Night Jessamine
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Glad Freer
Posted on: July 14, 1998

In March of 1997 I ordered a Night Jasmine. This shrub is now two feet tall but the leaves have a yellow tinge. I presume it is lacking in a nutrient. Could you please advise me what type of soil and fertilizer Night Jasmine prefers. I have planted it outside for the summer but will bring it in in the fall.

A yellow tinge in leaves almost always means that the plant is not getting enough iron. The leaf veins will be greener than the spaces in between and the young leaves will be worse off than the older ones. Usually iron shortage is the result of too alkaline a soil, resulting in the affected plant not being able to take up any iron present in the soil. A spray of chelated iron would solve the problem very quickly. A slower method is to work a lot of peat moss into the soil mix to acidify it.

When you plant the plant outside make sure you get it used to the full sun light gradually. Exposing it to sun too suddenly after the low light winter will cause the sun to bleach out the leaves and in severe cases even burn them.

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