Gardenia is
a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the
Tropical and Sub-Tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific
Island.
They are
evergreen shrubs and small trees growing up to 1-15 meters. The leaves are
opposite or in whorls of three or four, broad, dark green and glossy with a
leathery texture. The flowers are solitary or in small cluster, white or pale yellow,
with a tubular based corolla.
Now Gardenia
is cultivated as a house plants for their strong sweet scent flowers, which can
be very large in size in some species.
PROPAGATION
1. You can purchase seedlings from any nursery or propagate through cutting.
2. If you want to propagate it from cutting than take 3 to 6 inches long shoots in spring OR during rainy season.
3. Using a sharp, sterile knife make a clean cut at a 45 degree angle to maximize the rooting area.
4. Remove the bottom set of leaves.
5. Use rooting powder or gel like IBA (In -dole- butyric acid) powder to induce roots in cutting.
6. If you have no rooting medium no problem.
7. Rooting medium increase success to develop roots in cuttings.
8. Use large garden container to develop seedlings more.
9. Use potting mix like 60% loamy soil+ 25% coco peat+ 5% sand +5% organic compounds or any well drain potting mix.
10. Potting mix pour into the garden container and watering high before transplant cuttings.
11. Now shoot cuttings are wash in low concentrate broad spectrum fungicide.
12. If you have no fungicide just wash it thoroughly in fresh water.
13. Keep in mind that cuttings are done just 3- 5 mm below the node where roots will be developed.
14. Now cuttings ends deep in rooting powder and transplant it into potting medium by making a hole with pencil tips or by finger.
15. You can plot 5 to 6 cuttings in a container spacing 4 inches to develop seedlings
16. Now covered it with transplant polythene and placed your container under semi shade area.
17. The cuttings will start rooting in 2 to 4 weeks.
18. Watering medium till seedlings are developed properly.
19. When seedlings are well developed you should separate the new seedlings and transfer each seedlings into 12 inch diameter garden containers.
20. Gardenia requires profuse water but keep in mind that overwatering can damage your plants.
21. Gardenia needs very moist air to grow well, spray water on the leaves, but stop doing so as soon as the plant is in full bloom.
22. Surface water done in the morning because leaves will have enough time to dry.
23. Next watering done when top soil will go to dry.
24. Any water logging in pots may infect roots.
FERTILIZER
25. Use nitrogen based organic fertilizer like bone dust one teaspoon in a month or dry cow dung two teaspoon every 15 days.
26. Organic fertilizer just spread on the top soil. Fertilizer leaches out slowly when watering will be done.
27. When seedlings are grow well you should start feeding with NPK fertilizer for blooming more.
28. Best time is to start feeding from the month of February in India.
29. Use 5gm NPK (19:19:19) in a month. NPK induces proper reproductive growth and blooms up your plants.
PRUNING
30. The size of the plant can be controlled by pruning and by doing so more branches out and thereby more blooming occurs.
31. Pruning should be done after flowering has finished as this encourages the new growth on which the next flush of flowers will occur.
32. Change pot as per growth of plants OR when you noticed roots are come out from potting holes.
33. A number of insect pests may attacks during summer.
34. Water your plant at base. Don’t give water on leaves.
35. If it not possible than watering done in the morning because leaves will have enough time to dry.
36. Don’t use high nitrogen fertilizer when any infection occurs.
37. Avoid fertilizing plants when your plants infect with powdery mildew.
38. Immediately trim affected part and dispose it carefully.
39. Use Neem oil( 3ml/lit ) as foliar spary every 15 days .
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