Plant Confederate Jasmine

Confederate jasmine is a hardy, fragrant perennial that grows rapidly. It is a flowering vine that requires vertical support for optimal growth. The plant is fairly problem-free and easy to care for and can be planted in gardens and pots.

Steps

Prepare a Cutting

1. Take a 5- to 6-inch (13- to 15-centimeter) clipping from a mature plant in the spring or early summer. Select a shoot with a semi-ripe stem that is mostly green with hints of light brown, snipping it off with sharp scissors directly above the node. Do this in the early morning, when the plant is full of moisture.
2. Remove most of the leaves. Use scissors to snip away all the large leaves, but you can leave the small, fresh leaves growing at the tip of the cutting alone.
3. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone and shake off the excess. Regardless of the cutting or the conditions it grows in, rooting hormone can give your plant a helpful boost. While helpful, though, this step is not always necessary.
   • If you have had luck growing other plants without using rooting hormone, or if the clipping you took came from a notably strong confederate jasmine plant, the cutting will likely take root even without the use of rooting hormone. Make sure to keep the soil, moisture, and temperature conditions ideal to give your cutting the most opportunity to grow.
   • If you have never grown a plant from a cutting before, or if you have had difficulty doing so, you should seriously consider using rooting hormone. Rooting hormone is also beneficial in cases where your cutting may not have the chance to sit in ideal conditions.
4. Fill small cups or plastic seedling trays with potting soil. The container should be no more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) deep. Use a potting mix that consists of soil and organic material, like peat. Selecting a mix that includes perlite can improve drainage.
5. Place the cutting 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep in the potting medium. Make a hole with your finger or the blunt end of a pencil before inserting the stem to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the stem itself. Pack the soil around the stem to hold it firmly in place.
6. Wet the soil using a gentle spray. Use a spray bottle, since a watering can is likely to moisten the soil too much. Do not drench the growing medium. As your cuttings develop into seedlings, you should avoid allowing the medium to dry out, but you must also prevent it from becoming soggy.
7. Keep the cutting in a warm spot, located in shade to indirect partial sun as it develops. Direct sunlight can dry the soil out too quickly, thwarting its development.
8. Gently tug on the cutting after one to five weeks. Resistance indicates the development of roots, which means that it is ready to be planted in a more permanent spot. Check your cutting after each week. If you do not feel any resistance, allow your cutting to continue growing, checking again the following week.
   • If you do not feel any resistance after the first two months, and the cutting has begun showing signs of withering, dispose of it and try again.
   • If you do not feel any resistance after the first two months, but the cutting looks as healthy as ever, enough of a root system may have developed for you to attempt transferring it. The roots will be weak, however, and the plant will have decreased odds of survival, so it is your decision whether or not to exert additional energy or whether you would prefer to try again with a new cutting.

Planting in the Garden

1. Select a location that receives partial to full sun. Areas of an outdoor garden that receive at least six full hours of direct sunlight are considered "full sun," while areas that receive three to six hours of direct sun are labeled as "partial sun." Eastern and southern areas of the garden that receive the sunlight in the morning and early afternoon are most preferable.
2. Loosen the soil by digging into it with a rake or chopping it up with a trowel. Loose soil promotes better drainage and makes it easier for the roots to spread.
3. Mix compost and sand into the soil. Compost provides the plant with nutrients and sand allows the soil to drain more effectively. Manure and perlite can be used as substitutes for the two additives, respectively. Dig these elements into the top 1/2 to full foot (15 to 30 centimeters) of soil.
4. Dig a hole that is as deep as the container you grew your seedling in. For instance, if you grew your seedling in a 4-inch (10-centimeter) plastic seedling tray, then you should dig a 4-inch (10-centimeter) hole.
5. Hold the seedling container on its side and gently squeeze or "wiggle" the jasmine out. The soil should stay intact around the roots.
6. Place the bottom of the stem into the hole. Cover it with soil and gently pat the soil around the stem to hole it in place.
7. Give the growing site a generous watering to saturate the roots. Soak the soil with water from a hose or watering can until the surface of the soil is visibly damp.
8. Insert a stake, bamboo pole, or trellis behind the jasmine. The pole should be inserted into the ground about 1 foot (30 centimeters) behind the jasmine to avoid interfering with its roots. As it grows, you will need to train it to climb this support.

