Arabian Jasmine

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by Ana12, Aug 27, 2015.

  1. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Hello, I am seeking help for my Jasmine. I believe it is the Maid of Orleans variety. It started out doing wonderful as an indoor plant, but has been struggling lately. I noticed that many of the flowers on the top were yellowish and shriveling up without blooming. So I started watering it more, maybe every 3 days or so. Now I am noticing that many flowers continue to shrivel and turn yellow without blooming, but other blooms are dropping while still closed, and still others have brownish pink streaks on them when they bloom (& are smaller flowers than the blooms when I first got the plant). I live in San Angelo, Texas, and it gets plenty of afternoon sun (no place to put it to receive morning sun).

    I should note that something is chewing up the leaves, even though the leaves are green and healthy looking. I also noticed some bugs once I brought it inside, they are slender and about 14mm long, and black in color. From looking online, they look very much like thrips. Does anyone have any advice as to what might be the problem? Thank you in advance for your help.
     
  2. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Flowering houseplants generally benefit from a fertilizer with a higher proportion of phosphorus. I wonder if the problem might be due to a deficiency of this element. Is the plant fertilized regularly?
     
  3. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    I have been using something called Olive's Oil. I don't know if it's ok to post a link here or not, so if you want, you can look it up by typing "Olive's nursery San Angelo" into google, & then on their site, clicking on the left side menu "Seasonal info" & then "Organic lawn care". But even there it doesn't tell you much about it. The bottle itself only lists kelp and fish emulsion, & that it's a bio-stimulant. So it's possible it's not getting enough phosphorus.

    Yesterday though I bought Osmocote Plus after reading tips from an online site that sells tropical plants, and plan to use it in the future instead of Olive's Oil, after I'm done treating it with insecticide to get rid of whatever is munching the leaves.

    But during a trip to Olive's nursery yesterday, I spoke with the owner, and he said he thinks I am giving it a little too much love. In other words, seriously back off the watering, & until it is dry to the touch 3 inches deep when I put my finger in the soil, don't water.

    So I don't know. I am quite confused. It was doing so well when I bought it, a happy and healthy plant. :( Makes me sad to see it struggling.
     
  4. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    There are better products to use than Olive's Oil for jasmine. I suggest using a fertilizer that's formulated for flowering plants such as Plantprod 15-30-15. It would be a good idea to use one that includes micronutrients.

    Have a look at this document on Jasminum sambac. It suggests bud drop before opening is due to over-watering.

    Another document which may be of interest: Pikake (.pdf)
     
  5. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Hi Junglekeeper, thank you. I am trying to reach Plantprod and haven't gotten a hold of them yet, in order to find if they sell the product you mentioned at any stores near me (I live in West Texas). I did call Home Depot and Lowe's, and neither of them said they sell any 15-30-15 fertilizers. I did buy Osmocote Plus a day or two before your post, as I had just been reading that wonderful article by Top Tropicals, & in their article "Potting your plant--Soil and fertilizer requirements" they recommended Osmocote Plus. I plan on reading your article about Pikake next. I appreciate all your help.
     
  6. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    The Plant-Prod product is just an example. There are obviously many to choose from. The TopTropicals page mentions osmocote and 14-14-14 which suggests it is Osmocote Flower & Vegetable they're referring to. However that product does not contain micronutrients so you may need to supplement that with another product.
     
  7. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Top tropicals mentioned that jasmine needs a lot of iron. Any other micronutrients you would recommend, in additional to the Osmocote (15-9-12, as per their pic on their article about soil needs.) ?
     
  8. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Generally speaking, micronutrients such as iron are not applied selectively but as a group except in cases of severe deficiency. I find it more convenient to purchase a fertilizer that includes micronutrients rather than having a separate product. If you're planning on using Osmocote Plus 15-9-12 then it should already have them included; check the label.
     
  9. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Yes, it does have micronutrients. Thanks so much, Junglekeeper, you have been a huge help!
     
  10. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Just wanted to update you: I may have finally solved the problem. I backed off on watering it, since my local nursery said I was watering it too much. So I didn't water for 2 weeks, while it was usually 90 or 95 degrees in my home. And it was still shriveling and dying, but the soil was still moist. So then I transferred it to a clay pot, thinking the plastic pot it was in was retaining moisture too well. And finally, for the first time in months, it has new growth. So perhaps since jasmines don't like wet feet, plastic pots indoors may be poor for them.
     
  11. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Thanks for the update. Glad to hear things are looking up for the plant. A clay container would help to wick moisture away from the soil. However the improvement you're seeing may be due to the disturbance to the soil when you repotted. It would have helped to aerate the soil by creating tiny air pockets. These would disappear as the soil compacts once again. Keep an eye on its condition and if necessary, either change the soil with one that's more porous or amend the existing soil with material such as perlite.
     
  12. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Ok, thank you for the heads up. It is a mix of potting soil, vermiculite, sand, and peat moss, roughly equal parts except the sand which is a little less. Do I still need to aerate it with the vermiculite in it?
     
  13. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    The soil condition may be okay for now but monitor the moisture level. Vermiculite tends to compact as it ages. That's why perlite is a better choice.
     
  14. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Oh, ok. Thank you. Will make sure I buy perlite next time instead. It's weird, though, I put lots of water in, so much so that it sometimes overflows the pebble tray under it, yet the moisture level never gets much above mostly dry. Even when I've just soaked it. I don't think it's the moisture meter; it was recommended as being a good product by the local nursery I bought it from. Any thoughts?
     
  15. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    It sounds like the soil is currently dry to the point where it becomes difficult for it to absorb moisture. Not watering for two weeks in 90-degree conditions would do that. That would explain why the moisture meter reads dry even though water drains through the container. You can verify this hypothesis by lifting the container. If it is relatively light then the soil must be dry. Confirm this to be the case by probing the soil with your finger. I recommend this method over using a moisture meter for normal watering. If the soil is indeed bone dry, place the container into a shallow tray, fill the tray with water, then allow the soil to slowly absorb the water. Don't let it sit for too long though.
     
  16. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    Ok, thanks! Will test it out.
     
  17. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    There's another possible reason why the soil is remaining wet for long periods. Is this a case of a plant having been potted into an over-sized container relative to its size? If so, areas without roots will stay wet longer, making for unhealthy soil conditions.
     
  18. Ana12

    Ana12 New Member

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    That's a good point. I've attached a photo of when I first potted it and it was still healthy. Even now, the height of the plant from the top of the soil to the highest leaves is greater than the height of the container. And the plant width is wider than the container as well.
     

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  19. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    The container does not appear to be overly large.
     

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