Q&A for How to Prune a Gardenia Bush

The sticky white powder is left behind by mealybugs. Mealybugs are little sap-feeding insects that grow waxy filaments as they mature. They often feed in clusters on tender branches,stalks, and the undersides of leaves, where they shed their body filaments onto plant tissues while they exude a sticky, sweet substance called honeydew.

If your gardenia is wilting or dying, it is likely caused by a pest or disease and can be remedied by adjusting humidity levels and pruning the plant. This will help improve airflow while also limiting the spread of disease. Using an insecticide and fertilizing your plant can also help.

Despite your best efforts, the tips of the branches may die and turn black from frost or cold damage. When this happens, prune the branches a couple of inches (5 cm.) below the damage with sharp pruning shears. If possible, wait until after it blooms.

You can wash the plant with a strong spray of water mixed with a little soap.

A gardenia's leaves turn yellow and brown as it grows. That's normal. Don't give them a huge amount of water, and keep them in full sunlight (or grow lights).

Prune the brown branches. Otherwise, it will cause severe fungus. Gardenias grow very well in the summer, so prune them in late winter.

Gardenias grow at the top and defoliate at the bottom. No matter how you prune them, they will grow that way rather than "bush out."

Don't prune more than 1/3 of it at one time. You can prune more in a later year if you wish.

Prune in the winter, and don't cut away more than 1/3 of the bush's mass. In other words, leave more than half the bush.

In LA you can prune it in the winter. You'll see new sprouting and buds in the spring.

It is best to prune your gardenia shrub right after the blooms have faded in the summer. Gardenias will set their flower buds the next year in fall, so pruning in the summer will allow you to cut back some of the older wood without the risk of cutting away newly set buds.

Usually brown leaves are caused by sub-standard growing conditions. Gardenias require full sun, warm weather, at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week, and acidic soil (pH level ideally around 5.0 - 6.5). Make sure that your gardenia can drain easily, or it may become overwatered. If the brown leaves are more than 50% damaged (over half of the leaf has become brown), trim them off as soon as possible.

It is likely that you are watering it too much and over feeding the plant. Water it and look at it in about 4 days later. If it is dry, water it and don't put food on it. Let it go for about 2 weeks and give it only what it needs.

No, you have to break them apart at the roots and bulbs 3 inches apart and replant the bulbs.

It is best to prune before new growth, as this encourages better flowering and a more fruitful growing season. If you need to though (like if the plant is too big), you can still do so after new growth.

It is recommended to water your gardenias at least an inch every week, from hose or rainfall.

It depends on how far along the gardenia bush is in growth. If there are buds on the branches, do not prune your bush until after it blooms, unless you want the gardenia bush to not have any flowers during this bloom. Once the flowers have bloomed and have all fallen off, it is safe to prune your bush without preventing flower growth.

Trim the branches by 2 to 3 inches just after flowering ends, from May to July. Do not prune any gardenia too late in the season, usually after August but as late as October in some areas. The resulting tender green shoots will not have time to harden and will be killed by a frost or freeze.

The best time to transplant gardenia plants is in the fall, right after the plant has finished blooming. Gardenia plants transplant best when the weather is cool and the plant is slowing down. About a week before transplanting gardenia bushes, prune the branches back by one-quarter or one-third.