Jasmine HousePlant Gift | AskJudy@HousePlant411.com

Best Jasmine HousePlant & Care Tips

My Mom likes the smell of Jasmine so I thought I’d buy her a Jasmine Plant for Valentine’s Day. Is this a good idea? Will it grow indoors? Is it hard to care for?

Hi Darren,

Jasmine Plant

The Jasmine Polyanthum variety is a twining, climbing plant with long, slender, trailing stems and is one of the easiest varieties of the Jasmine Plant to grow indoors. Another good indoor variety is Jasminum sambac or “Maid of New Orleans.”Here are some care tips about Jasmine Plants to include with the gift to your Mom.

Light: Jasmine Plants require bright indirect light throughout the year. In the winter, a Jasmine Plant benefits from a few hours of direct sun. In the summer avoid putting a Jasmine Plant where it will get direct sun. Move a Jasmine Plant outside on your porch for the summer. It will love it.

Water: In the spring and summer keep the soil moist but never soggy, allowing the top inch or two to dry out. During the fall and winter, keep a Jasmine Plant on the drier side allowing the top 30% of the soil to dry out before watering. Soil that is too moist or too dry damages and discolors the leaves.

fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small. : Fertilize a Jasmine Plant every 2-4 weeks from March-August when the plant is actively growing. Do not feed a Jasmine Plant during the fall and winter when it’s dormant. Jasmine Plants produce more flowers when fertilized with a water soluble plant food high in phosphorous and low in nitrogen.

Temperature: Jasmine Plants like cool rooms where the temperature is around 65-70 degrees and the light is very bright. If the room is too warm, a Jasmine Plant grows but doesn’t produce flowers. They do poorly when placed near heaters, hot air vents, and fireplaces.

Humidity: Jasmine Plants thrive in a humid environment. You can place a Jasmine Plant on a pebble tray of water, put a humidifier near it, or group plants together to increase the humidity.

I think your Mom will love it!