Question
Hi. I'm an allexperts expert on science for kids, but this one has stumped me for 5 years now.

I also live in zone 7, at 8200 feet in colorado (latitude 40 deg N). I garden indoors, and have a 10 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft deep planter box in my solarium, under slanted, south-facing windows. It's perfect for dry-climate plants; currently it has lavender, geraniums, and a night flowering jasmine, plus many cactus in a separate area to the side. The jasmine has been there for 5 years. It grows LIKE CRAZY, and seems to love it there. I have to train it and trim it back every year, or else it grows into the wall electrical outlets, the air vents on the TV and dish receiver, behind the panelling, etc.

HOWEVER, in 5 years, it has never flowered, or shown any signs of trying. I've seen and smelled jasmine flowering down in Florida, it's great! But this one sure won't do it.

Any suggestions to try and make this plant flower?  The light cycle changes dramatically because of the latitude here. It always has lots of sun, and stays warm. I usually fertilize with high-N, but trying high-P did not help. Maybe try high-P at a certain time of year when the light cycle is right? The only big difference between my indoor garden and Florida is the light cycle, and the extremely dry climate -- very low humidity, especially where the plants are.

Any suggestions appreciated. I'm not MAD at my jasmine plant, and I never threaten to pull it out...I always talk nicely to it. ;~)

Dan


Answer
Hello Dan,

Night flowering jasmine is not a true jasmine, it's actually Cestrum nocturnum which is in the nightshade family along with tobacco and tomatoes and a bunch of other plants, but being a science teacher I bet you knew that already, right? (WOW! That was a long sentence wasn't it?)From what you tell me it appears as though it is getting enough sun, my concern is your fertilization. Fertilizers that are high in nitrogen promote excessive vegetative growth at the expense of flowers especially in the nightshade family. It sounds as though in general you may be overfertilizing. I don't know how frequently you are fertilizing now but I would hold off feeding your jasmine for at least a couple of months which might help stimulate bloom. Some plants just bloom better on "leaner" soils. Cestrum nocturnum usually blooms in cycles throughout the year so flowers could pop up just about any time. Again, if your plant is healthy then there is no reason to worry about the low humidity and light. If your geraniums and lavender are blooming then there is sufficient light for your cestrum to bloom as well. An interesting note, about six months ago I acquired a small cutting of Cestrum nocturnum, it never bloomed and never really grew much either. Eventually it died and I threw it in the trash. Come to think of it, I guess that doesn't make me much of an expert on night blooming jasmine, does it? Maybe I should be asking YOU for advice!  :-)


Regards,

Vito