Question
HI Darlene,
I have a jasmine plant and it was doing really bad. I gave it water and saw little bugs in the soil. I researched it and let it dry completely out (it looked like it was doing a little better) then I gave it a 1/2 and 1/2 solution of water and rubbing alcohol on Saturday. Today it looks horrible. The leaves- some are droopy and some have brown holes and brown on the edges. There are also some leaves with white powder-like substance on them--this could be another problem all together; I'm not sure. Another weird thing is that the leaves seem to be releasing some kind of sticky substance.
I currently have it in a north-facing window. (I'm in WI) IT is about 2 feet tall and in a pot that seems to "fit" it. I also have city water.
If you could help at all, I would greatly appreciate it.
-Jen

Answer
Jen,

Your plant has aphids, I can tell that by the sticky substance on the leaves, it is the excrement of aphids. It also has mealy bugs, I can tell that by the powder-like substance on the leaves, you are right it is another problem all together. Your main problem is that you have it in a north facing window in WI. It is a sun loving plant and needs to be in a south facing window where it can get as much sun and warmth as soon as possible when the sun is shining.Keep the drapes and mini blinds open all day ( from dawn to dusk) so it gets as much sun as possible. In addition to all that you had fungus gnats in the soil due to the plant being overwateed at some time in the past.

To get rid of the aphids, the mealy bug and the fungus gnats put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray the entire plant daily for a week making sure you spray the fronts and backs of all leaves. Also spray the surface of the soil. Is this plant in a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom and a drain tray under it? This is an absolute necessity. When you water give it enough water so that all the soil in the pot is moist and a little goes in the drain tray. Then you need to empty the drain tray an hour later so your plant is not sitting in a swamp. Don't wait until the plant has been dry for a week before you water it again just wait until the top 2 inches of soil feels dry. If it is dry for too long insects attack it such as aphids and mealy bugs. After the first week of spraying daily for the insects you should drop back to twice a week. Three weeks later you can drop it back to once a week.  This plant likes to be somewhat rootbound and will be healthier if it is so do not repot it for at least 3 years. Then you would be better off dividing it and putting each half in a pot the same size it is in now. Good luck.

Darlene