Does anyone know why the leaves on my Gardenia are turning yellow?

Question

I use Miracid once a month and it has blooms and flowers. But, more and more leaves are turning yellow and falling off. Are they just old leaves?

I'm sorry to everyone that I forgot to mention where I am. It's probably too late but I'm in West Central Florida.

Answer 1

MASTER GARDENER TO THE RESCUE.

Wow, just caught your question in passing and had to drop everything in the garden & run inside to answer your question.

First, dont get excited and start nuke'n them to cure everything you think is wrong. We start with the simple things first. You are getting some NORMAL seasonal leaf drop. It is an evergreen plant, but that doesn't mean it grows one batch of leaves & they last forever. When they bloom they really eat up all the goodies we've been giving then & unless you actually live where they grow wild, your soil just isn't keeping up with demand.

Increase the Miracid to every watering. Mix at about have normal rate. Use a sprinkling can if possible & let the acid mix "rain" on the leaves. Do this early in the morning. Do not water late in afternoon or at night. MORNING only. Don't send it to bed wet.

Okay, feel better? Good. Now go take care of your baby. I'm heading backside to take care of mine.

Get a spray bottle that sprays rather coarse (don't want wimpy mist type) mix with miracid at about 2/3 normal label directions per gallon. Now I don't know wher you live, weather, climate etc so I am going generic here. I am assuming that it after dinner around 6:30 7:00 PM (ish) that it is around a pleasant 75 - 80 deg F. Give it a good spray'n off with your acid mix. Try to get the undersides ot the leaves too. If it's hot, over 85 deg F do not spray. Instead spray early the next moening.
If you can do it every day, great. if no, then try as often as you can. Just the leaves, try not to wet the soil below much. If you've got a few inches of mulch under the plant, don't worry, the spray won't soak thru to the roots. Remember, we want those roots warm and dry when the sun goes down.

If you can, compair the color of your leaves with some other object of the same shade of yellow. An old rag, shirt what ever. You can use that as your guide to compair the color change in the leaves. If you haven't noticed any movement towards green after 7 to 10 days, then and only then start checking for other causes.

I'll bet you that the only problem you have is the irrigation water has been washing the acid down below your roots out of reach. By keeping the acid where the plant can use will make a big difference.

Now remember, I'm the Doctor & you are always to follow your Doctor's dirctions. If you do, I bet that Gardenia will be a rich dark green in 14 days.

Answer 2

Gardenia Yellow Leaves

Answer 3

Due to the fact I don't know your location I'm a bit hesitant to answer your question.However, since the other answer didn't include the same info I have, I'm gonna give it a shot.
First, my info is going to be geared to Texas locations, but may well apply to your situation.
Gardenias are very prone to iron chlorosis,and yet we continue to grow them along and west of I-35, the general line of shift from acidic East Texas soils to the alkaline soils of West Texas. Iron deficiency in gardenias can be recognized by yellowed leaves with dark green veins, which appears most prominent on the newest growth first. You can add an iron/sulphur material to supply the needed iron and to keep it relatively "available" by acidifying the soil, but you also need to start out with a planting mix that is all organic matter, including peat moss and bark. Truth is, you probably should grow your gardenia in a container in those alkaline-soil areas. If you do opt for the container route, remember to set it in the garage any time the temp. will drop into the low 20's.

Answer 4

This is from the UBC Botanical Garden & Research Center about your same problem:

"The leaves yellowing could be due to salt build-up from excess watering with high salt content water. Check with knowledgable gardeners in your area as to the water quality there. If the soil is poorly drained and water-logged, the plant needs to be located in an area of higher elevation relative to the area where it now resides. Using mulch to help keep the soil moist and add to the organic matter is a good gardening practice and allows you to water less often, which is particularly important if your water is high in salt content.

Leaf yellowing is sometimes a sign of nitrogen deficiencey, but be careful not to overfertilize, because this can damage the plant and always is a risk to the environment by run-off into groundwaters. During the growing season you could lightly fertilize monthly with a balanced acid based plant fertilizer or fish emulsion."

Also a possibility, from Burke's Backyard:

"Nematodes: If the yellow leaves don't pick up after fertilising and particularly if there is wilting and if you have a sandy soil, check for nematodes on the roots. Nematodes cause cream, warty lumps on roots (about the size of a match head), yellow leaves and wilting. You could treat the soil with Nemacur, but this is a potent chemical which we do not recommend for general use. If the area is sunny, a planting of marigolds may also help deter the nematode. "

I know that our gardenia also yellows out whenever we move it to a new location (it is potted and we have to move it twice a year, inside in winter, outside in spring). The yellow leaves drop, scare us terribly, but it has lasted about 10 years now and is still lovely, so we have hopes it will continue along. Hope yours recovers as well.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does anyone know why the leaves on my Gardenia are turning yellow?
I use Miracid once a month and it has blooms and flowers. But, more and more leaves are turning yellow and falling off. Are they just old leaves?

Answer 6

maybelackofiron