Flower Buds Falling Off Gardenia

I have a gardenia with beautiful green leaves and no flowers.  I have had several buds on it over the last year, but they fall off.  How can I encourage and keep more blooms?

Temperature, light, humidity, and soil moisture are the key factors to getting and keeping gardenia blooms.  Keep your gardenia out of drafts and in a room 55 to 65 degrees when trying to encourage or prolong bloom.  Warmer and colder temperatures can interfere with flower development and lead to bud drop.  Keep the soil moist but not wet.  Fertilize gardenias with a dilute solution of any flowering houseplant fertilizer.  Use a product for acid loving plants if possible.

Group your gardenia with other plants and place it on a gravel tray to increase humidity and improve bud retention.  Just fill the plant saucer with pebbles and water.  The pot should sit on the pebbles above (not in) the water.  As the water evaporates it increase the humidity around the plant.  Move the plant to a south- facing window or supplement the light in its current location.

Don't transplant.  Gardenias need to be somewhat potbound to bloom.  Transplanting will encourage more green growth and delay blossoming.  Once blossoms form, avoid hot temperatures, dry soils and low humidity.  These can all cause bud drop.  All your hard work will eventually be rewarded with fragrant blossoms.

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