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Help! I brought a gardenia home a couple weeks ago and just in the… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Lgroener

Help! I brought a gardenia home a couple weeks ago and just in the last couple days it has started dropping leaves like crazy. Some are crispy, some are not. I have been misting and watering to the apps instructions. Might I need to be more generous with the watering?

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9 comments

  1. OG.99

    underwatering! Gardenia’s when they crisp up like that its Just the lack of water! Use the app for a rough estimate/idea when to water but Its not going to be accurate because of you Climate conditions vs a app! its very useful as a reminder though!

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  2. KJM

    Leaf drop can be caused by any number of things. The change in environment, insufficient light, over-watering underwatering pests, if you look at it wrong it might drop leaves! They do take a lot of water, and like humidity. They also like a warm soil temperature around 70°.

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    • KJM

      But they smell so fabulous when they bloom!

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    • Lgroener

      Yes! They are my favorite flower, so finally thought I’d give them a try. I’m in zone 6, so I’ll never be able to have them in my garden. Fingers crossed for brining her back with a little more watering! I know they can be a little tricky

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  3. KJM

    I understand, I'm in zone 5 and we can only have them as patio plants in the summer unless you have a decent place for them in the house. You can carry them over but as you said they're a little tricky.

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  4. Autumn

    it needs water! the air might be too dry as well.

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  5. Laurelantur

    I worked make sure is getting enough light before addressing watering issues

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    • Lgroener

      It is in an east facing bay window that gets great morning light. Bright, indirect. It’s about a foot from the window (max). Thoughts on that level of sunlight?

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    • Laurelantur

      I like the website houseplantjournal dot com and his discussion about light. The amount of light drops off rapidly as you move away from the window. To us it looks bright, but if you measure it with a light meter sometimes, actually often, it isn’t nearly as bright as it seems. I have a light meter and have confirmed this so even though it’s near a window, it might not be getting enough light. I’m not sure how much light gardenia’s need, I think of them as an outdoor plant so depending on what it would need if it’s out in the yard, you might not be able to provide enough light inside. Sometimes plants that are meant to be outside or sold as house plants, but they’re not really meant to live that long indoors.

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