How to grow night-blooming jasmine? Detailed guide to cultivation methods and precautions

  Night-blooming jasmine - surely everyone is familiar with this flower, and flower lovers who enjoy music will likely know that song named directly after the night-blooming jasmine. The flowers of night-blooming jasmine are small, but their fragrance is very rich, so they are generally planted in courtyards for ornamental viewing. Growing night-blooming jasmine is also relatively simple, as can be seen from the cultivation methods above; planting it in a well-ventilated spot in the courtyard is quite good.

  It is not demanding about soil quality, with clay loam being suitable; it is relatively sensitive to soil moisture and prefers fertile, moist but not waterlogged soil. During drought, the leaf edges curl upward, and flower buds shrivel and are difficult to open. Below is an introduction to the cultivation methods and precautions for night-blooming jasmine.

  [Soil]

  Night-blooming jasmine prefers loose, well-drained, organic-rich, slightly acidic soil. Mix peat soil, leaf mold and sand in a ratio of 3:3:4 respectively; the seedbed soil prepared this way has the characteristics of raising bed temperature, retaining water, providing aeration, being fertile and slightly acidic, and is suitable for rooting and sprouting of cuttings. The potting soil is generally made up of 3 parts peat soil or leaf mold plus 2 parts coarse river mud and a small amount of farmyard manure. When potting, fill about 1/5 of the depth at the bottom with granular crushed brick pieces to facilitate pot drainage, and use the prepared potting soil for the upper part.

  [Light]

  Potted night-blooming jasmine requires well-ventilated environmental conditions. From early May to the end of September, it is suitable to place it in a sunny spot in the yard or on a balcony for care. Although it likes sufficient sunlight, it should be protected from scorching sun at noon in summer.

  [Temperature]

  In mid-to-late October each year, it should be moved into a greenhouse or shed, where the temperature should be kept at 8°C-12°C. If the temperature falls below 5°C, the leaves will turn yellow and drop until the plant dies.

  [Watering]

  Summer is its peak growing season. In addition to applying sufficient fertilizer, the potting soil must be kept consistently moist, and if necessary, water twice a day. For seedlings, spray water on the leaves 1-2 times a day.

  [Fertilizing]

  During its growth process, apply liquid fertilizer once every 10 to 15 days. Starting in late April, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every half month. From mid-May onward, continuous blooming can be ensured. If high-efficiency humic acid liquid fertilizers such as Chunquan 883 or Huimanfeng are applied, the effect is even better.

  [Repotting]

  Repotting is best done in early April in spring before the plant is moved outdoors. When repotting, remove some of the old soil and old roots, replace with new growing medium, and carry out heavy pruning to encourage new branches. After repotting, keep the potting soil moist, but there must be no standing water in the pot. If the young leaves are found to droop slightly after repotting, water promptly.

  [Pruning]

  The branches of night-blooming jasmine grow quickly. If allowed to grow naturally, they can grow about 1 m in a year, so annual pruning is needed to sprout more side branches and produce more flowers. Pruning is generally done in autumn, keeping each side branch 10-12 cm long. After the flowers fade, cut off the withered branches and overly dense branches.

  [Shaping]

  During cultivation and management, a trellis needs to be set up. After the plant climbs onto the trellis, pinch the tips promptly to encourage more branching. After the flowers open, promptly cut off the spent flower stalks and apply additional fertilizer. After the flowers fade, cut off the withered branches and leaves and overly dense branches, and shorten overgrown shoots.

  [Diseases]

  Sooty mold and ring rot often occur; spray with a 500-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder.

  Precautions:

  Night-blooming jasmine should not be placed indoors, because its fragrance can make patients with high blood pressure and heart disease feel dizzy, depressed and uncomfortable, causing symptoms such as chest tightness and difficulty breathing, so night-blooming jasmine is not suitable for indoor placement. It is best placed outdoors as an ornamental plant.

  Green plants generally carry out photosynthesis only during the day, and at night they only carry out respiration without photosynthesis. At night they consume indoor oxygen and compete with people. Moreover, night-blooming jasmine is also an oxygen-consuming flower and plant; even during daytime photosynthesis it consumes a large amount of oxygen, affecting human health, and at night when photosynthesis stops, it releases a large amount of waste gas.

  In addition, at night the fragrance of night-blooming jasmine becomes stronger, because it can release a large amount of particles that strongly stimulate the sense of smell at night. Therefore, it can easily make patients with high blood pressure and heart disease feel dizzy, depressed and uncomfortable, and may even worsen their condition. Therefore, night-blooming jasmine should not be planted in the rooms of patients with high blood pressure and heart disease.