How to Grow Winter Jasmine: Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is a highly ornamental flowering plant, known for its small yellow flowers, and it gets its name because it blooms in spring. Winter jasmine used to be commonly found growing wild, and now many people have started cultivating it. But before cultivating it, most people are probably still more concerned about its cultivation techniques.
How to Grow Winter Jasmine
Winter jasmine should be placed in a sunny, well-ventilated, and relatively moist spot for care. In winter, in the south, you only need to bury the pot containing the winter jasmine into the soil in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot for it to overwinter safely; in the north, it should be moved into a low-temperature (around 5°C) indoor space for the winter in early winter. If you want winter jasmine to bloom early, you can move it in good time into a moderately warm or warm sunny indoor space. For example, if placed indoors in a sunny spot at around 13°C and the branches and leaves are sprayed with clean water 1 to 2 times a day, it will bloom in about 20 days; if placed indoors in a sunny spot at around 20°C, it will bloom in about 10 days. After blooming, keep the room temperature at around 8°C, and be careful not to let wind blow on it directly, which can extend the flowering period. After the flowers open, the higher the room temperature, the faster the flowers fade.
Winter Jasmine Cultivation Methods
1. Soil. Winter jasmine requires loose, fertile soil with good drainage. Also make sure the soil is acidic; alkaline soil will cause poor growth.
2. Watering. Winter jasmine likes a moist environment, so water more before and after flowering to keep the soil moist, generally watering 1 to 3 times. Water more before the rainy season, and try not to water on cloudy or rainy days. Do not fertilize during the growing season; after ordinary fertilizing, water immediately. After the Start of Autumn, do not water, to prevent the branches from growing excessively and failing to overwinter safely.
3. Light. Around the Spring Festival, move the winter jasmine indoors for care. Keep the room temperature at around 15°C, and flowers will appear after 15 days. When the summer sun is blazing and the temperature is high, move the winter jasmine pot to a semi-shaded spot, which is good for its growth.
4. Fertilizing. When potted, put a few pieces of hoof parings in the pot as base fertilizer. Or when mixing the flower soil, add a small amount of organic fertilizer. During the growing season of winter jasmine, apply 1 to 2 times a month of well-rotted dilute liquid fertilizer. July to August is the flower bud differentiation period for winter jasmine, so more phosphorus fertilizer should be applied to promote flower bud differentiation. In the early stage before flowering, apply one application of well-rotted organic liquid fertilizer, which can ensure the winter jasmine's flowers are brightly colored and can extend the flowering period.
Precautions for Cultivating Winter Jasmine
1. If you want winter jasmine to bloom during the Spring Festival, depending on the size of the flower buds, move the plant into a 12 to 16°C environment 2 to 3 weeks before the Spring Festival, water once every 3 days, and mist the branches and leaves, and let it get some sun.
2. Newly planted winter jasmine should be watered thoroughly, placed in a cool spot for 10 days, then placed in a semi-shaded, semi-sunny spot for one week of care, and gradually moved to a sunny spot for care.
3. In winter, in the south, bury the whole potted plant into wind-sheltered, sunny soil to get through the winter, while in the north it needs to be moved indoors for care, with the temperature controlled above 5°C.
How to Prune Winter Jasmine
1. When planting, there is sufficient base fertilizer in the pot; grow it with plenty of water and fertilizer until mid-July, when pruning is just right. After pruning, control watering, and water when you see the leaves curl. In September, apply phosphorus fertilizer 2 more times, and in October just carry out normal care. In November, ensure sufficient sunlight; after flower buds appear in January, prune again; when blooming, the branches should be about 10 cm, covered with flower-bearing branches.
2. Winter jasmine is usually pruned twice: once after flowering in spring, and once again after a period of growth. Carry it out within 10 days after the flowers fade, pruning the flowering branches, keeping 2 to 3 flower buds on each flowering branch. To ensure an attractive shape, in late March and early April you can carry out shortening, and after side buds grow, according to the growth of the branches, remove a few of the side buds.
When cultivating winter jasmine, you must do a good job of temperature regulation and soil mixing; too low a temperature in winter may cause the plant to die. When cultivating it, both fertilizer and water and pruning are very important, and when pruning you must pay attention to the timing; only in this way can you ensure its growth.