brattyrennolds said:I don't know if this will do any good as it seems there's not many people on here. I have a gardenia that I've had for a yea now. It was a mother's day gift and it has since lost most of it's leaves and some of it's roots. I re-potted it and hoped for the best. The new leaves coming out look like there burned. They are black like some one took a lighter to them and burned them but no one has been seen doing that. I want to know what's wrong with it and should I cut it back and if so how far?
I am not sure I can be of any help to you without knowing the name of gardenia you have. They are difficult plants to keep in a non tropical climate. The one thing that may be a problem is too much water and not enough humidity.
Another could be the potting soil may not be fresh or may not hold the water and it got too dry when you re-planted. Too little water is just as bad as too much. Over watering is usually the biggest reason for them to fade away. They love to be sprayed (mist) but do not like to sit in water. The fact you lost some roots makes me believe it was due to something that had to do with root rot or something in the soil. Are you sure there are no scale on the stems? They can destroy a plant in no time. The just suck the life out of it. They are hard to see as babies because they are tiny and white ...but the go up on the stems and leaves and as they grow they get a brownish shell like outside on them and you can see them but you must look carefully. Other than that, I can't be very helpful. I would make sure it is free of any disease or insects and cut it back, put it in a east window with not much sunshine, mist it and water it only when it is dry on the bottom and see what happens. Misting is a great help....keep the humidity high if possible. Maybe you want to put a clear plastic bag over the plant for a few weeks after you cut it back to see if you can increase the humidity. Wish I could be more helpful. Maybe someone else has a better idea.