Q. I have a Jasmine plant and it was flowering but not it’s
not and not looking good. What is your call on it?
A. Most times when people say they have a “Jasmine” plant
they mean star jasmine. Star jasmine is not a true Jasmine, but the fragrance
can be delectable which is true of most in that plant family.
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| Star Jasmine, a vine or groundcover from warm areas of China, may develop iron chlorosis when grown in a rock mulch. |
Star
jasmine comes originally from China so it will like improved soils and dislike
rock mulch. Whenever a plant comes from a non-desert area then try to plant it
on the East side of your landscape. This area receives shade in the afternoon
and is more hospitable to plants that are not from the desert. It can be grown
as a groundcover or as a vine, but it must be tied to a trellis to get it to
perform as a vine.
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| Star jasmine grown near a door or window will provide a great fragrance to a home. Star jasmine needs an organic soil with woodchips covering it to look its best. |
Most
star jasmine in poor health are surrounded with rock mulch. If your star
jasmine is in poor health, then surround it with wood chip mulch rather than
rock mulch. When it’s planted, make sure the soil is amended with compost. Dig
the hole three times wider than the container or its root system and add
the amended soil to this planting hole. If it’s a 5 gallon or larger plant, then
stake it. The wood stake that comes with many local nursery plants is adequate
for smaller plants as long as it is pounded into the solid soil beneath it and
retied with nursery tape. Most plants require only one season of staking and
then it’s removed.
The only
way to re-green yellow leaves is by spraying it with an iron solution. Early
next spring, apply any iron chelate to the soil. For difficult yellow plants to
“green-up”, use the EDDHA iron chelate applied to the soil in early spring.