How do you care for a potted jasmine plant, and can it be kept in the bedroom?

Jasmine is a very familiar ornamental flower, with pure white blooms and a fragrant scent, usually opening from May to August. Jasmine symbolizes loyalty, respect, purity, chastity and simplicity, and growing it in pots is also a fairly popular approach. So how do you care for a potted jasmine? Can it be kept in the bedroom?

1. How do you care for a potted jasmine?

1. Soil requirements

Jasmine prefers slightly acidic soil; if the soil is on the alkaline side, the leaves will turn yellow. During the growing period, water it once every 10-15 days with a 0.2% ferrous sulfate solution to keep the potting soil acidic. You can also make your own growing medium by putting garden soil and plant and animal materials into a plastic bag in alternating layers of soil and material, adding rice-washing water and pressing it down firmly. After one winter, it becomes a growing medium. To keep the potting soil slightly acidic, water about once every 10 days with a 0.2% ferrous sulfate solution. Repot every 3 years, preferably in late winter or early spring. There is no need to trim the roots; replace with fresh nutrient soil and place some bone meal and horse-hoof slices in the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer, then water thoroughly.

2. Light conditions

Jasmine loves light and tolerates fertilizer, so a potted plant must be placed in a spot with plenty of sunlight; this is the meaning behind the gardening saying “a jasmine can't be sunburned to death.” If there is not enough sunlight, it tends to grow leggy, producing large leaves and few nodes, which affects flowering. Jasmine loves fertilizer, especially needing more during the flowering period. At home, you can use kitchen scraps plus black alum to compost a liquid fertilizer. Fertilizing should follow the principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently.

3. Watering method

Jasmine likes moisture and air permeability but fears waterlogging. In spring, water once every 2-3 days, and always water thoroughly. May to June is the spring flowering period, when it needs a bit more water than earlier, so water once a day; June to August is the peak flowering period, with strong sunlight and high water demand, so water once in the morning and once in the evening. In dry weather, spray water on the leaves and around the pot. Once winter arrives, do not water unless the soil is dry. When the potting soil dries to a grayish-white color, water thoroughly. In relatively rainy seasons, guard against waterlogging in good time; if there is standing water in the pot, be sure to tip it out promptly, otherwise the jasmine leaves will turn yellow.

4. Key fertilizing points

Jasmine has a long flowering period and needs a fair amount of fertilizer, so the potting soil must be fertile enough. Follow the principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently, and especially do not let it go short of fertilizer during flower bud formation. However, too much fertilizer or fertilizer that is too concentrated can easily cause root rot. The best time to fertilize is in the evening; before fertilizing, loosen the potting soil, and be careful not to fertilize when the potting soil is too dry or too wet. From the start of sprouting in spring until late September, apply a fully rotted, dilute cake fertilizer solution once every 7-10 days at a concentration of 15%-20%; jasmine consumes a great deal of nutrients during the growing and flowering periods, and the high temperatures of midsummer are its peak growing season, so apply thin fertilizer frequently, about once every 5-7 days at a concentration of 10%-15%. When fertilizing, increase the phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; you can add 0.1%-0.2% monopotassium phosphate or 0.5% superphosphate solution to the cake fertilizer liquid, and at the same time be sure to move the jasmine to a spot with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation.

5. Pruning

Jasmine grows very quickly in summer and needs timely pruning. For potted jasmine, keep 10 cm to 15 cm of the base when pruning to encourage many sturdy new shoots; if the new shoots grow very vigorously, pinch them back when they reach 10 cm to encourage a second flush of shoots, which will produce more flowers and a more compact plant shape. After the flowers fade, cut away the flowering stems promptly to reduce nutrient consumption; this also encourages new shoots, making the branches dense, the buds numerous and the flowering abundant.

In late winter, keep four pairs of old leaves on each branch and cut away the rest, but do not damage the young buds in the leaf axils.

2. Can a potted jasmine be kept in the bedroom?

Jasmine can be grown indoors; the volatile oils it produces have a bactericidal effect and can effectively kill germs in the room. In addition, when jasmine is in bloom it gives off waves of delicate fragrance, which can help people relax and feel cheerful.

However, as far as jasmine's own growing habits are concerned, it should be placed on a balcony with plenty of sunlight, or taken outside regularly to bask in the sun, to ensure its normal growth. Prolonged exposure to the scent of jasmine may cause hair loss, so it is best not to grow jasmine indoors. Also, bedrooms are generally fairly small spaces, which may trigger symptoms such as pollen allergies.