Help! Some of my Gardenia plant's leaves are yellowing and falling off..?

It looks overall healthy but some of the leaves keep turning yellow at the edges and fall off. Its not only exclusive to old leaves, but new ones as well. Any reason? Remedy?
Help! Some of my Gardenia plant's leaves are yellowing and falling off..?
You don't say where you are, but it is probably due to the weather, too hot or too cold, not enough water or little bugs.



Take a cutting to your nearest nurseryman
Reply:Gardenia's usually have some yellowing leaves (just replacing the old ones). It it is affecting old and new leaves it is probably a deficiency (common in gardenias).



Iron deficiency shows up as the whole leaf yellowing,from the outside edges inwards eventually leaving the viens green, and then they turn yellow as well. It affects the young leaves first. (Common in alkaline soils)



Magnesium deficiency shows up first in the older leaves and the yellowing starts in the middle of the leaf and works its way to the edge leaving the tip green, to the end then it yellows.



Gardenias like regular watering but they don't need humidity. They grow them everywhere here and there is virtually no humidity.(inland Australia)



Soil is not that important either, our soils are on the alkaline side and they're no trouble to grow.



Take a leaf to the nursery if it doesn't fit the deficiency symptons listed. They will sell you the appropriate remedy if it has a deficiency.
Reply:It sounds as though your gardenia has two problems. First, it's not getting enough humidity. Gardenias require a LOT of humidity to thrive. If this is a potted gardenia, I recommend setting it on a dish full of pebbles on which you have poured water so that it is just below the top of the pebbles; this will increase the humidity around the gardenia. If it's outdoors in the garden, you will probably need to use a soaker hose around the base of the plant(s) to keep the soil moist. Depending on how warm it is where you live, this may have to be practically continuous.



The other problem sounds like an iron deficiency; this is particularly true if you see the veins of the leaves remaining green, but the rest of the leaf turning yellow. The solution to this is a high-iron/high-acid fertilizer like Miracid. Feed it each time you water, but ONLY and one-quarter strength.



If you correct those two things, I think your gardenias should do very well.
Reply:You probably have white flies. You will need to spray---go to a garden center and ask what works best. There is a strange way, you can get anything bright yellow and put some oil or honey or anything sticky on it and the white flies will flock to the yellow color and get stuck and bam, gonners. The leaves at first will fall from the flies and then get covered in almost black soot. The flies are very small, you can whack the plant and watch closely and see if there is movement into the surrounding air.
Reply:The same is happening to mine...however, it used to be in partial shade and now is in full sun. Also..had a youpon tree try to grow up in the middle of it. Have tried to cut the youpon back but i think the root system is still there..hence i think the gardenia roots are being disturbed. You might try digging up around it and mulching..that is what i am going to do. Otherwise check with a local nursery or horticulturist.
Reply:It could also need to be fertilized. Did it just finish flowering? That stresses a plant out and the flowers and "seeds" take a lot of energy from the plant.



It likes acidic soil. What's planted near it. Every once in awhile, you could dump your coffee grinds at the base of the gardenia. That will add organic material plus acidity. Make sure you don't let the wet grinds land on the leaves.



You could also use a quick fertilizer like Miracle-Gro Water soluable Azalea, camellia and rhododendron food. It's for acid-loving plants. Follow the direction and you can even spray it on the leaves.



If you have white flies or other pests, try Safer Insecticidal soap. It will need to be reapplied every time it rains, but it makes it hard for white flies to feed on the leaves and it's like it's name suggests, safer to use.