Today we will discuss How to Grow Sampaguita Flowers. Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine is a fragrant flower from the southern parts of the Himalayan mountains. Its botanical name is Jasminum sambac. It is a true jasmine variety that dates back to the old world in China and Indonesia. Sampaguita is a perennial bush with 3-5 feet long stems. It produces small white fragrant flowers in the spring season. Arabian jasmines are ideal to grow in the USDA Hardiness zone 9 through 11. Although we can grow them as container plants in any hardiness zone. You will have to move them in and out during winter or peak summer season.
Arabian jasmine can propagate through seed as well as cutting. Horticulturists prefer cuttings over seeds. Jasmine Cuttings can easily develop roots and can mature faster than seedlings. These new plants can produce better flowers identical to their parents. Still, jasmine seedlings are also common among gardeners.
Check out my previous post: Grow Crops for The Local Market in your Garden
Sampaguita Plant Info
- Botanical Name: Jasminum Sambac
- Common Name: Sampaguita, Arabian Jasmine
- Family: Oleaceae
- Genus: Jasminum
- Origin: South Himalayan Mountains (Found in China, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Indonesia, to some parts of Central East)
- Plant Type: Perennial Evergreen Shrub with Climbing habit.
- Plant height: 3 to 5 feet long branches with wide-spreading.
- Flower: Small white flowers grow in clusters with sweet fragrances during the spring season till mid-summer.
- Leaves: 3-5 inch long oval parallel leaves sets grow on the green stems. The stem becomes woody after maturity.
- Hardiness Zone: Perennial in USDA Zone 9 through 11. It can easily grow in zone 7 through 11 in containers.
- Sunlight: Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine prefers part shade to full sun. You may have to adjust shade during the peak summer season, especially in hotter zones.
- Soil Condition: these jasmine plants prefer acidic soil with good drainage. It needs soil with a Ph lower than 6.8.
- Watering: These plants need regular mist soil. So watering once or twice every week is essential for them. Deep watering is best for the Sampaguita plants.
- Propagation: Sampauita or Arabian jasmine can propagate through seeds as well as cutting. Although cutting is most preferable for faster growth in these jasmines.
- Support: Stake or trellis support is ideal for the organized growth of Sampauita plants.
- Pruning: Only thin pruning is required after flower season. This helps make the plant bushier for more blooms.
- Pests and Disease: Sampaguita or Arabinajasmine is not very prone to any serious pest or disease problem. Although in adverse conditions it may face aphids, caterpillars, budworms along with fungal diseases and fusarium wilt problems. Proper care and prevention is the only way to keep these plants 100% safe.
Propagation Methods of Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine
Sampaguita or Arabian jasmine plants can propagate through Seeds as well as cuttings. Big mature plants can produce 100s of flowers every week. Almost 40-50% of these flowers can fertilize successfully.
These jasmine flowers can produce viable seeds. Usually, these seeds scatter in the ground near the plant base. If you manage to collect them before falling then they can be grown into new plants. you can also get seedlings growing near the parent plant. These are the offspring of the previous year’s seeds. Carefully pluck them out of the soil and grow them in small containers for acclimatization.
The Sampaguita stems can form roots by coming in contact with the soil. Usually, this happens with the lower stem of the bush. They grow long and fall on the ground. These stems develop roots from their leaf nodes within 40 days. This time can be reduced to half by proper care. Detach the rooted branch once the roots grow enough to support the self-growth of the new plant.
Read this: Orange Jasmine Losing Leaves- What to do?
Sampaguita Seedling Vs Sapaguita Cuttings
- Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine seedlings can take 2 or more years to mature and bloom. Whereas the plants that grow from cuttings may bloom in the next season.
- The Growth rate of Sampaguita cutting is much faster than their seedlings. The cuttings have a mature plant structure hence require less time to acclimatize and bloom. On the other hand, the seedling will require time for its natural evolution.
- Sampaguita seedlings have a strong dense root system. They can survive changes in the weather more effectively. The Sampaguita cutting often lacks the main root structure. they can grow fast Although they can evolve with new characters. This is a slight drawback for their adaptation to temperature and climate change.
- The flowers’ quality is also inferior to the seedlings. It may differ from the parent plant due to cross-pollination. Otherwise, the cuttings are truly identical to their parent and can produce better blooms.
Can I grow Sampaguita plants in a container?
Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine can easily grow in containers or planters. Use a big container especially if you want to keep these jasmines healthy for a couple of years. I think a 10 or 12-inch container is enough for these jasmine plants. An 8-inch container can also do the job although it may require frequent watering due to less soil.
Proper drainage hole in the container is essential for healthy plant growth. Use light soil with sufficient organic matter to balance moisture with nutrition. Arabian jasmine needs slightly acidic soil and this can easily be fixed with additional compost or green waste.
An optional suggestion from my side: Try not to grow more than 1 jasmine plant in any container. These plants will occupy the available space in a few years. Together they compete for the same space, nutrition, and water leading to poor bloom quality.
Read: Everything To know About Jasmine Plants
Soil Preparation for Sampaguita plants
There are mainly three things to consider during soil preparation. Sampaguita plant require acdic soil. So add enough compost to keep the ph low. Next, it should have proper drainage. No water to stay on the soil for more than 30-45 seconds after watering. Simply add clean sand to improve the soil drainage. The final requirement is the nutrition and health of the soil. Therefore amend the soil with compost, NPK fertilizers, and fungicide to make it healthy and nutritious for the jasmine plant.
I prefer custom soil mix with 30% garden soil, 25% compost,25% cocopeat, 10% sand, 5% NPK 20:20:20 and 3% Superphosphate with 2% contact fungicide. This mix works like a miracle for all types of jasmine plants.
