People engaged in breeding of indoorplants, know that gardenia flowers have no analogues. By beauty, they are inferior only to camellia or to orchids. And its subtle aroma is overshadowed even by the queen of a rose. Gardenia was popular at all times. In the second half of the XIX century it was called the flower of aristocrats. Men wore gardenia in the buttonhole of the jacket, and women tucked into their hair. Quite often this plant was mentioned in art works. Today, indoor gardenia is experiencing a peak of popularity: every floriculturist wants to have it in his collection. I must say that gardenia is very capricious and demanding, however, like any beauty. You can not just buy it, put it on the windowsill and occasionally water it. Why? Yes, because, acting in this way, you will destroy the flower before it will please you with exquisite buds. So how to please the capricious gardenia? This is what we will talk about in this article. 
General information
Some species of gardenia in nature reach 2meters in height. Her native land is Japan, China and Taiwan. In the second half of the 18th century, the American doctor A. Garden cultivated this bush of the family of madder, allowing all those who wish to enjoy his presence in the house. The plant was named in his honor. Most species of gardenia have large dense leaves. This indoor plant blooms from August to October, spreading a wonderful aroma around itself. Color buds can be different: white, cream, pink orange. The main thing that you need to remember the owners of the plant - gardenia very much does not like temperature changes. Therefore, the air temperature in the room where the flower lives should not fall below 16 degrees and rise above 25. Gardenia likes bright lighting and regular watering. Keep out of direct sunlight. The most optimal place for a plant is the eastern window, if the choice fell on the south side - it is necessary to cover it at noon hours. If there is insufficient lighting in the apartment, take care of additional artificial light. Otherwise, the leaves of the plant dry, acquire a greyish-pale shade, and it will begin to ache. In the summer, when the air temperature does not fall below 16 degrees at night, gardenia can be kept in the fresh air around the clock. 
Features of watering and feeding
This indoor flower is best watered with a softstanding water at room temperature. It is important that the water intended for irrigation does not contain impurities of lime. Keep track of the state of the soil - it should always be wet. Drying is extremely harmful for gardenia. In the warm season, watering should be abundant, in cold - moderate, as excessive humidity can destroy the root system of the plant. To prevent supercooling of the roots, a plastic foam is put under the pots with the plant. The humidity of the air must necessarily be maintained at the proper level, otherwise the plant will begin to discard the leaves and buds. Frequent "water procedures" will help to avoid this problem. In the flowering period, you only need to spray the air around the plant, trying not to get water on the flowers. From March to August, the gardenia needs to be fed. Fertilizer is produced 2-3 times a month, a special solution containing potassium, magnesium and phosphorus is used. In the autumn-winter period, the care for a flower depends on the conditions under which it is kept. If this is a warm and bright room, equipped with additional lighting - the care remains the same. If the gardenia is contained in a cool dark room, it is desirable to gradually transfer the flower in a state of rest: irrigation and top dressing are completely canceled. In this condition, the plant can discard the leaves, do not worry - this is normal. With the onset of spring, it will quickly come to life, and again it will please you with its beauty.
Features of transplantation
Gardenia refers to houseplants withroot system of the urine type. This means that its roots are very thin and numerous. For their normal development requires loose soil with a high level of organic matter. Acidity of soil should not be high, pH - no more than 5,0. The basis of the soil is the upland and not neutralized peat. It is this composition has a weakly acid medium, which the plant needs. You can mix in equal proportions sand, peat, turf and leaf land. At the bottom of the pot must be good drainage to prevent rotting roots. Drainage can be avoided if the following components are used for the planting mixture: 2 parts of peat and part of vermiculite with the addition of coconut fiber. Such a substrate will not hold water in the pot, so the plant is not threatened with excess moisture. By the way, one of the most frequent causes of death of a flower is just insufficient drainage or its complete absence. Young gardenia needs a transplant every spring. The adult is less often - every 2-3 years. In order to form a lush crown in a plant, once a year (in February) the last year's growth is cut off (about one-third) - this increases branching. 
Features of reproduction
Propagated gardenia cuttings. To do this, semi-extruded stems having a length of not less than 10 centimeters are selected. They are cut from the top of the young shoots. Reproduction is done only from a faded and healthy plant, whose leaves do not dry and do not turn yellow. For rooting cuttings are placed in water or in a peat mix (peat and perlite in equal amounts) and leave in a warm place where the temperature is not lower than 24 degrees. From above the plant can be covered with a film or glass. To accelerate the process of rooting, the cuttings are additionally sprayed, and the bottom is slightly heated. Young seedlings are transplanted into the ground only if there is a well-developed root system. When the plant reaches 15 centimeters in height, its top is pricked to stimulate the growth of lateral shoots. When these shoots grow 10-12 centimeters, the procedure is repeated, thus forming a small but magnificent bush. To look after young gardenias it is necessary as well as for adults: protect from direct sunlight, regularly watered and kept at the right temperature. Provided that you did everything right, after about 7 months the young gardenia will begin to bloom.
The most common problems that garden owners face
- Why do the leaves dry, darken and fall off?
Most likely, the watering regime is not observed, it is possible that it is insufficient. Sometimes even a single drying out of the soil is enough to make the leaves turn yellow.
- Why did the leaves become too light and green with veins?
If you notice such a problem with your gardenia,this indicates the occurrence of chlorosis. It appears due to excess water and a lack of iron in the soil. In this case, it is necessary to spray the plant with a special solution and fertilize with mixtures containing chelated trace elements.
- Why do the leaves dry and turn yellow and fall off?
This disease is called fugus. To solve the problem, spraying with copper is necessary.
- Why do all the leaves turn yellow and dry at once?
The room temperature may be below the permissible temperature. Or for watering, cold and hard water was used.
- Why did gardenia drop buds?
In the flowering period, gardenia more than ever needs high humidity. In order to please him, put the pot on a tray with wet claydite (you can replace it with peat).
- Why does a plant in the street turn yellow and turn leaves?
The reason is in parasites. Too dry air can provoke the appearance of aphids, thrips, spider mites. As a preventive measure, the plant should be sprayed with water more often. If you have already detected pests on the leaves, treat with the appropriate preparation. Of course, contain gardenia, the flowers of which leave no one indifferent, it is quite difficult. However, it is worth all your efforts. Having enough patience and desire, you will be able to please this beauty! We advise you to read:
