Derek have you ever had any Gardenias? We had them as a kid and I liked the smell of the flowers.

Bought 12 and put them out in the yard. Nursery said to use irionite on them to keep the leaves green and keep them blooming. I added 3 tablespooons to them they were three months old and two of them died. They are about three feet tall but drop a lot of leaves in the summer and look kinda weak.

Have a sprinkler system and they get plenty of water.


Any advise???


I think they are American Beauty like the rose.

Ours died
I think it’s heat
They do smell great

Don't see Gardenias around here much besides growing in pots. They don't do well in our high Ph(alkaline) soil. I forget where in ETX you are but I think you're in the deeper part that probably has a Ph under 7. 2 out 12 isn't major concerning. It could have been anything. The potting mix they were in became hydrophobic and when you were watering them it was just running off and not absorbing, root bound, just about anything. You might dig them up and inspect the roots and hole and see if anything stands out. To be frank, ironite sucks. By far the worst iron product on the market. The iron source is iron oxide and not readily available(if at all) for the roots to uptake. If you're going to add an iron supplement you need to go with a Cheleated iron. Lots of cheleated products on the market. But even then the iron or other micros need nitrogen to be friends with for root uptake. So go with whatever water soluble fert you like. I like a 20-20-20. Then if you do need to add some iron add it to that mix then water with. Can also be added foliar as well. Not sure why they claim the ironite will help keep them blooming. That is where your NPK comes in. When I plant shrubs or potted flowers I like to breakup the roots really well and make sure they are not circling like when in a pot. Then I will soak them for about 30 minutes in a mild fertilizer solution to make sure they are well hydrated, then plant. Then I will fert them every two weeks with a T20 for a while to stimulate root growth and make sure they get established well. Iron deficiencies are easy to spot, and if you need to add an iron do not use an iron oxide.

What is a brand name for Cheleated iron that i should buy?

I live close to Longview.

Thanks for your reply,

There are tons of them. You are right in that spot that is under 7 Ph most likely. I would love for you to get a soil test. Not directed at you but in general if you're going to spend $100+ on some plants why not spend $20 on a soil test? It will tell you everything you need to know. I can tell you 100% those two did not die from lack of iron, so don't run down that rabbit hole. If looking for a chelated iron there are different ones. EDTA is easily found by Southern Ag and Fertilome, You can go baller with an EDDHA like Feature. Just to name a few.

The PH of the water you water them with matters. I managed to kill mine just from watering with hose water but we haven't had any rain. They love a much more acid based biome than we have in central Texas. Far east Texas has much better luck.

Yup. I haven't checked my water in a while. Last time I did it was 7.2, My hydrangeas are about the only thing I have that would prefer the lower Ph. I like to do a citric acid watering about once a month, and I apply elemental Sulphur twice a year. These are in ground and not in pots.

I'm guessing the acid soil along with the significant iron in the soil make my gardenias grow easily although they don't keep blooming. They had one bloom cycle in the late spring but the actual shrub is 8 feet tall. I neglected to cut them back after they bloomed this year.

Also I had some that were killed by the snowmageddon in 2021 and some that looked killed but resprouted from the roots. My trifecta of light care/no care plants for this soil are gardenias, azaleas, and bridal wreath. I could also add camellias and English dogwood too.

I’m using lake water to water with, no idea what the ph is but the st Augustine grass loves it!