A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 gardenia soil acidity

i have a gardenia plant/tree my soil ph is around 7 - how do i lower it to between 5 and 6? help [/LIST]

Hi Joe
I just bought a lovely grafted gardenia myself. I cant put a regular gardenia straight into the ground here in Florida due to the problem we have with nematodes and our very alkaline soil.
Even with this grafted lady, I still put her in a pot, using 2/3 peat moss and 1/3 washed sand, to lower the pH. Gardenias like soil that is about 5.6 to 6.0...
In fact today was the opening of my first bud.
Hope I can keep this little tree alive.
Good Luck to you!

P.S.
This might be a grafted gardenia, where the bottom half if the plant is "gardenia thumbergia" a root stock that is tolerant of alkaline soils and nematodes, and the top half is "gardenia jasminoides" Try this for more info- hope this helps..

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG336

thank you very much for your help - the gardenia that i have is the veitcci?

Oh thats a pretty one, Joe! This plant is only hardy from zone 8a and further south, so you might want to keep it in a container and bring it indoors in the winter.
I water mine thats in the pot with an occasional cup of coffee too, diluted of course.
These are acid loving plants, so I brew a pot for me, then I brew a pot using the same grounds, for my plant.

We wake up together, lol! The one I have is the "aimee yoshioka" (plate 2 at that site from above post) They all have about the same requirements. If yours is the cultivar Veitcci it will get about three feet tall with lots of blossoms and a lovely heaven scent!
Good luck!

I'm transplanting my gardenia today, she's getting a new pot.
This is the first gardenia to do well for me.
When I bought her, and she must be my 1,000th gardenia, I had a little chat with her, and told her that she can choose life with me or life in the green landfill... I decided to try tough love...
Guess she's chosen me !

Hi Deborah
We think alike! My plants and I have the same chat...
. But (just like teenagers) sometimes they listen and sometimes they dont. Good luck with this pretty cultivar.
HB

LOL, HB ! She's doing fine ! Maybe this tough love thing is working ! For once, one who is not a rebellious teen !