Why Are the Leaves on My Gardenia Turning
Yellow

"Why are the leaves on my gardenia turning yellow?" This is a question that gardeners have all too often.

What type of gardenia do you have?

Gardenias, it seems, are quite the complicated plant. For countless people, no matter what they do the plant simply dies. For others, they ignore it completely and it thrives and blooms abundantly.

Gardenias prefer acidic, well drained soil. They enjoy full sun to partial shade, high humidity and proper ventilation. They can be grown indoors or outdoors and produce an intoxicating fragrance that cannot be totally replicated by any natural or man-made substance.

So right now you're saying, "That's all fine and dandy, but why are the leaves on my gardenia turning yellow?" Well, there can be several reasons. That's one of the things that makes growing gardenias a challenge. There are so many possibilities for the problems that gardenias have.

The first thing you should do is get a soil test done. This will tell you right away any possible nutritional deficiencies that could be causing your gardenia leaves to turn yellow. Here are a few nutritional possibilities.

If your gardenia needs magnesium, this will cause the leaves to turn yellow. You can remedy this with a fertilizer high in magnesium, or you can add some Epsom salts to your soil. Mix one teaspoon to one gallon of water and apply every two to four weeks.

This practice isn't without its critics, however. Some say there is no evidence to prove that Epsom salts help gardenias or any other plants. One the other hand, countless gardeners swear by using this additive for their gardenias and roses. Give it a try for yourself and see if it helps.

Another possible nutritional deficiency is a lack of iron. A sure sign that your gardenia is deficient in iron is yellow leaves with green veins. It is notable that the same symptoms are present if your plant is in need of manganese as well. This is why a soil test is useful. Using a balanced fertilizer will remedy this problem--whichever nutrient is missing.

You can also try a liquid iron spray and apply it to the foliage. Miracid is a great product for this problem. Mix one teaspoon per gallon of water for indoor gardenias and one tablespoon per gallon of water for outdoor gardenias. Acid fertilizer such as Miracid should be used every two to four weeks during the growing season.

Home remedies for acidifying the soil for gardenias is to use pickle juice, diluted vinegar or used coffee grounds. Vinegar should be diluted, one cup of vinegar to one gallon of water. This should only be used on acid-loving plants. Otherwise you could kill your plant. Do this about once a month or use pickle juice at the same frequency. Coffee grounds should only be used periodically as well. If your gardenias are outside, you can just dump your used coffee grounds under your plants each day. The worms love them too, which is great for your garden.

If your gardenias do not have adequate drainage, the leaves may turn yellow. This is more of a problem with potted gardenias that those in the ground. While gardenias love humidity, they do not like to have soggy feet. It is also not a good idea to mist the leaves for humidity because this can lead to sooty mold on the leaves.

The best way to provide humidity for your gardenia is to create a tray of pebbles. Fill the tray with water so the pebbles are just sticking out of the surface of the water. This will create humidity while the water evaporates, but prevents the bottom of the pot from sitting in the water. Be sure the pot has drain holes in the bottom. That way, even if you must water daily, excess water will drain out the bottom so your gardenia won't have soggy feet.

If your gardenias are too crowded, they may get yellow leaves. Be sure they are spaced evenly so they can get good air-flow around the leaves. This will also help to prevent mold problems.

If your gardenias do not have the right temperatures to thrive, their leaves may turn yellow as well. The ideal temperature for gardenias is 65 to 70 degrees durning the day and 60 to 62 at night. While it is very difficult to keep these temperatures exactly, wide fluctuations in temperature or cold temperatures can cause yellowing of the leaves.

Keep in mind that as leaves get old, they will turn yellow and fall off. This is a perfectly normal part of growing gardenias. You should also be careful to keep your gardenia in its location. They do not like to be moved around; they do not like to be transplanted. Gardenias actually bloom better when they are slightly root-bound. Sometimes a gardenia is happiest when you just leave it alone without providing too much care. Be careful; you don't want to kill your gardenia with kindness.

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