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Jasmine is a popular garden shrub for its tiny beautiful flowers and the abundant sweet fragrance the flowers produce. What is the best soil type and compost to grow Jasmine successfully? Is ericaceous compost a suitable compost to use for Jasmine?
Ericaceous compost is not necessary for growing Jasmin in most cases. It is beneficial if you have alkaline soil in your garden and need to lower the pH to a more optimal level to get the best results from your Jasmine plant. Ericaceous compost can be added to potting mixes for the same reason.
Ericaceous compost provides nutrients and pH amendments for alkaline soils. Is ericaceous compost necessary to grow Jasmine successfully, or only if your natural garden soil needs modification? Jasmine is a forgiving plant to grow, but giving it optimal conditions will produce better results. We will find out if ericaceous compost can provide these optimal growing conditions for Jasmine.
Is Ericaceous Compost Good For Growing Jasmine?
Jasmine is a popular shrub for a variety of reasons. The abundance of tiny flowers and the pleasing scent is the main reason, but Jasmine also has other benefits.
Jasmin has medicinal value when used as a tea and treats liver ailments and diarrhea. The plant’s fragrance is a deterrent for mosquitoes but an attractant for beneficial pollinators, such as bees.
What is the best compost to use to get your Jasmine to thrive, and does ericaceous compost benefit these shrubs?
What Is The Best pH For Growing Jasmine?
Jasmine is relatively easy to grow because of its high tolerance for a wide variety of soil types and different pH levels.
Even when a plant is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, it is important to provide the best conditions possible to encourage optimal growth and health of the plant. The middle part of the tolerance range is generally the sweet spot to get the best results.
Jasmine can tolerate a pH range from 6.0 to 7.5, which is from acidic to slightly alkaline. However, the plant prefers slightly acidic soil, and it will grow best and produce the most flowers when the pH is at this level.
The best pH to shoot for in the growing medium is 6.5, which will provide the optimal growing environment for Jasmine.
How Can Ericaceous Compost Benefit Jasmine?
Ericaceous compost can offer benefits for growing Jasmine, especially if your soil has high alkalinity. One of the main uses for ericaceous compost is amending alkaline soils to a more acidic pH level.
If your soil has a pH of between 7.0 and 8.0, it is heading to the limits of alkalinity tolerance for the jasmine plant. If the soil is too alkaline, you will notice yellowing of the leaves, and the flower production will be less prolific, even sparse in severe cases.
Ericaceous compost can benefit your jasmine plants by lowering the soil pH to be more acidic and, thus, more favorable for growing Jasmine successfully.
It is important to test your soil pH to get a baseline reading to know how much adjustment is needed to correct the pH. This will indicate how much ericaceous compost you should add to the soil without lowering the pH too far.
In the same way that alkaline soil can be detrimental to the growth of your Jasmin, so too can soil that is too acidic. Taking pH readings as you incrementally add ericaceous compost to the growing medium will allow you to get the pH in the “Goldilocks zone” for growing Jasmine.
Ericaceous Compost For Growing Jasmine In Beds
If your garden soil is naturally alkaline, ericaceous compost can be beneficial to all the plants you grow in your garden, not only Jasmine.
Most plants prefer a growing medium pH of between 6.0 and 7.0, so amending your garden bed’s pH with ericaceous compost will benefit most garden plants as long as you don’t add too much.
Ericaceous compost is beneficial for amending pH and improves drainage, moisture retention, organic matter in the soil, and aeration. The nutrients contained in the ericaceous compost will feed your plants like any other compost.
The best way to add ericaceous compost is to introduce small quantities at a time to test the effect it has on the soil pH. To treat an entire growing bed, spread a 1 to 2-inch thick layer of ericaceous compost in the surface soil.
Water the compost in and re-test the pH after a day or two to ensure the desired range has been achieved. Add another layer of compost if a further reduction is needed.
The pH of the ericaceous compost will slowly neutralize, and the soil will revert to its natural pH. You should test the soil pH every 6 to 8 weeks and add additional ericaceous compost as needed.
Ericaceous Compost For Growing Jasmine In Pots
Jasmine can be grown in pots successfully, and it is often more convenient since the plant can be moved around to the best locations as the seasons change.
Most potting mixes have a pH of between 6.0 and 7.0, and in most cases, you can select the appropriate pH potting mix by the indicated pH level on the packaging.
However, if you make your own potting mix or the potting mix you have left over is closer to a pH of 7.0, ericaceous compost can be added to acidify the mixture.
You can mix the ericaceous compost with a standard potting mix to lower the acidity to the desired pH reading. Prepare your potting mix with added ericaceous compost beforehand to test the pH before potting the Jasmine in the mixture.
Over time, the potting mixture will normalize to a more neutral or alkaline pH, especially if your water is alkaline.
You may need to add a handful or two of ericaceous compost every couple of months to maintain the desired acidity of the mixture.
What Is The Best Soil Type For Growing Jasmine?
Jasmine prefers well-draining, slightly sandy soil. The soil must be moist but never overly wet. The official description of the best soil for Jasmine is sandy, loamy soil.
Compost, including ericaceous compost, will help to achieve this soil type, but you may need to add additional components such as vermiculite or perlite to further loosen the soil consistency.
Adding these components will increase the aeration and sandy consistency of the growing medium without affecting the pH balance.
Conclusion
Jasmine does not require ericaceous compost to grow well, but it can benefit from some ericaceous compost added to the growing environment to keep the pH at the optimal level of 6.5. This provides the optimal pH for Jasmine and will ensure a prolific flower show in the right season.
Ericaceous compost is particularly beneficial for Jasmine if your natural soil pH is alkaline. Jasmine will grow in these conditions but may not flourish as well as you would like.
References
- https://extension.umd.edu/resource/soil-health-drainage-and-improving-soil
- https://gilmour.com/jasmine-care
- https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/ericaceous-compost/
- https://extension.umd.edu/resource/soil-health-drainage-and-improving-soil
- https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-jasmine/
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/5726.shtml#:~:text=From%20summer%20to%20autumn%2C%20the,fertiliser%20during%20the%20growing%20season.
- https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/jasmine/jasmine-leaves-turning-yellow.htm#:~:text=If%20your%20soil%20is%20highly%20alkaline%2C%20this%20imbalance%20may%20cause%20yellow%20leaves
