How do you care for the latest potted winter jasmine?

Winter jasmine, also known as small yellow flower, golden belt, Qingming flower, etc., is a deciduous shrub-forming plant of the genus Jasminum in the family Oleaceae. Together with plum blossom, narcissus and camellia, it is collectively called the “Four Friends in the Snow.” It not only has dignified and beautiful flowers and extraordinary elegance, but also has the characteristics of fearing no cold, being undemanding about soil and climate, and having strong adaptability. It has always been loved by people. Now let us take a look at how to care for potted winter jasmine!

Growth Habits of Winter Jasmine

Winter jasmine is produced in Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan and southeastern Tibet in China, growing in mountain thickets, and is widely cultivated around the world. It likes light, tolerates slight shade, is slightly cold-tolerant, and fears waterlogging. In North China and Yanling it can overwinter outdoors. It requires a warm and humid climate, loose fertile sandy soil with good drainage, grows vigorously in acidic soil, and grows poorly in alkaline soil. Its roots have strong sprouting ability, and the parts of the branches touching the ground root very easily.

Propagation Methods of Winter Jasmine

1. Cuttings: Can be done in spring, summer and autumn. In spring, from February to March after flowering, cut one-year-old branches as cuttings. For summer and early autumn cuttings, either one-year-old branches or branches of the current year can be used as cuttings. Insert them into sandy soil, water thoroughly, then avoid scorching sun exposure and keep the soil moist. They root in about 1 month. In addition, in winter and spring, old roots with good form can be cut for cuttings, and after they survive they can be potted.

2. Layering: Winter jasmine layering propagation is carried out during the growing season. The method is to press vigorous branches close to the ground into the soil, and after about one month new roots can grow at the nodes. When the new roots have grown to a certain length, cut them away from the mother plant and plant them separately.

3. Division: Winter jasmine division propagation can be carried out in spring when the buds begin to swell. When transplanting in spring, cut off part of the aboveground branches and stems, and keep some original soil. During growth, note that the soil must not become waterlogged or excessively dry, and apply fertilizer appropriately 2 to 3 times before and after flowering.

4. Grafting: For winter jasmine grafting propagation, select water wax seedlings with a trunk diameter of more than 2 cm. In early spring when buds begin to swell, perform side grafting at 1 m or at a chosen height. Take current-year winter jasmine branches 8 to 10 cm long as scions and graft them. After grafting, tie tightly with film, cover with a plastic bag, and after they survive and sprout branches, gradually tear the bag to ventilate and harden the seedlings.

How do you care for potted winter jasmine?

1. Soil: Growing winter jasmine has certain soil requirements. It requires loose fertile sandy soil with good drainage, grows vigorously in acidic soil, and grows poorly in alkaline soil.

2. Temperature: In summer when the sun is scorching and high temperatures occur, winter jasmine should be moved to a semi-shaded place, which is more favorable for its growth. Around the Spring Festival, move it together with the pot into a greenhouse or plastic tunnel, keep the room temperature at about 15°C, and flowers can be seen in about 15 days.

3. Watering: Winter jasmine likes moisture. From before flowering to the flowering period, water 1 to 3 times depending on the degree of soil dryness and moisture. Before the rainy season arrives, water frequently. During the growing season, do not apply additional fertilizer. After the Start of Autumn, do not water, to prevent the branches from growing too long and too tender to overwinter safely.

4. Fertilizing: When planting winter jasmine, place a few pieces of animal hoof at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer. During the growing period of winter jasmine, apply 1 to 2 times a month of thoroughly decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer. July to August is the flower bud differentiation period of winter jasmine, so apply liquid fertilizer containing more phosphorus to promote flower bud formation. If before the flowering period, apply once a thoroughly decomposed dilute organic liquid fertilizer, it can make the flower colors more brilliant and prolong the flowering period.

5. Pruning: Winter jasmine has strong sprouting ability. During the growing period, it should be pinched frequently and some branches cut off or shortened to maintain the tree shape. After the flowers fade, the branches should be shortened, generally leaving only 2 to 3 buds, while the main branches may retain a few more buds appropriately. After new branches emerge, if cared for properly, flower buds will cluster.

Pest and Disease Control of Winter Jasmine

1. Mosaic disease

[Symptoms] A whole-plant disease caused by cucumber mosaic virus CMV. The symptoms are smaller, deformed leaves, distributed with dark green markings or yellowing. Infected plants do not flower, or if they do flower, the flowers are also small and deformed, with markings (see figure). The transmission route is mainly virus transmission by green peach aphids and cotton aphids. The main source of infection is infected diseased plants among surrounding weeds.

[Control] First, remove weeds promptly to reduce the source of infection. Second, control aphids early to eliminate the virus-transmitting vector.

2. Brown spot disease

[Symptoms] Mostly occurs on fairy primrose. It is caused by Alternaria fungi of the Deuteromycotina. Infected plants have brown spots on the leaves. The transmission route is that conidia are spread by wind and rain.

[Control] Spray fungicides such as 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder 1000 times solution in the early stage of disease.

3. Gray mold

[Symptoms] It is one of the common diseases of winter jasmine and occurs throughout the country. After the plant is infected, the whole plant turns yellow and dies. It mainly infects leaves, tender stems, flower organs and other parts. It mostly occurs at leaf tips and leaf margins. In the early stage of disease, water-soaked spots appear on the leaves, then gradually expand, turn brown and rot. Later, a gray-yellow mold layer forms on the surface of the lesions. Under humid conditions, a gray mold layer appears on the diseased parts.

[Control] Planting density should be reasonable. Pay attention to ventilation and reduce air humidity. Remove diseased leaves and diseased plants promptly to reduce the source of infection. In the early stage of disease, spray 50% procymidone or 50% iprodione wettable powder 1500 times solution. It is best to alternate with 65% dimethylmorpholine wettable powder 500 times solution to prevent the development of resistance.

4. Spot disease

[Symptoms] It mainly harms plant leaves, and the disease spreads from the lower part of the plant to the upper part. Lesions are usually 3 to 4 mm in diameter, brown, and in severe cases the diseased leaves wither and die, causing defoliation. Plants are usually prone to disease in warm and humid weather and when nitrogen fertilizer is applied excessively. It generally begins to occur in July and becomes epidemic from August to October.

[Control] Select and breed disease-resistant varieties, strengthen fertilizer and water management, apply more organic fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer. In the early stage of disease, spray 70% thiophanate-methyl 1000 times solution plus 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 1000 times solution, or 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture.

5. Leaf spot disease

[Symptoms] It mostly occurs on leaves and receptacles. In the early stage, water-soaked irregular lesions appear along the leaf veins, then yellow and turn brown, the lesions expand, and the leaf margins dry up. In severe cases, the lower leaves die.

[Control] Strengthen cultivation management, cultivate disease-free seedlings, disinfect seedbed soil, ventilate promptly in greenhouses, and reduce air humidity. Remove diseased plant residues promptly. After disease onset, spray 50% copper succinate wettable powder 500 times solution, or 72% agricultural streptomycin wettable powder 4000 times solution.