The mother plant, purchased on eBay, had a single tall stem, on which the first leaves were at least six inches above the soil. I was hoping for a short bushy plant, so I decided to remove the growing tip and attempt to clone what I wanted.
Unlike most plants, gardenias will root more quickly if you do not remove the leaves, so I pretty much left the cutting intact. The cutting was dipped in Vita Grow rooting hormone for thirty seconds and then planted in a mixture of 80% perlite and 20% peat moss.
The cutting was kept under a dome using a 90 watt red/blue/white LED for a light source. Additionally, the cutting was misted at least once a day.
It was obvious that the cutting had rooted when the tip began to grow again. Today, 14 days after being taken, I potted the cutting. When mixing the media for the container I added some nutrients for acid loving plants and I will also add some iron to the nutrients that I will be feeding the plant. Hopefully, soon I will have the fragrance of gardenias to enjoy.
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