Question
Hi Will,

I'm a beginner Jasmine grower as well and I was reading your great info on Jasmine indoor house plants and I'd like to clarify:

1) when you say keep plant "pinched" back until August is it the dead blooms that is pinched off?

2) what would you recommend for fertilizer? Are the plant sticks a recommended option? What ratio as well?

Thanks tons!!

Answer
Hi Nikki,

I'm glad you found my information helpful.

The dead flowers are best removed as soon as they are spent. After that it is the new stem and leaf growth that comes in that should be pruned off or pinched back until August. Otherwise, you will get lots of lanky vegetative growth at the expense of winter flowers.

Pinching means using your finger tips to pinch out tender new shoots as they emerge at the ends of stems. Pruning is done with scissors and removes more than just the newest growth. If you have not pinched your Jasmine, then it may be appropriate to prune back all of the stems by several inches and then pinching subsequent new growth until August.

If your Jasmine is in good soil or has been moved into a bigger pot in the last year, then fertilizer will not make much difference. Otherwise, use a liquid or powdered fertilizer that you can dilute to half the recommended label strength. The ratio should have a higher middle number (5-10-5, for example). Fertilizer sticks tend to concentrate fertilizer where they stick in the soil and burn tender roots, so I don't recommend them.

I have written an article on Jasmine care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at  www.HorticulturalHelp.com