Does Pink Jasmine Bloom on Old or New Growth?

Planting

• Pink jasmine tolerates a variety of soil types but adding 50 percent organic matter to the soil is advisable, especially in clay or sandy soils. This plant enjoys a spot in full sun to partial shade that is never waterlogged. After planting jasmine, sprinkle a cup of Epsom salt around the plant and water it well. The magnesium in Epsom salt helps roots become established. For indoor or greenhouse-grown plants, any quality, organic potting soil is suitable. Plants should be repotted when they become root bound.

Culture

• Keep pink jasmine slightly moist in summer and fall but slightly dry in winter and spring. Plants in the ground need a slow-release, high-phosphorous fertilizer applied in early summer and early fall. Pink jasmine rests in the spring, so no fertilization is needed. Feed potted plants twice a month with half-strength liquid bloom fertilizer. Don't fertilize plants in spring when they are resting.

Pruning and Propagation

• Pink jasmine flowers on 1-year-old wood, so pruning is best done immediately after flowering in the winter or early spring. Only cut back branches that already bloomed. Four-inch tip cuttings are rooted in early summer in moist soil. Outdoor plants may be ground layered by scraping the bottom of a stem and anchoring it to the soil. Seeds can be dried and planted in the early spring.

Considerations

• Greenhouse-grown plants need to be moved outside in late autumn or early winter for six weeks to be exposed to mild chilling temperatures. If it does not detect a change in seasons, it will not set buds. Pink jasmine is a common greenhouse plant in Europe, but has become naturalized in Australia and New Zealand and is considered invasive in some areas.