Gardenia Veitchii
 

HI everyone, i found an abandoned Gardenia V. not in very good shape but not
so bad either. Because I have a "thing" for trouble plants I decided to
rescued.
I put the plant (it is in a clay pot 30") in my shower and clean the leaves
and water deeply. It is planted in a very light mix, I think should be fine
as drain quiet nicely.
Next step I will put a layer of worm cast on top of the soil and put it in
my balcony (lot of light, not too much sun, just a couple of hours late
afternoon/evening)
I read coffee is good, but i am not sure if it is "a coffee" or the used
grains....
I would appreciate any idea, help, suggestions, info.....

Thanks

--
Paulo (Toronto, Zone 5b)

Paulo wrote:

HI everyone, i found an abandoned Gardenia V. not in very good shape but not
so bad either. Because I have a "thing" for trouble plants I decided to
rescued.
I put the plant (it is in a clay pot 30") in my shower and clean the leaves
and water deeply. It is planted in a very light mix, I think should be fine
as drain quiet nicely.
Next step I will put a layer of worm cast on top of the soil and put it in
my balcony (lot of light, not too much sun, just a couple of hours late
afternoon/evening)
I read coffee is good, but i am not sure if it is "a coffee" or the used
grains....
I would appreciate any idea, help, suggestions, info.....

Thanks
Paulo (Toronto, Zone 5b)

Gardenias can be "heavy" feeders. They require lots of nutrients.
In a container, however, you must be careful to avoid burning the
roots with too much fertilizer all at once. Thus, feedings should
be light but frequent. NEVER feed when the soil is dry.

Gardenias require soil that drains well. They should be constantly
moist but never really wet. They also require an acidic soil.
Both draining and acidity can be obtained with a mix that includes
peat moss. Acidic fertilizers also help. Flower buds often fall
off without opening if the plant has insufficient zinc, so a very
small amount of zinc sulfate is good.

I have a Gardenia jasminoides 'Veitchii' in my garden. I feed it
commercial citrus food or ammonium sulfate. With the latter, I add
iron sulfate. I always add zinc sulfate. Since my soil tends to
be very heavy clay, I frequently scatter gypsum (calcium sulfate),
which reacts to break up the clay and make it porous.
Occasionally, I scatter a little soil sulfur around the plant. In
a container with a good potting mix, you don't need the gypsum or
soil sulfur. You will still need a large pinch of zinc sulfate
about once every month or two unless you can find a fertilizer that
already contains zinc. (See my
URL:http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html for a
home-made potting mix.)

To flower, gardenias require summer heat. Afternoon sun might be
sufficient; if not, move the plant to where it gets more sun. Only
in the hot deserts should they have all-day shade. Gardenias are
hardy to winter temperatures as low as 20°F (-7°C). Because of
summer temperatures of 90°F and above, mine kept blooming this
winter even when we had frosts.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at URL:http://www.rossde.com/garden/