Only amend this mix by replacing 10% soil with perlite, especially for container gardening. Perlite will increase water retention in the container soil. Also, change the 30-50% container soil with a fresh mix every 3 years.
Check out: What is 312 Fertilizer and How to use it? Plant Care
Sunlight & Temperature Management
Arabian jasmine plants can grow well in part shade as well as full bright sunlight. Although too much shade or excess sunlight is not good for blooming. The plant may slow down bud formation in shade especially if it receives sunlight less than 4 hours every day. Similarly, 10 to 12 hours of overhead sunlight can stress the plant to produce fewer smaller blooms. It will also raise the temperature causing dehydration to the plant.
During stress, these plants always try to save their energy and resources instead of feeding their flowers. Their priority will be to save themself and concentrate on seed production instead of blooming.
Ideally, 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight is sufficient for these jasmines. They can grow well in a temperature range of 20-25 degrees celsius or 60-70 Fahrenheit. Shift the container plants in the shade if the temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit (28C) or drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (10C).
Water and Fertilizer Requirements
Sampaguita Jasmine requires consistently moist soil. You have to water the new plants twice or more every week. It is essential for proper root growth. Although watering can be slowed with the maturity and aging of the plants. Mature jasmine plants can have deep root structures reaching a depth of 3 feet below the surface. This extensive root system supports the plant even in drought-like summer conditions. They can survive light drought yet never test their agility. Otherwise, the plant may stop flowering or die in the worst case.
Therefore water the Sampaguita plant twice every week and let the water reach the depth. Deep watering is the best option for those flowering bush. They dig deep in search of water so shallow watering is not sufficient for these plants.
There is no need for frequent fertilization of the soil especially if the soil contains sufficient organic matter. Only feed these plants once in 2-3 months with All-purpose NPK fertilizer and Superphosphate for better root and bud formation. Fall and Early spring feeding are very helpful for heavy blooming in the season. You can add a 2-3 inch compost layer as mulch once every couple of months. Don’t forget to water after fertilizing the soil.
How To Grow Sampaguita Plants?
You can grow Sampaguita plants from seed as well as cuttings. Grow the seedlings from fresh seeds or buy one from the nearest nursery. You can also check out Amazon for Sampaguita seeds. Sampaguita seeds require 25-40 days to germinate at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sometimes you can find seedlings growing around mother plants in the fall. Dig out a few of them and grow in small containers. Latter shift them to their final destination.
Prepare cutting by taking 8-10 inch healthy cutting from the parent plant. Next, follow the steps-
- Select a semi-hardwood cutting for rooting in damp soil. Soft woodcutting is also good although it will require little extra care.
- Remove lower leaves from the cuttings. Leave only 4 or 5 leaves on the top of each cutting.
- Dip the bottom 2 inch of the cutting in any rooting hormone and put them vertically in damp sand.
- keep the sand clean and damp until new roots develop in the cutting.
- 40-50% of the cutting will develop healthy roots within 30-45 days. Leave others as they may never grow.
- Carefully dig out each cutting with a complete root ball after 2 and a half months of rooting. Most of these cutting will have a dense root structure by 75 days. They are now ready for transplant.
- Place these cutting in a small 6-inch container with compost, sand, and cocopeat for 30 days. Water them regularly and never let the soil dry completely.
- Retransplant them to a bigger 10 or 15-inch container after 2-3 months. Use healthy soil mix for the final transplant. You can also wait up to 6 months for a final transplant.
- At last, you can shift these new plants to bigger containers or directly in garden spaces.
How to Plant Sampaguita Plants?
- Buy a healthy Sampaguita seedling or grow a plant from cutting. Follow the previous section for details.
- Make a hole in the garden of the same size as the root ball.
- Fill the hole with water and wait for it to sink. Again water and put the plant carefully in the center.
- Fill the hole with commercial soil mix or the mix we already prepared in the previous section.
- Gently Tap the soil surface to release any air bubble. Water again to moisten the soil surface.
- If you are a container gardener then take a 10 inch or bigger container for Sampaguita plants. Fill half of the container with soil mix and place the plant in the center of the container.
- Fill the remaining space with the same soil mix and a pinch of fungicide as a safety measure.
- Water the plat properly until it drips out from the bottom hole. Always keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Check out: How to Choose a Jasmine Plant for Gardening?
General Plant Care
- Gently prune the Arabian jasmine plants after each flowering season. There is no need for heavy pruning unless you need to control the growth.
- Place a trellis or stake to keep the flexible stems in place. New stems grow as a vine, they crawl and twine with any nearby support. latter they become hard and woody. Therefore if you want a steady upward growth then twist new vines with support to give them firm vertical growth.
- Spray the jasmine plant with soap water and neem oil twice every week to prevent any pest or fungal attack. Otherwise, avoid watering on the foliage to prevent fungal infestation.
- Water deeply and keep the soil moist but never soggy. Use your fingers to test water content in the soil.
- Fertilize the soil once in 2 months for best plant growth. Specially add compost and superphosphate with fertilizer in early spring. It will boost flowering in the season.
- Keep an eye on nearby plants. Maintain proper spacing between each plant.
- remove any weed or grass growing near the plant base. They can compete for nutrients and moisture which is not good for the jasmine plants.
- Cover the Sampaguita plant base with light organic mulch. Don’t let it contact the foliage or the main branch as it may spread pest growth. Organic mulch will prevent excessive water loss by evaporation and also prevent weed growth. At last, it will decompose to feed the plant.
- Read How to Control Yellow Aphids on Jasmine? Proper pest control is very important to grow Sampaguita plants.
