Gardenia is a tropical plant that does not have a very good reputation for being grown at home. She is considered capricious and requires a special approach to herself. But among its many species, there is at least one that can be grown as a houseplant - this is gardenia jasmine... For this plant, you will only need to create favorable conditions, follow all the rules of care and you can achieve your goal in growing it.
Necessary conditions for keeping gardenia
Jasmine gardenia is an adornment of any room and interior. She creates coziness in the apartment with her unique grace. Among all the species of this plant, it is the most unpretentious. This mini-tree will be able to give its beauty only under certain conditions of detention. For gardenia to be the accent of your home for a long time, follow the basic rules for caring for it:
- The flower does not tolerate sudden temperature changes.
- The plant always needs moderately moist soil. Underfilling and excess moisture are unacceptable.
- The ideal growing soil is acidic.
- The plant should be in a well-lit area, but not in direct sunlight.
- Grows well in high humidity conditions.
- At the stage of bud formation and during the flowering period, you cannot change the growing place or even turn the flower, as the buds can crumble.
- The plant loves a warm climate, the best temperature conditions for it are 20 degrees Celsius (plus or minus 2 degrees).
- Watering should be carried out only with purified, settled or rainwater and always warm water.
Gardenia: care and cultivation at home
Lighting
Arranging the perfect gardenia lighting is not easy. And its long and abundant flowering directly depends on a sufficient amount of light. This flower needs good lighting almost 24 hours a day.
There is enough light on the southern windowsill, but direct sunlight can harm the plant. In the north, there is not enough lighting. Therefore, the best place for a gardenia is a window that is located on the west or east side. In the warm season, she needs warmth from the sun, but not direct sunlight and even more drafts. In winter, the most dangerous for the life of this houseplant is moving it to another place or turning it in different directions. This is absolutely impossible to do!
Temperature
In summer and winter, the plant needs a different temperature regime. In warm months, for full development and abundant flowering, the plant needs a temperature of about twenty-two degrees of heat. In the cold months, gardenia actively lays buds for flowering, needs a wintering period and the temperature in the room should be appropriate - from 16 to 21 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, some important processes slow down.
The temperature of the air and soil should be the same as possible, since the root system of the plant should not be overcooled. Sudden changes in temperature will negatively affect the upcoming flowering. Just a few jumps in temperature - and the plant will no longer bloom at all.
Watering and humidity
Gardenia jasmine requires strict adherence to the water balance, and at different periods and at different times of the year, the watering rules change. It is because of the peculiar water nutrition that the plant is considered capricious and difficult to grow.
During the period of active growth and development of the plant, it must be watered abundantly, but only when the topsoil is completely dry. In the autumn and spring months, gardenia should be watered 2-3 days after the top soil has dried. And in the cold winter time, watering is reduced, water supply remains minimal.
Water for irrigation should be slightly warm and must be settled or purified. Rainwater can also be used. Since gardenia needs acidic soil for full growth, lemon juice can be periodically added to the irrigation water. Just don't overdo it with lemon, because the extra acid will affect the plant's appearance. The leaves will turn yellowish and small in size. The optimal acidified solution is a few drops of juice per liter of water.
To create full-fledged living conditions for a plant, it is very important to be in a room with high humidity or periodically create such conditions. Air humidity is of great importance during gardenia budding.
As long as the buds are closed, the plant can be sprayed daily. But as soon as they begin to open, spraying stops. This must be done mainly due to the fact that after water drops, yellowish spots will remain on the petals of snow-white flowers. This will make some negative changes in the decorativeness of the plant.
Since the air humidity must be maintained during the flowering period, instead of spraying, you can place a small container filled with water next to the gardenia.
Top dressing
During the period when the plant is actively growing and developing, it vitally needs regular feeding in the form of liquid fertilizers. You can purchase complex fertilizers for flowering indoor plants. Only during their introduction into the soil, the degree of saturation of the fertilizer should be halved.
In order to slightly reduce the acidity of the soil during the period of bud formation and during flowering, it is necessary to use preparations with a high iron content. Such preparations must be applied to the soil twice in each of these periods.
The maturity of a plant and its readiness to feed can be determined by the development of its root system. If the roots of the gardenia have grown so that they completely occupy the bottom of the flower pot and moisture is absorbed very quickly, then you can safely apply both mineral and organic fertilizers. It is customary to alternate such dressings with each other.
