How can I get gardinas to bloom?

Question

I have a healthy plant with plenty of leaves.I keep it indoors in my sun room.It's watered regularly with occasional fertilizer.

Answer 1

"keep it out of direct, hot sun, and allow it to only get bright light."

also:

"Gardenias grow best inside the house with bright indirect sunlight. The plant requires good rich potting soil, kept evenly moist at all times. Mist the plant frequently with warm water, feed every two weeks and prune in early spring. Gardenias flower June through August."

Answer 2

Gardenias are sometimes tricky little guys. They are tropical, so that means they like it warm and humid.

Try to keep the temperature natural (70 to 80 F in the day and 60 to 56 F at night). HOWEVER, if your gardenia is too warm at night (above about 65 F) the buds may drop. One of the tricky thing with these little guys is keeping them happy temperature-wise.

Always keep the soil moist. Letting the soil go dry and then soaking also discourages those little buds. Try to keep it consistently moist.

Feeding these guys is a good idea, too. They do best in slightly acidic soil, and can be fed with a bitty bitty pinch of ammonium sulfate diluted in a lot of water.

Remember, this is a tropical plant. It likes moisture! Misting with a plastic spray bottle is a good idea.

I hope this helps ;-)

Answer 3

Hi!
I have a beautiful gardenia, it blooms year round, lots more in summer when I put it outside, but I do get rewards from time to time in winter also!
Here's my secret:
Do not water gardenias with tap water. Gardenias love acidic environments (lots of peat moss to make soil acidic and rain water).
If you cannot collect rain water or not collect enough, try adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to tap water that had been set aside for a few days. You add about a tablespoon of vinegar to about 2 gallons of tap water or the juice of a lemon.

Try to feed your gardenia with low-nitrogen fertilizer. Gardenias hate nitrogen as it prevents them from blooming. Nitrogen makes the buds fall of before they get to open - very frustrating!

One more thing about watering... Too much of a good thing is bad, keep the soil moist but not soggy and if your house is on the humid side, do not water until you feel that the soil is starting to dry but not dry yet though! A light mist can be beneficial during the dry winter months (due to heating) but there again, not too much as the buds you have so impatiently waiting for may drop!
Good luck with your gardenia!