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anns_forlorn_garden

Night blooming Jasmine doesn't like sun

Hi, I'm new to this site and I have dozens of questions about gardening but I'll start off with this one first.I recently bought this plant from Targets garden section that oddly enough they kept under roof even though the tag reads "Full sun",anyway, my plan is to plant it on the west side of my fence that gets full afternoon sun.

Now for my problem: it hates the sun! I've read up on gradually introducing the plant to a little sun at a time until it gets acclimated, but how much are we talking about?

Everyday I try to leave it out for 1 to 2 hours in the sun and each time I go to retrieve it I get greeted with wilted leaves. I live in Florida and the current temperature is about 80 degrees. My plant eventually (after 20 minutes) perks back up once inside the screened porch that's shaded. I've been doing this routine for about a week.

I'm starting to think I now have a house plant and will have buy a pretty pot for it but I really wanted to plant it outside. My plan is (maybe was,lol) to buy at least 6 more to plant on that side but now I'm afraid I'll kill them if I do. I'm very new to gardening and I'm trying my best to learn all I can about this subject but ack! I'm doing more harm then good I'm afraid. You should see my Gardenias on the east wall of the fence, erm.... lets just say the poor things are really struggling despite all my efforts, but, I'll save those problems for another post. Oh boy do I have questions.

Also I noticed I seem to have a snail problem that I suspect are chopping away at my Jasmine plant leaves( or something else is)does any know a good way to rid them? They're pretty small but I have noticed some on the outside walls of my house. I just squashed one now that made it inside my porch.

Any help will be greatly appreciated thanks.

Comments (24)

  • Patriz
    16 years ago

    Your Florida conditions are different from mine, but I've been growing Cestrum nocturnum, aka night blooming jessamine/jasmine (although not really a jasmine) for years. Mine get morning sun for about 4 hours, then compete shade and this is their best area to grow and bloom in the ground. I've noticed through the years that Cestrum does not really like full sun here (so I can imagine how hard it would be in Florida) and you have to keep it moist if it gets afternoon sun. I bring mine inside in late fall and make cuttings because they are not hardy to survive the winter here. They are absolutely worth growing for the fragrance. My Lakeview Jasmines, on the other hand, thrive in full sun with moist soil.
    Now, ask me about overwintering Gardenias....that's a headache!
    ps the Gardenias love full sun and plenty of water/leaf rinses.

  • anns_forlorn_garden
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi dicentra, thanks for responding. Eek, the place I want to plant it is the exact opposite for me , so does that mean it won't grow for me there? I was afraid of that, the Florida sun will surely kill it. Oh well, I guess I better start looking for a pretty pot to keep it in my porch. I know no area around my house that's shaded except my front porch and back porch . My front porch is already too crowded with plants so I guess it's the back porch for that plant.

    Hmm... Lakeview Jasmine, I haven't seen that variety here, well at least Home Depot or Target must not carry it in the stores around me. I'll have to check the local nursery's for it because that sounds perfect! Thank you so much :). I looked it up and I'm happy to hear it grows in my zone, yeah!

    I'm really having terrible luck with the Gardenias. I planted 8 of them. One died right away. At least I think it's dead , it's currently just sticks but I did spy a little green on the top of one of the sticks so there's still hope. Three of them wilted on me but the other five looked good. I managed to get those 3 back into some sort of health until my well meaning parents who were visiting me decided while I was at work to place plastic lining around them with small holes and placed tons of mulch around it. Now 7 of them are looking like they're ready to die. I'm guessing they didn't like that. However,one miraculously still looks good.

    When you mentioned plenty of water/leaf rinses, how much should I water? Every couple of days? I'm so afraid I'll over water them ( I have a tendency to do that)because I've killed one gardenia years ago when I did that. Poor thing, it was a house plant that I tried so hard to grow that I was even using expensive bottled water on it too.
    I'm currently watering them every 3 days. Should I mist the leaves daily? My hose has a misting setting, can I use that or should I use a spray bottle?
    Sorry for the long post, it's just this is my first house and I'm new to gardening(which surprisingly, I'm finding I rather enjoy doing, who knew, lol) and I love the fragrant plants. Is there any hope?

  • anns_forlorn_garden
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Follow-up : Geez, no edit button, anyhoo, I just went out back to check up my gardenias and give them a little mist with the hose. Good news: the one I thought was dead seems to be making a come back. The sticks( ahem, stems) that were once all brown have now turned green, hooray! I also noticed 3 of them are now looking like they're going make it now.

