How to Make Jasmine Grow

Select a suitable site for your jasmine plant. Jasmine needs plenty of light so select a location in full sunlight or only partial shade. Inside, choose a spot with good indirect natural light.

Dig a generous amount of garden compost into the soil to enrich it; spread a layer about 2 inches deep over the site and mix it into the top foot of soil with the spade. Jasmine loves a soil rich in organic material. Alternatively, lay a couple of inches of broken clay plant pot piece at the bottom of a large plant pot or other container. Fill the pot with 3 parts all-purpose potting compost and 1 part coarse sand or perlite.

Provide a trellis. Jasmine plants are vines and need support. If you are growing the jasmine in a pot, a circular hoop of wire pushed into the pot is sufficient.

Plant your jasmine and water it thoroughly until the soil is damp but not soggy.

Attach the plant to the trellis with twist ties or string. If you are attaching it to a hoop, wind strands of the vine around the hoop. Jasmine recognizes support and should cling to the trellis as it grows.

Water the jasmine during dry spells. Jasmine tolerates some drought but don’t allow the soil to remain dry for longer than a few days, or a week if the plant is established. If you are growing the jasmine indoors, allow the soil to almost, but not completely, dry out between waterings.

Mist the jasmine daily for the first couple of weeks. Afterward, mist outdoor jasmine a couple of times a week during dry spells. Continue daily misting for indoor jasmine.

Provide extra organic or inorganic fertilizer, especially for container jasmine, to encourage fast growth. Use the maximum amount recommended on the packaging during the spring and summer. Reduce or discontinue fertilizing during the fall and winter, even if the plant is indoors.

Examine the jasmine for pests weekly, checking the underside of leaves and new growth closely. Insects suck sap from the plant or chew through the leaves, weakening it and slowing growth. If you see large numbers of scale insects, aphids, caterpillars or other pests, brush or pick them off or spray with a mild insecticide. Pyrethrum-based insecticides are organic and effective, while homemade remedies, such as dishwashing liquid and water, work well on a small scale.

Prune the plant every month or couple of months to keep it to a manageable size and prevent it becoming straggly. Pruning also encourages new growth, and in turn, more flowers. Trim lengths off the vines at leaf joints until the jasmine plant is the desired size and shape.