Gardenias

[aykhan]

I don't think we'll know for sure until we check Umars soil pH! However, I think more than one factor will determine flowering for the gardenia. I'm sure older established plants in better soil with a good root system will flower. Also the recommended range of pH for gardenias is from 5.5 to 6.5 so that is quite a wide range. Just manure and compost should be able to bring it down to 6.5 which should be good enough? Its amazing how plants respond favorably to rain as compared to us watering them. I think it might be the acidity in the rain versus the alkalinity of the hard water full of salts we have in Lahore!

[Izhar]

Keeping the pH lower in bed will be a challenge... large pots with proper medium will be a better option...

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Proper temperatures are necessary for a gardenia to bloom.
This is the most critical aspect of getting your Gardenia to bloom. Flower buds will fail to form if day temperatures are higher than 70° or if night temperatures are over 65° or below 60°. The ideal temperature ranges would be 65 to 70° during the day and 60° to 62° at night

LAO KAR LAO GALL What are we trying?

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

It may be of some help
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/gardenia.htm
Good luck

[Izhar]

I beg to differ ...the temperatures here are above 90 F in day and above 80 F in nights and all gardenias are blooming comfortably .... there are 3 open blooms today in my Tahitian Gardenia..

[khabbab]

70F means 21C. And these days it is around 40C. And gardenias are still setting buds in lahore. A few degree difference is possible but not so much. So i also tend to think that maximum 70F is not correct as far as our climate is concerned.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

My request for a picture of a healthy Gardenia Bush on flowers is still out standing.

[aykhan]

Brig saheb in the early messages of this thread Izhar, Umar and myself have posted pictures. Mostly of single flowers but you can see Umar's tree full of blooms. I've had upto 5 blooms on 1 to 1.5 feet shrubs. I myself would love to see more pictures of actual shrubs full of blooms from forum members.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

I am sharing my favorite gardenia in from garden.i m not that much experinced but i think some of tips can help my friends to grow these beauties.i planted this plant in 2005,so an established plant.

the plant in under many companion plants,providing it plenty of filtered sun & compost.

look the soil,i never weed it even my gardener has not the permission to touch the soil or remove the dead leaves.

the veri plants buds are also verig.

so many plants along the gardenia shrub.



all the flowers are on the same shrub.all the growing tips were given to me by my very fast friend.he was an expert nursery man.i captured all the snaps today in morning round about 8.15 A.M.

[mirafzalkhan]

Gardenia requirement to flower profusely
The two requirements already discussed are:
Soil pH & Iron deficiency
Temperature requirements, mentioned by Brig. Arif
As all members are agreed on pH & Iron deficiency problems, but there is a confusion on temperature requirements. In my opinion Brig Arif is right. These temperature requirements are not must for plant survival but for profuse flowering & active growth.
There is also a third requirement, Gardenia is short day (long night) flowering plant it needs upto 16 hours of darkness in each 24 hours period for several weeks to flower & grow profusely .
If these requirements meet the result will be something like this

Brig saheb in the early messages of this thread Izhar, Umar and myself have posted pictures. Mostly of single flowers but you can see Umar's tree full of blooms. I've had upto 5 blooms on 1 to 1.5 feet shrubs. I myself would love to see more pictures of actual shrubs full of blooms from forum members.

AyKhan, I think you are mistaken Pear trees with Gardenia. Wikipedia is claiming the max height of gardenia is upto 49 feet but I think this is wrong because no plant database has any specie of gardenia which is taller than 8 feet.
If someone wants to experiment with gardenia, here is a trick: (honestly I have not heart for this but only sharing if someone want to experiment)
Starting from July cover your plant with black plastic before 4 hours of sunset to provide complete darkness & remove the plastic after sunset & before sun rise. This process will extended up to end of September on daily basis.
In October the temperature are suitable for flowering and also after long nights suitable day lengths is there which will initiate flowering in gardenia.
Note: This type of technic is commonly used in cut-flower industry to obtain off season flowers.