Transfer
This capricious houseplant absolutely does not tolerate transplants. Therefore, this process should be carried out only when absolutely necessary. Gardenia has very fragile and prone to damage, thin roots. During transplantation, flower growers recommend minimal root pruning. Soon they will grow back and recover.
First, the third part of the flower pot must be filled with drainage. The rest of the container is filled with a suitable potting mix. Under no circumstances should lime soil be used. This ornamental plant will only accept acidic soil, the level of which is pH 4.0-5.5. A potting mix recommended for azalea flowers is perfect for gardenia.
You can prepare the soil for the plant yourself. It should include the same parts of coniferous, turf, peat and leaf land, as well as sand.
Plant pruning
Ornamental, evergreen, tropical shrubs need periodic pruning. It is imperative to cut off dried flowers and weak shoots. As it grows and develops, thickened foliage can be thinned out. In order to form the splendor of the plant, you can pinch the tops. The shoots remaining after pruning can be used as planting material. To do this, they need to be rooted.
Gardenia breeding methods
The main methods of propagation of gardenia are by seeds and cuttings. It should be noted right away that at home the seed method is almost hopeless. This process is so complex that in rare cases it leads to a positive result.
For propagation by cuttings, you will need cuttings of young shoots (about 10 centimeters long). Cuttings can grow the root system in water and in a potting mix. The best times for plant propagation are December, January, February and March.
If you decide to germinate cuttings in water, then to speed up the process, it is better to add a growth stimulant to it, which will help the root formation process.
Most often, cuttings for rooting are placed in a special soil mixture (for example, sphagnum moss and peat), watered and covered with transparent film or glass. At a constant soil and air temperature (about twenty-four degrees) in about a month, the young plant will noticeably grow up.
It is necessary to plant a young gardenia in a separate flower pot when the plant height is at least ten centimeters. When transplanting, use the transshipment method so as not to damage the delicate root system. Grown up shoots are planted in the same soil as for adult plants. Take care of the formation of the future lush crown of the indoor flower right away. Pinch the tops from time to time.
If you follow the rules for caring for a young indoor plant, after about a year you can admire its unique flowering. And the rules are as follows:
- Strict adherence to the temperature regime in the room;
- Periodic feeding;
- Timely and correct watering.
Disease and pest control
1. Falling flower buds. Causes:
- Improper watering, the soil is dry.
- It's cold in the room (less than 16 degrees Celsius).
- Using cold water for irrigation.
- There is not enough light for the plant.
- Rearrange the flowerpot during the bud formation phase or during flowering.
2. Leaves first turn yellow and then fall off. Causes:
- Using too cold or not settled water for irrigation.
- The place of a houseplant is located near a cold, poorly insulated window.
3. The bright green color of the leaves becomes faded. Causes:
- The soil requires feeding.
- Air humidity exceeds the norm.
- The plant lacks light.
4. The formed buds did not bloom. Causes:
- Lack of light.
- The soil requires acidification.
5. Yellow streaks appear on the leaves. Causes:
- Chlorosis disease.
- the soil needs acidification.
6. Plant growth has slowed down noticeably. Causes:
- The appearance of pests (for example, aphids, spider mites, scale insects).
To combat harmful insects, you need to use special insecticidal preparations. They are used according to the recommendations on the package, but usually it is once a week.
You can detect pests with a careful examination of the plant. Their presence is indicated by numerous gray dots on the tops of the leaves - this is thrips... The cobweb on the plant and curling leaves are spider mite... After work" aphids a slight stickiness is felt on the leaves and flowers. AND scabbard damages the leafy part of the gardenia. Small dark brown, rounded specks are her traces. If you start pest control immediately, the plant can still be saved.
The healing properties of gardenia
The jasmine gardenia is not only an ornamental plant, but also a home healer.In folk medicine, its flowers, fruits and roots are successfully used. On their basis, tinctures and decoctions are prepared, compresses are made.
Gardenia flowers and roots can heal various organs: lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines. You can get rid of skin diseases and stomatitis, mastitis and dysentery. The fruits have anti-inflammatory, choleretic, wound healing effects. Gardenia has numerous healing properties that are well known to the older generation.
Modern flower growers still revered gardenia more for its decorative qualities and unique aroma.