    As for the Jasmine, well I took it out for it's daily dose of sunshine and it's been out for about 20 minutes now but already it's looking miserable.Some of the leaves are starting to curl and wilt. Gosh, it's not even that hot ,talk about sensitive. Well I guess I'll go out and bring the plant in.
    I have the day off today and have nothing better to do then bother my plants. poor plants I'm probably more bothersome to them then the bugs, lol

  • silverkitty777
    16 years ago

    I have 2 night blooming jasmines planted on the west side of a fence in sun from noon to about 6 pm and they do well, I have one on the east side of a fence that only gets filtered sun that has great looking leaves but a lot less blooms. These are all in ground and about one year old, I just heavily pruned them down. When I first purchased them they were in pots and wilted every day through the summer, but once planted in ground were fine. I water by hose twice a week until the rain season for a few minutes each, only during the dry season. Even when they were in pots and wilted they would perk back up after sunset, and that was with almost daily water. Once they were in the ground they also grew very quickly, I should have got them out of the pots sooner but wasn't sure where I wanted them at first. Maybe yours will do better when you get it planted. good luck-they are wonderful in bloom.

    Wendy

  • anns_forlorn_garden
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Oh great!, Thanks Wendy, I'm so happy to hear that news. Actually I really wanted to plant them outdoors. I just love those plants . I was so afraid of killing them like my Gardenias, which by the way, the ones I thought were getting better, aren't. They look terrible today, oh except for the one I like to call "the sticks". It's still just sticks, err, stems but I think I might have saw a leave forming on one of the stems and the stems are now green instead of brown. Someone mentioned here about using weak coffee on them. I think I'll give it a try, heck it couldn't hurt, lol.

  • coffeemom
    16 years ago

    I'm in Broward and my nite jasmine is on the east side. It is currently being eaten by some type of bug. It's over 6 ft high and about 4 ft wide and need to be cut back. They are fast growers, hard to kill and 1 plant is usually fine. If you planted 6, the smell would be overwelming to say the least.
    Check out the Florida forum sometime and read how other gardeners deal with gardenias. It helps if the plants are grafted. Miami Supreme is a good variety.
    Good luck and happy gardening.

  • cweathersby
    16 years ago

    I'm in Texas and can tell you that my gardenias are not in full sun. Morning sun only! And they don't get watered every 3 days! I've seen them growing around here with no water, even with all the drought we've had. So stop fussing over them and let them grow. Water them once every two weeks if there has been absolutely no rain.
    My night blooming jasmines are in pots, but have done fine in full sun or with some shade. I don't water the pots all of the time and they seem to do fine. I really think you worry too much. Dig a hole, plant them, water every day for a week, and then only when they need it, no more than once a week.
    What coffeemom said about asking on the Florida forum is a good idea. They will know more about what soil conditions Florida has and how gardenias will respond to it.
    Have fun,
    Carrie

  • orchidguyftl
    16 years ago

    I am in Ft Lauderdale and have a cestrum nocturnum growing in sothern exposure full sun all day everyday and it grows like a weed
    dont worry about aclimating, just plant the thing, if it gets some burn, cut it back it will be sending up new growths within days if not hours
    they are proverbial weeds

  • hamey
    16 years ago

    Ann, I haven't figured out where you live. (?) I'm in N.W. Pasco co. Fl. We have 2 night blooming Jasmines.. and they are in full sun in the afternoon. Mine tell me when it's time to water, I only cover them if temps go to 30 or below
    and they bloom like crazy!! Coffemom is right about planting 6!! My two can sometimes over whelm you. I just like to open the window when (if-when) we get a cool nite and let the scents come in! Put them in the ground!! They are hardy plants! Karen

  • mzmenz_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I'm Missouri, first time planting. SE facing 2 maybe three hrs of filtered sun. OK?

  • greyandamy
    12 years ago

    I got 2 from Select Seeds. Mine just won't grow... ?? It's been cold and windy, so I've even had them under grow lights. They aren't growing.. Today was warmer so I threw them out so they'd get 1/2 day sun/clouds. In past they grew like weeds. I've had them over a month now... they are "stuck"..

    amy

  • mehitabel
    12 years ago

    Steph, I'm in St Louis, and I've grown cestrum for several years. They thrive in full sun, grow like weeds. They are water hogs, and I think that is the problem some of the posters above have had with "needing shade". In sun, they need more water, lots more water.

