The Care of Indoor Gardenias
Gardenias produce glossy, deep green, waxy leaves and exotically fragrant blossoms. Growing them successfully involves creating the same environment they would be exposed to in their native tropical habitat, which includes bright light, high humidity, lots of moisture and plenty of nutrients. They grow outdoors in southern areas, but are strictly indoor plants in areas where the winter cold would kill them immediately. As most indoor situations are less than ideal for gardenias, you can correct conditions to provide them with the environment they need to thrive. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shallow tray
- Pebbles
- Spray bottle
- High acid fertilizer
- Grow lights
- Humidifier
- pruning shears
- Insecticidal soap
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Cotton swabs
- High-acid potting mix
- Plastic bags
- Rooting hormones
Instructions
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Place your gardenia where it will get at least six hours of bright indirect sunlight each day. Use grow lights or move the plant to a window with a southern exposure during the shorter days of winter.
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Place a humidifier close by the gardenia. If that isn't possible, set a shallow tray filled with pebbles under your gardenia and keep it filled with water at all times to maintain the required humidity level that gardenias need.
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Mist the gardenia's leaves during the warm summer months, but avoid getting the flowers wet. Maintain a constant room temperature of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, leaning toward the lower 60's at night, to encourage blooming.
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Fertilize every two weeks during the spring and summer with a low-pH (high-acid) fertilizer, such as the type used for azaleas, and dilute the recommended solution by half so as not to over-feed. Feed once a month using the full-strength solution during fall and winter.
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Remove any insect pests with insecticidal soap or other formulas designed for indoor plants. Remove small infestations with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol.
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Prune the plant by removing any old tough woody stems that appear dry and that are no longer producing any new growth. Propagate new gardenia plants by taking 3-inch cuttings from the stem tips in the spring and dipping them in hormone rooting powder before placing in damp potting mix formulated for acid-loving plants. Cover seedlings with plastic bags to create a humid environment.
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References
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