Gardenia suddenly looking sick

[AN1]

Hi everyone,

My gardenia plant was doing so well but in the last couple of days I don't know what happened but the leaves are looking very sad. I water them every 2nd day. The plant  has so many buds. 

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @AN1. It's great that you've joined us, and many thanks for your questions on Gardenia care.

It would be reasonable to assume that if your plant was healthy until two days ago, something has happened since then. I'd think that it would be particularly hard for our members to diagnose the issue since it's such a sudden behaviour change.

Are you due for watering on your bi-day schedule now? If so, I'd like for you to check how dry the soil is before watering. Stick your finger down 5cm and tell me if it is still wet from the previous watering. When you have been watering over the last couple of days, does the water freely drain out the bottom of the pot? There's a slight chance that your drainage hole has become partially or completely blocked from a build-up of sediment. If this is the case, then the soil would be completely saturated, and you might be seeing this sudden down-turn as a result. Does that black pot have drainage holes in it?

You don't want your gardenia to dry out, but you also don't want it sitting in water. I suspect you might be over-watering, and two waterings a week for one minute each is more than enough; even one would be sufficient during the cooler months. Obviously, this wouldn't explain the issue alone unless root rot has finally overcome the plant. The fact your plant up until now has been healthy indicates your waterings couldn't be too far off the mark.

In all, I'm a bit stumped by your issue. Let me mention a couple of our most knowledgeable gardening experts, @Noelle and @Adam_W, to see if they can shed some light on this mystery.

Mitchell

[AN1]

Thank you so much for your reply Mitchell. I will check the soil and tell you know

[Adam_W]

Hi @AN1 oh dear... yes... looking sad indeed. Important as @MitchellMc mentioned to check those potting mix moisture levels.
You really only need to water once the mix starts to get dry, the old first finger joint trick - stick your finger into the mix to the first joint or so and if it's dry that far then water.
Is the pot draining properly? I'd consider perhaps putting it on pot feet (assuming it has drainage holes beneath).

[AN1]

I really feel like the issue was under watering. I checked the moisture content 5 cm down the pot,the upper layer was moist but the water was not seeping in. So I fixed that issue by digging the soil and making sure soil was well drained. Leaves are looking better already. Can not thank you guys enough😍