    I read quite a few of the posts above, and I believe the posts about shade are misleading, since none of them mentioned the need for water. More sun, MORE water. But plenty of sun, to get fast growth, lots of flowers and scent.

    Cestrum grows so fast that outdoors in full sun in summer it will actually be rootbound in a couple of months. I have grown them from about a 4" pot to 14" pot and 5' high in one summer. Needless to say, once they've outgrown their pot, they need even more water, often twice a day in high summer. Leaves droop and look pathetic when they are short of water.

    Two to three hours of "filtered sun" won't give you the flowers you would get in more sun.

    Greyandamy, put them outside as soon as the nights are above 50, give them plenty of fertilizer and watch them take off. They thrive in sun and heat.

  • meyermike_1micha
    12 years ago

    I am with Mehitabel! Great job !

  • leahrenee1
    12 years ago

    I am on the Orlando/Ocoee border and my cestrum faces south, it is under a spindly tree so right around noon it gets some shade but it's mostly full sun and it is fine, I don't really have to water it all that often either, it is on the margin of the area that gets watered.

    If you are really worried about losing your cestrum you could take some cuttings and put them in a pot on your porch, it roots pretty easily.

  • ccmayer200_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    I recently moved to S. Florida (Delraybeach). I purchased a Jasmine plant at local nursery, do not know what type it is-it's on my balcony, seems healthy but no blooms. I water when the surface soil is dry- my questions are, should I re-pot it right away, how often should I water and prune. Thanks for any helpful information!

  • blatifa
    8 years ago

    Night blooming jasmine loves the sun. If you bought the plant from a store that kept it indoors, that means after a certain time the plant grew soft leaves according to the indoor climate. Now that you have it and you want to have in your garden, just put it there. It's going to loose all those soft leaves and grow new ones according to outdoor climate.

    Don't be scared, all the leaves are going to dry up and die, but it's going to grow new ones according to the "too much sun, wind, rain", stronger and shorter in size.

    The only thing that the night blooming jasmine doesn't take is too much cold or snow. Eventually it's going to die.

    If you live somewhere where it never snows or if the temperature never goes bellow 40 degrees F, you're OK. Otherwise you have to take it indoors winter time.

    Good luck

  • Dan Cave
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    young night blooming jasmines tend to be more sensitive and can more easily show symptoms of excessive light/heat. Once they mature, they are much more tolerant to full sun environments.

  • lamato62018
    8 years ago

    I live in the Los Angeles foothills and I have 3 huge gardenia bushes. They get morning sun and afternoon shade. Since they are very well established, I very rarely have to water them. Roses also like morning sun and afternoon shade. I just bought a night-blooming Jasmine and want to thank everyone for their input ... I guess it's morning sun only for it too. Geeze ... I'm running out of space with morning sun! Good luck to you, anns_forlorn_garden. Keep at it and you'll be a seasoned gardener in no time!

  • kat522
    7 years ago

    My grandmother had one for years on the east side of her home. I gave one to my cousin who also planted it on the east side of the house & it grows like crazy, getting morning sun. We live in Largo, FL

  • Dorladene Bussey
    6 years ago

    I live in central Fl, close to Tampa, my night blooming Jasmine is in full sun and does great, but something has almost completely destroyed my plants, the leaves have been chewed away. I can't find anything on them. Help!

  • wanna_run_faster
    6 years ago

    Dordalene, don't worry, I think it's some kind of night moth. It happens every so often and it recovers without treatment or a problem

  • dcjenk2
    6 years ago

    I have my night jasmine in a large pot that I move inside during the winter and outdoors in the spring/summer. An odd thing happens though every time I move it outside. It grows very well indoors, up to 8 feet in height, but as soon as I put it outside, in its pot, all the leaves turn white and completely fall off. A few weeks later, new leave set in and are good for the entire summer. When I move it inside, the leaves are fine, though it tends not to flower indoors. Does this plant need a dormant cycle? Any clues why the leaves turn white? I would appreciate any ideas.

  • jasminegal
    6 years ago

    Its just sunburn. When the plants are outside the leaf develops a coating which protects it from sunlight. Indoors they don't have that so when exposed to outside elements the older leaves burn.