Madagascar jasmine: care

Its scientific name is Stephanotis floribunda and, as its common name indicates, it is a climbing tropical plant native to the island of Madagascar. Its beautiful leaves stand out, which are perennial and of a glossy dark green, and also its tubular flowers with five petals, white and with a pleasant aroma. And how long does the madagascar jasmine flower? These appear in the spring with the warm months and, if the conditions are good, the flowering lasts until the fall.

In florists and nurseries it tends to be sold with the stem arranged in the shape of an arch, although in a pot this plant can reach heights of up to 5 meters. In their natural environment, in Madagascar, these climbers can grow up to 20 meters.

The fruit of the Madagascar jasmine is not suitable for consumption and is filled with a large number of plumed seeds, although it takes at least a year to reach full maturity.

To learn more, here you can learn about the different types of jasmine.

This plant, due to its tropical origin, needs a lot of light, not responding well to shady locations or very dark rooms. Of course, in its natural habitat it grows below the tree canopy, so it does not tolerate direct sunlight, which could burn its leaves and prevent flowering.

Keep your Madagascar jasmine plant in a very bright space but protected from direct sunlightespecially in the hours of greatest intensity at midday.

Regarding temperature, its ideal point is found in the 18ºC, although it can develop well in temperatures of up to 30 ºC during the warm months. It is important, yes, that it spends the cold months below 20 ºC to be able to go into vegetative rest. Its lower limit is 10 ºC, so it is a plant that does not tolerate frost under any concept. It is also important to give it a location protected from wind currents, both cold and warm air, and it needs clean air of smoke and gases.

Along with its delicate location, irrigation is one of the most important care for this plant. Starting in the spring, you need very constant and deep wateringmaintaining a certain level of humidity in the substrate, although always without flooding and, if it is in a pot, removing the excess water from the tray after watering.

It also needs high humidity, so in dry environments it is recommended to spray warm water on its leaves so they do not dry out. It is important that both irrigation and spraying be done with rainwater or, if it is from the tap, that it be allowed to stand for 24 hours beforehand.

This plant needs a soil rich in nutrients and organic matterin addition to also requiring a drainage as best as possible to avoid puddles. Due to this, one of the best mixtures that we can prepare is with a part of peat, another part of coconut fiber and another part of earthworm humus, to which vermiculite and perlite can be added. This is our most universal mixture for plants without very specific needs, since it is light, airy, with great drainage and very rich in organic matter.

In addition, once a year we must transplant the plant to a slightly larger pot, so that the plant receives new nutrients and can continue growing. It is also important to apply fertilizer, either liquid or in the form of humus, when the warm months arrive.

At the beginning of their growing season, in spring, they should prune the stems of the Stephanotis floribunda if we want to keep its growth controlled, but it is important not to prune the stems at their base and cover the cuts that produce latex with cold water.

Learn more about when and how to prune jasmine here.

The madagascar jasmine cuttings they should be cut just below the knot and with an oblique cut, about 10 cm long. The 2 or 3 upper leaves are left, removing the others, and the latex fluid is cut by immersing the cutting in cold water.

After this, the stem is submerged in rooting and planted about 2 cm. In about 8-10 weeks, if the cutting has been successful, the plant will have rooted. After this, we can transplant it to its new location and put a tutor on it.

What to do when the jasmine turns yellow? Usually, the most common problems with Madagascar jasmine in this regard are that the plant has been watered with calcareous water or that it has been subjected to sudden changes in temperature.

It may also happen that your plant is affected by a pest, the most common being the cochineal in Madagascar jasmine. Look for these insects on the stems and the undersides of the leaves and, if you find them, treat the pest with an ecological insecticide, such as potassium soap, or manually with a bit of cotton soaked in alcohol.

For more information, we encourage you to read this other guide on Causes of yellow leaves in jasmine and how to cure it.

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