Planting in a Pot

1. Select a large container with a diameter between 18 and 24 inches (46 to 61 centimeters). Even though your seedling may not need this space yet, Confederate jasmine expands rapidly, and it will need this extra room soon enough. The pot must also have several drainage holes.
2. Place coffee filters over the drainage holes. Doing so prevents soil from falling through but allows water to pass out.
3. Fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the pot with a potting mix. Use a nutrient-rich, well-draining mix, like one composed of soil, compost, and sand.
4. Fix a pole, stake, or small trellis into the soil, near the side of the container. Push down on the stake until it stands against the bottom. Pack soil around it until the pole is firmly fixed in place.
5. Remove the confederate jasmine from its seedling container, soil and all. Tip the seedling container onto its side and gently squeeze the plastic with one hand. With the other hand, guide or "wiggle" the jasmine out. The soil should remain intact around the roots.
6. Place the seedling in the pot. Add more potting mix around it until it you bring the soil level up to where it was in its seedling container. Pack the soil around the seedling to keep it firmly in place.
7. Saturate the soil and roots with water. Use a watering can to pour water onto the soil until the surface looks visibly damp. Pause for a minute or so after you water the soil to allow the water to settle. If the surface no longer appears damp, give the soil more water. Continue pausing and watering until the surface stays wet even after you allow the water to settle.
8. Fill the pot with additional soil as the stem grows. Stop once the top of the soil is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) below the rim of the pot.

Care

1. Water your confederate jasmine regularly. As a hardy perennial, it can handle the occasional drought, but that does not mean you should make a habit of forgetting about it. Once the top inch (2.5 centimeters) of soil feels dry, you can give the plant another watering.
   • Note that confederate jasmine grown in pots may need more watering than jasmine grown in your garden outdoors.
2. Try to provide the plant with bright indirect light. If located indoors, you can shield the jasmine with sheer curtains. During the winter, you should allow the plant to soak in at least four hours of direct sunlight each day.
   • Indirect light is not necessary for jasmine planted outdoors, as long as the jasmine is planted in the ground. Soil dries faster inside a pot than it does in the ground. As a result, a potted jasmine indoors may struggle to retain enough water if kept out in direct sunlight for an extended period of time, while a garden jasmine can stay out in direct sun for several hours without suffering damage.
3. Monitor temperature changes. If planted in a pot indoors, you should strive to maintain a daytime temperature of 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 22 degrees Celsius) and a nighttime temperature of 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 13 degrees Celsius).
4. Add fertilizer in the spring. Use a balanced, water soluble fertilizer, and apply it after you water the plant. If the leaves start to yellow later in the growing season, you may need to apply more fertilizer.
5. Tie the vines onto the support pole or trellis as they grow. Use twine or yarn. Training the vines to climb will maximize growth.
6. Pinch back the tips of the vine. Remove the bud at the end of the vine by pinching it out with your fingers or by snipping it off with a pair of garden shears. Doing so stimulates branching and results in fuller plants. The energy inside the plant will be guided away from the single flower bud and redirected toward side shoots, instead.
7. Prune the vine after it flowers if you need to restrict its spread. Cut the stem off above the node. Regular pruning can be done to cut the plant back, but occasional pruning can actually stimulate further growth in the same manner that pinching the buds back can. Failing to prune your jasmine may cause it to grow wildly, causing it to overflow and get out of control. Pruning allows you to control the direction of the spread.
   • These cuttings can also be used to propagate more confederate jasmine plants, if desired.

Tips

• Watch out for pests. Rabbits like to nibble on confederate jasmine leaves; however, other animals and insects tend to leave it alone. The plant is not especially vulnerable to disease, either.
• You can also purchase a confederate jasmine plant from a nursery instead of propagating the plant through cuttings. Similarly, the vine can also grow from seed, but growing confederate jasmine from seed often proves fairly difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Confederate jasmine plant
• Potting mix
• Scissors or shears
• Rooting hormone
• Plastic seedling trays or small cups
• Spray bottle
• Trowel
• Stake, pole, or trellis
• Watering can or hose
• Large pot or container
• Coffee filters
• Sheer curtains
• Fertilizer
• Twine or yarn

Sources and Citations

• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Jasmine
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Confederate Jasmine
• Dave's Garden: Plant Files - Confederate Jasmine, Star Jasmine

See also

• Plant Tritoma
• Harvest Tulips
• Plant Night Blooming Jasmine
• Grow Your Own Bouquet
• Propagate Azaleas
• Care for Peace Lilies
• Grow Tulips
• Care for a Begonia
• Plant Flowers
• Propagate Bougainvillea

Read more ...