Jasmine Plant Care

A jasmine plant is a great addition to a garden or a home. Jasmine, known for its beautiful flowers and shining leaves, can fill your house with a unique fragrance. Jasmine is basically a bushy shrub that releases fragrance at night. Proper jasmine houseplant care is essential so that it grows in the right way.

Jasmine Plant Care
A jasmine plant will grow properly if the planting area meets certain conditions. The factors that influence the growth of jasmine plants are as follows:

• Sunshine
• Fertilizer
• Soil
• Watering

When it comes to planting jasmine bushes outside the house, the preferred time is between the month of June and November. Whether you are nurturing the plant indoors or outdoors, an ideal condition for the plant to grow includes moist soil. To promote its growth, a well-drained, sandy loam soil is often recommended. Watering the plant daily is an easy way to keep the soil moist. Whenever you feel that the soil has become completely dry, water the plant immediately. However, over-watering should be avoided, otherwise the root of the plant may rot. The plants needs to be watered more during summer to prevent dryness of the soil. Younger jasmine plants that are grown outside in the garden require frequent pruning to restrict their growth. For growing 3 - 4 plant bushes, adequate spacing (minimum 8 feet) between the plants is needed for normal root expansion and foliage. Overcrowding of the plants can impair their growth.

Indoor Jasmine Plant Care
Indoor jasmine plants, also known as office plants can play a major role in reducing work related stress. When deciding to grow it indoors, make it a point that the jasmine plant you buy fits perfectly into the holding container. Also ensure that it gets sufficient amount of sunlight. Don't expect the plant to grow in less sunlight. It is necessary that the planting area gets direct sunlight for a minimum 4 - 6 hours everyday. Plants that are placed in the shade all the time develop fungus. In the afternoon the sun is at its peak, especially during the summer season. So, you can keep your jasmine plant in the shade during midday to avoid direct exposure to the intense sunlight. Leaves of jasmine plants usually wilt when exposed to excessive sunlight. Jasmine grows well when it receives fresh air throughout the day. Keeping the plant in the balcony could be a very good option. If you are keeping it inside, ensure that it is placed near an open window. You can also use the fan to circulate the air. As the jasmine is vulnerable to mite infestations, you need to observe the plant daily for any signs of spider mites, particularly on the leaves. Treatment in the form of soap and water spray is useful to get rid of these pests.

Fertilizing the plant is an important part of jasmine plant care. But the use of strong fertilizers can kill the plant, hence a mild or a moderate fertilizer, high in phosphorous applied twice a year is beneficial and encourages blooming. Along with the fertilizer, addition of lime to the soil is also helpful to keep your plant healthy and strong. It needs to be fertilized every 2 weeks with 10-20-10 fertilizer. This means, the fertilizer contains 10% potassium, 20% phosphorous and 10 % nitrogen.

Trimming the Plant
The care of jasmine plants is incomplete without pruning. In case you have the jasmine polyanthum, frequent pruning is a must to control its growth. Otherwise, pruning once a year in the late spring is sufficient to promote fresh growth. If the dead flowers or branches of the plant are not cut, it can negatively affects its growth. Many a times, these excess branches cause reduction in sunlight to the trunk of plant, thereby increasing the chances of pest infestation.

Following the aforementioned jasmine plant care instructions is important so that the plant yields beautiful flowers. There are different types of species of jasmine plants in which the pruning and fertilizing patterns differ slightly. Hence, gather the required information of that particular jasmine plant before you own it.