You should cut real jasmine (Jasminum officinale) several times a year. The ornamental plant doesn't take offense even if you cut it back a little more. When is it best to cut real jasmine and what you should keep in mind.
When and how do you cut real jasmine?
It is best to cut real jasmine after the winter break, after flowering and to rejuvenate the plant. Cut dried shoots and remove dead inflorescences. Wear gloves when cutting as jasmine is poisonous.
Real jasmine tolerates cutting well
Real jasmine can tolerate pruning at any time. This means you can keep the ornamental plant in good shape and, if desired, grow it on a trellis as a climbing plant.
You should cut:
- after the winter break
- after flowering
- dried shoots
- for rejuvenation
Cutting after the winter break
In spring, when you take the real jasmine out of winter break, it is time for the first pruning.
It should be done before the plant sprouts. Only cut back the real jasmine slightly so that you do not remove any later buds.
Bushy plants by cutting back after flowering
So that the real jasmine becomes beautifully bushy and branches strongly, cut it back after it has bloomed. Remove the branches with the dead inflorescences.
Rejuvenate real jasmine by cutting it
Older plants often become lazy when flowering. They only bloom at the outer ends of the branches and no longer look so decorative.
With a rejuvenation cut you not only bring the plant back into shape. Pruning also ensures that over-aged branches are removed and young shoots can grow back.
To rejuvenate, cut the real jasmine back by two thirds. After such a radical cut, the ornamental plant needs some time to recover. During this time it will produce few or no flowers. After the recovery phase, it blooms even more vigorously.
Don’t forget gloves when cutting
Real jasmine is poisonous. Even contact with the plant juices can cause inflammatory reactions on the skin.
When cutting or doing other care work, always wear gloves (€9.00 on Amazon) to protect your hands.
Tip
If your real jasmine does not bloom, it is often because the non-hardy ornamental plant was overwintered too warmly. Very rarely, real jasmine will not develop flowers if you have cut it back too radically in spring.
