Question
When is the flowering time for Jasmine?  My plant is in a west bay window in a 10?pot sitting on rocks with water.  I only water the plant when it's dry.  The leaves at the bottom are dry and falling off.  I'm in Ohio, and so far we haven't had much winter sun.  The plant shares the window with my lizard, which has a heat lamp.  The lamp is about 4' from the plant.  The lamp is on 24/7.  I haven't fertilized since I got it last year and repotted it the same time.  I have just started misting the plant two to three times a day.  Any help you can give is appreciated.
Thanks,
Sally


Answer
Hi Sally,

Jasmine is not an easy indoor plant; so don't get discouraged if you don't have immediate success.

Light: Lots of bright light, but protect it from hot direct sunlight in midday. Right in an east window is best. The west window may be too much for it in the summer. Outside on a porch in the warmer months is also good.

Air and temperature: Jasmine does best in fresh air with good circulation. Indoors an open window in the warmer months is good or near a fan that circulates the air. The best temperature range is 60 to 75 degrees, although it will tolerate 50 to 85 degrees.

I am not familiar with the quality of light given off by the heat light, so I am not sure if it provides the kind of light that is beneficial to plants. Your Jasmine would be better off with 8 to 12 hours of darkness each day. Do be careful that the heat lamp does not create too much heat for the leaves. It is also important to increase the humidity due to the dryness created by the heat lamp.

Watering: Water thoroughly as soon as the soil is dry down about a half inch. Jasmine does not tolerate watering lapses very well. Leaves discolor quickly if the soil is kept moist for too long or allowed to get a bit too dry.

Potting: If you have a blooming sized jasmine it will rarely, if ever need repotting. The roots must be quite potbound for jasmine to bloom. Repot only if the plant dries out within 2 to 3 days following a thorough watering.

Fertilizer: Use a 1-2-1 ratio fertilizer at half strength and only when the plant is healthy and putting out new growth. It will not need any fertyilizer for a year after adding fresh soil.

Humidity: High humidity is not essential, but it helps, especially if the air is unusually dry.

Pests: Jasmine is a magnet for spider mites. Few jasmine plants escape periodic mite infestations. Warm dry air is very conducive to mite population explosions. Check the undersides of leaves regularly for signs of mites and treat promptly and thoroughly with a soap and water spray.

Blooming: Jasmine usually bloom in January. Normally jasmine is cut way back to half its size following a winter bloom and then new growth is kept pinched back to promote fullness until August. Keep the soil moist and fertilize regularly when it is putting out new growth. In August, discontinue the pinching In October; give it completely dark nights and cool temps (40 to 50 degrees) to promote January bloom. Keep the soil a bit more on the dry side and provide lots of sun during the day. It is usually recommended that you do this for 6 to 8 weeks. This will help set the buds. After that normal room temperatures and a sunny window will suffice. This is a difficult regimen to provide. If you can only do this for a few weeks, it is better than not at all. If you cannot do it at all, your plant will remain healthy but it may not bloom quite as much. In any case do not fertilize during the winter months. In the late winter or early spring, prune the entire plant back by half. New growth will soon emerge. Flowers appear only on new growth.

This is probably more information than you expected. Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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