How do you grow jasmine? These cultivation points are worth knowing
Jasmine belongs to the Oleaceae family, genus Jasminum, and is also known as tea flower. It is an evergreen small shrub flower, and in the north it is mostly grown as a potted ornamental. The leaves are simple and opposite, oval or ovate, glossy, and the flowers are white, with single- and double-petaled types; the single-petaled type is extremely fragrant, while the double-petaled type is slightly less so. Three to nine flowers form a cyme, and the flowering period is from May to October, with summer, from July to August, being the peak blooming period.
Ecological habits: it is native to India and other places, prefers a warm and humid climate, likes light, is not cold-tolerant, fears drought but also fears waterlogging. It prefers humus-rich, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. The optimum growing temperature is 15°C to 25°C, and in winter the indoor temperature should be kept above 5°C.
Propagation method: cuttings are generally the common method used for propagation. From March to May, select healthy 1- to 2-year-old branches; the cuttings should be about 10 cm to 15 cm long, keep 2 to 3 upper leaves, insert them into clean river sand, cover with plastic film, place in semi-shade, and mist frequently to keep moist; roots will form in about one month. Layering is mostly done in summer, roots form in 10 to 20 days, and in autumn of the same year they can be cut away from the mother plant and planted separately. Division is generally carried out together with repotting, and after division, heavy pruning should be done to ensure the survival rate.
Cultivation points
1. Choose a suitable growing medium: the potting soil can use 4 parts garden soil, 4 parts compost soil, and 2 parts river sand, with an appropriate amount of cake fertilizer powder or decomposed chicken and duck manure added as base fertilizer; to make it drain well, place more drainage material at the bottom of the pot (such as crushed stone, tiles, ceramsite, etc.).
2. Repot at the right time: when repotting, the root system should be pruned appropriately.
3. Water and fertilizer should be appropriate: jasmine fears drought and avoids waterlogging, so the amount of watering should be determined by the season, the plant's growth condition, and so on. From April to May, water thoroughly once every 2 to 3 days. Summer is the peak flowering period for jasmine, so it should be watered more, once in the morning and once in the evening; besides normal watering, spray water on the leaves and ground to lower the temperature and raise air humidity. In autumn and winter, watering should be controlled. Because the flowering period is long, the fertilizer requirement is also large; every half month, apply some alum fertilizer water as a top dressing, and during flower bud differentiation and the flowering period, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which can make the floral fragrance stronger; after autumn, fertilize less or stop fertilizing, which is helpful for overwintering. Sometimes jasmine grown at home only grows leaves and does not bloom, mainly caused by too much nitrogen fertilizer and insufficient sunlight; at this time, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and increase light intensity.
4. Pruning: in spring, prune and shape it together with repotting, thin out weak twigs, and cut back each branch leaving 4 pairs of leaves, to favor growth, bud formation, and flowering. After the peak flowering period, do one heavy pruning to encourage new branches and make the plant grow robustly. When each batch of flower buds has just grown to the size of a mung bean, but one flower bud shows white, withhold water; only water when the young leaves and flower buds droop due to lack of water. This can make the flowers cluster and the inflorescence shape look better. Common pests and diseases mainly include red spider mites, aphids, and other insect pests; in spring, red spider mites are especially severe, often making leaves turn yellow and white and gradually fall off. At home, you can spray tobacco water made by soaking tobacco leaves or cigarettes, which can both achieve an insecticidal effect and ensure indoor environmental hygiene.