Gardenia Bushes Losing a Lot of Leaves

Question

I have 3 Gardenia plants of different sizes and the biggest seems to have lost half of its leaves, leaving many mostly bare branches (have 1 or 2 small leaves at ends). Last summer I had a lot of trouble with white flies and used a solution of dish detergent and hot pepper sauce to get rid of the flies. It seemed to work well, but now all my plants are losing leaves in varying amounts. The biggest plant is about half bare, and the bare branches have whitish/grayish spots on them. I’m afraid I’m losing these plants. Can you help? PS: I live in the Myrtle Beach, SC area.

Answer 1

It sounds like you may have a fungus. I would recommend treating the plants with neem oil. It is organic, safe for people and pets and will kill both fungus and any pests that might also be attacking the plant. This article has more information on it:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm

Answer 2

Just wanted to say that I have been using the Neem Oil spray as suggested by Heather and it seems to be working, All the plants seem to be recovering and new leaves are showing up on the bare stems/branches. Thank you — heather for your help. gholbert