Help with mini tree

[ducks4you]

BTW, the FULL price of that gardenia was $75.00
Just so ya know...

 

[AMKuska]

I pruned off all of the dead branches today. I was really encouraged to find there was more of the tree alive than I had thought. All of the major branches and the trunk are still alive. I read yesterday that these trees need to be fertilized at least once every other week (whoops) and this tree doesn't even like going below 59F (so probably it was freezing outside even at night.)

It seems to be a lot happier on my grow mat, because it has put out a leaf since last night. This gives it two whole leaves to its name now.

 

[catjac1975]

Over Christmas we received a gift of a minature tree from my husband's company. Unfortunately all our best efforts at caring for it just seem to make it worse. We put it outside to get some sunlight, which it liked even less than being indoors, it doesn't like cold weather AT ALL (lost most of its leaves to that) It started coming back and then is dying again.

What on earth do we do for it?

It is likely that decorative pot trying to kill it. Anything I have used like that kills plants.

 

[Nyboy]

I would repot with something with a drain hole

 

[ducks4you]

Agreed, and put a coffee filter on top of the drain hole before you add the soil. They make soil that retains water, too, bc I have it.

 

[Smart Red]

Did anyone mention that gardenias like acidic soil conditions much like blueberries? That lack of knowledge resulted in a short life for several gardenia plants I've tried to grow.

 

[AMKuska]

What? Why would the pot kill it? Is it a toxin or something?

 

[Nyboy]

Does it have a drain hole ? Many decorative pots don 't, with no drain hole roots sit in water and rot

 

[lcertuche]

If they don't have a drainage hole maybe you could just use a wick and not water it directly.