four seasons is right....Gardinias are very finaky....it could be they are gettig too much Alkaline from a nearby sidewalk or foundation, or they could be not getting enough sun and too much water, or they could have whitefly a common pest on gardinias....I mean pictures would be helpful....
Sharron W
on Jun 20, 2012
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I not sure what kind it is ,I bought it at a small nursery .they are located on the west side of my front house,they get afternoon sun,the soil is the clay type but we used garden soil for planting.I will upload pics
Marily C
on Jun 20, 2012
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@Sharron they are planted by my from wall ,there is a side wall ,I don't know much about gardenias (big mistake) I have always like them, I wish I had researched before planting them :( can I transplant them .
Marily C
on Jun 20, 2012
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Soil can vary foot by foot within the same area. You've mentioned it is close to a wall; is there any chance a contractor or someone may have left clumps of leftover cement or debis of any kind in the area of that gardenia that is not doing as well as the other? Gardenias are acid loving plants, and cement or similar alkaline debris can make all the difference in the immediate surrounding soil. I like to dump dill pickle juice, coffee grounds, spent tea leaves, etc. on my gardenia to acidify the soil. In addition, I always feed it with food labeled for acid loving plants.......ie. palms, azaleas, etc.
Becky H
on Jun 20, 2012
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@ Becky, I applied fertilizer for acid loving plants about 3 weeks ago as well as pickle water ,coffee grounds I even applied cornmeal (read somewhere it helps)
Marily C
on Jun 20, 2012
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Oh my goodness! She's surrounded by nonporous materials! I could be wrong, but consider: trees planted by hard roads don't grow as rapidly as those planted in a field. The roots need room for expansion and absorbing nutrients. This would not be my first choice of good planting areas. You will have to maintain this plant at a certain size in order for it to be able to take in the water and nutrients to sustain life.
Becky H
on Jun 20, 2012
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@Becky H. You dump Pickle Juice? I mean Vinegar is one of the things you use to kill weeds....the Coffee Grounds and tea leaves I can see...but Pickle Juice...I just wouldn't risk it....I spray with Mir-acid and in the spring I break the Mir-acid tree stakes in half and stake all my azalyas and acid loving plants....
Sharron W
on Jun 20, 2012
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Yeah Sharron, I do. A great aunt had the largest gardenia tree I've ever seen, and she told me that's one of the thing she used. If you consider my gardenia tree has a canopy of 12' and stands 12 - 15' tall, an occasional jar of pickle juice just acidifies the soil. It isn't used in the volume others are using to kill their weeds.........then again, I don't have any weeds growning there............maybe........8-)
Becky H
on Jun 20, 2012
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@Marily Ok I notice right away that the one that is "OK" is bordered on two sides by concrete sidewalk/foundation and the one that is doing worse has three sides of concrete and the bed beside it has limestone so really it is "girdled" by Alkaline based soil! also you're in Texas so pretty sure it's gotten HOT, HOT, HOT by now and the White brick wall will reflect that heat and add further stress to a plant that is attempting to acclimate to already less than ideal conditions.A stressed plant is more Susceptible to insect activity. All THAT said, you CAN get them to grow there...BUT, you need to stay attentive to the plants needs...and make sure that you are watering with Mir-acid at least every other week. Coffee and Tea are fine but I wouldn't take the chance with any more pickle juice, particularly since it has a high salt content too.... In the future, consider "potting" plants whose survival is questionable or that are a large investment just to get them through the hottest part of the summer and once fall arrives placing them in their designated "spot" I find this help stress them the least amount and gives them a chance to get used to their spot before any additional stress (heat,insects) adds to the problem. Good luck and keep us informed I hope she makes a full recovery. I too love gardinias!
Sharron W
on Jun 20, 2012
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@Sharon, Becky is right I have read in several websites to apply pickle water ,or1tbs. Epson salt diluted in 1gallon water gardenias love it
Marily C
on Jun 20, 2012
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does anybody know how often do you apply acid loving fertilizer?
Marily C
on Jun 20, 2012
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One of the things I was told about gardenias, (Ihave a bush also) is that pickle juice or coffee grounds works wonders!
Robin M
on Jun 20, 2012
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Well I'm sure if Becky is using it in Florida she's on to something...But on really hot days I've seen Vinegar kill a plant in less than two hours, and Becky's tree is huge...where this one is small and struggling...so I'd keep the pickle juice for when it's bigger and not already stressed...I use epsom salts and coffee grounds and tea leaves...also shredded newpaper to help feed acid into the soil as it breaks down...
Sharron W
on Jun 20, 2012
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@ sharon when do you apply Epson salt and how often ,coffee grounds I've been applying once a week
Marily C
on Jun 23, 2012
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@Marily I apply epsom salt or Mir-Acid about once every two weeks, if my plant is still "yellowing" I also apply Ironite, which usually greens it up in about a week. The time of day when you apply these things is also important once it gets to be the hot part of summer, even Non-Burning fertilizers CAN burn your plants so I always try and apply the ironite and Miracid at dusk when the day is cooling off. As far as the coffee grounds and tea leaves you can put them out everyday you have them if you want to...but I keep a container in the kitchen just for that....and when it's full I take it out...usually about once a week. If you shred newspaper and place it around the base it not only breaks down (about six months and it's almost gone) and puts acid in the soil; but because it's white it helps reflect the heat and keep the "feet" of the plants cooler and because it's newspaper it also soaks up water and keeps the plant from losing as much water to dehydration from the sun.
Sharron W
on Jun 27, 2012
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Do you diluted (Epsom salt)in water or just apply it to soil?
Marily C
on Jun 27, 2012
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Actually, I put about a cup of epsom salt in my Miricle grow sprayer and water with it....it's excellent for your tomato and pepper plants as well...
Sharron W
on Jun 28, 2012
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I use epsom salt in my miracle grow for all my plants. It makes everything greener. 1 scoop of epsom to 1 scoop of miracle grow.
Carol G
on Jun 29, 2012
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