Growing a Jasmine Bush Indoors
Jasmine is a beautiful flowering vine that provides a sweet scent, making it perfect to use in perfumes. Jasmine may have either pale yellow, pink, or white star shaped flowers that grow on vines that can be trained to form a bush when the proper support is provided to the plant. Growing a jasmine bush indoors does not require a lot of hard work but there are a few basic ingredients the jasmine bush does need in order to grow well. This includes lots of sun, a stake or other form of support for the vine to grow around in the form of a bush, and fertilizer. Since jasmine is also edible, flowers can be saved and dried to be used in tea.
Purchase a jasmine plant from a local nursery. The plant can be either very small or medium in height and can be repotted later as it grows and the vine gets longer. Jasmine does not require any special soil and can grow in dirt that has been dug from the backyard if necessary. Loam can be added to the dirt before potting the plant. The plant will tolerate room temperature during the day and night and requires at least four to five hours of direct sunlight during the day. For a small plant, stick in a plastic support in the center of the pot and allow the vine to grow around it.
Keep the plant watered during the summer months. At least once or twice a week check the soil to make sure it is damp. Your jasmine plant can be fertilized up to two times a year, once in the spring, and once in the winter. During the winter time, make sure the house does not get too cold. If possible, place the plant in a room that has a fireplace or gets a lot of natural warmth from the sun, such as a room with a large picture window.
As the jasmine plant grows, repot it and provide a larger support in the middle. Alternately, you can also train the vine to grow along a window frame on the sides and top. Jasmine will blossom each year as it is a perennial and provide a beautiful fragrance in your home. You can also create smaller plants from your jasmine plant and give them to friends as gifts. To do this, snip off about six inches from the top and stick in a mixture of perlite, vermiculite, and sand. Add some water so the plant will grow roots.
Once roots have grown, repot in a small decorative pot. Now you have extra jasmine plants to give to those who enjoy this pretty scented flower.
Image Credit: Zeynel Cebeci, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
