Gardenia jasmine belongs to the family of madder. Her native land is Japan, India and China. The plant attracts the attention of many florists due to its blossoming of incredible beauty: flowers of milk or white color, measuring 3-5 cm in diameter. Alone or collected in three or five, they thin out the most delicate scent. Attractive and glossy leaves of gardenia of a saturated dark green color up to 8-10 cm in length. A shrub grows to a height of 1.5-2 m. It is extremely difficult to achieve flowering in this plant, because it is very whimsical and constantly requires care. But nothing is impossible!
Gardenia jasmine: care after purchase
Once you have bought this evergreen shrub, we recommend that you do not transplant it. The fact is that the acclimatization of the plant takes quite a long time - from two weeks. It is necessary to put a pot of flower on a well-lit window sill. However, gardenia is afraid of direct sunlight, scattered light is suitable for it. Transplantation after the purchase of jasmine gardenia after two to three weeks. It is important that at this time the plant did not have buds. For the transplant, you will need a special substrate - it is called "For gardenias" or "For azaleas". The soil can be prepared independently, taking in equal shares sand, peat, leaf, sod and coniferous land. At the bottom of the pot must be placed a layer of expanded clay, as the indoor jasmine gardenia flower requires good drainage. In the future, the young plant needs a transplant every spring. Transplantation of gardenias of jasmine, the older 3-4 years, is produced every two years.
Gardenia jasmine: how to care?
So, putting gardenia on a well-lit place (western or eastern window sill), we must observe the temperature regime suitable for the bush. The optimum temperature for a plant is +22 + 24 degrees in summer and + 16 + 18 in winter. Gardenia extremely negatively reacts to a sharp change in conditions and drafts.
As for watering, the flower is quite hygrophilous. In the spring and summer, when it is actively growing, the land is watered often, as the upper layer of the earth dries up. In the cold season, watering is reduced, and at the beginning of spring is strengthened for the development of buds. At the same time, abundant spraying of gardenia begins. True, with the appearance of buds it is stopped, since the spots appear on the flowers. By the way, you can put the pot in a tray with water or in moist peat.
Every two weeks in the spring and summer of jasmine gardenia, fertilizing is required. To do this, you can buy fertilizers in liquid form with a high content of potassium or iron. But in winter and autumn do not need to make fertilizer.
With rapid growth and for the formation of jasmine gardenia shrub at home, pruning will be required. It is usually produced in spring or as needed.
Propagation of gardenia jasmine semi-mature cuttings tops. Cutting the stem 10 cm long, it is put in a peat-sand mixture and placed in a greenhouse. After rooting, the seedling is transplanted into a pot.
Gardenia jasmine: disease
As a rule, plant diseases are associated with inaccuracies in care. So, for example, in gardenia jasmine yellow leaves, then, rather
When the jasmine gardenia blacken leaves, it is worth paying attention to the regularity of watering and its sufficiency.
Very often, in case of insufficient illumination, cold temperature and watering of cold water, jasmine gardenia falls on buds and leaves fade.
When affected by insects ( aphids , scabbards or spider mites ), treatment with insecticides is required.