Among the flowering vines, few today can challenge the popularity of Stephanotis. In every flower shop, when looking for an elegant and elite plant, it will be offered hardly the first. There can be no doubt about the decorativeness of the elegant large leaves and stunningly fragrant flowers. But the fact that Stephanotis is also one of the most capricious plants in the category of indoor lianas is often silent. The slightest deviation from the conditions or habitual care turns into a whole set of problems. However, they can be dealt with. In this article, read about the features of caring for Stephanotis.
Stefanotis. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Stefanie
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Fragrant Madagascar Jasmine – Stephanotis
Stephanotis are usually ranked among flowering plants, although they are rather versatile vines, in which greenery is no less an ornament. Of course, the lasting impression of fragrant flowering aristocrats is much stronger, but this vine is good even outside the flowering period.
The popularity of stephanotis has ensured their reputation: the fragrant flowers of the plant are used in many countries as an indispensable element of wedding decorations, and the charm of the inflorescences has led to the active spread of the plant itself in the greenhouse and indoor culture.
It is not so easy to guess that Stephanotis belongs to the Lastovnevye family, because there is little in common with periwinkles and their company. In nature, all the luxury of stephanotis can be appreciated in Madagascar – the free cascades of this flexible and ubiquitous vines give the forests the effect of gardens of paradise. But, despite the nickname Madagascar jasmine, this plant grows in Malaysia, China and Japan. The Latin name of the plant indicates the peculiarities of the structure of the inflorescences (“a wreath of ears”).
The only representative of the genus common in room culture is Stephanotis profusely (Stephanotis floribunda), which has become the hallmark of the Stephanotis.
The affiliation of stephanotis to curly vines and its ability to cling to supports on its own are given away by antennae. True, it is not easy to notice them on a plant, because all the attention is drawn to the leaves and flowers of the plant.
The maximum plant height is limited by the length of the lashes, often not exceeding 1,5 m, but usually the size depends only on one thing – the formation strategy. Stephanotis can be curled over the support so that it develops in the form of a compact, lush cloud, or you can unleash the potential of a rather large liana and let it drape the walls.
The greenery of Stephanotis is more reminiscent of classic large-leaved ficuses than other vines. Large, perfectly oval, leathery and tough, the leaves of this vine look flawless. In length, they reach 10-12 cm. The dark color and glossy surface seem more saturated and seem to absorb light. The leaves give the plant an elegance, give the impression of a noble classic and create the perfect backdrop for graceful flowering.
How does stephanotis bloom?
The flowering of stephanotis is often compared to jasmine, although the flowers are different in character and showiness. Funnel-shaped tubular, with a beautiful star-shaped corolla, flowers are collected in graceful sparse umbrellas or brushes, in which each flower is perfectly visible.
Like a splash of creamy flashes, the flowers bloom elegant silhouettes and appear almost weightless. Flowers in diameter are ways to reach more than 4 cm. The narrow tube bends very gracefully, and the beauty of the lines emphasizes the unusual waxy texture of the flowers and their shining pearlescent shade of white color.
Some varietal Stephanotis can be distinguished by a light purple, cream or lemon shade, but we are still talking about white variations. The five oval-pointed lobes of the bend create a symmetrical classic star-flower effect.
One of the most important advantages of Stephanotis is its aroma. This is a fragrant plant, the smell of which envelops everything around in a magic cloud. In small rooms, stephanotis can be very aggressive: it is recommended to take the plant out of bedrooms or keep it with open windows, leveling the intensity of the aroma. Its overtones are somewhat reminiscent of the scent of a lily. And if you do not like the smell of these garden flowers, then it is better to check the “tolerance” of the smell of Stephanotis before buying.
The flowering period of the Madagascar miracle covers the whole summer. The first flowers of Stephanotis under normal circumstances open in June, but flowering is completed only in September.
Flowering Stephanotis (Stephanotis floribunda). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com rastenievod
Growing conditions for indoor stephanotis
Extreme sensitivity to any negative factors makes Stephanotis one of the most capricious indoor plants. When choosing the conditions, not only lighting and temperatures are important, but also “little things” – the absence of drafts, access to fresh air, the duration of daylight hours.
Stefanotis are good crops for lobby, hall, staircase, rooms with a cool environment during the cold season. In living rooms, they are usually kept only from spring to autumn, moving to cool rooms for a dormant period. It is believed that the full beauty of Stephanotis can only be appreciated in greenhouses and conservatories, where the plant can be used in its natural form and allowed to drape large areas.
When handling stephanotis, it is worth considering its status as a poisonous plant. The danger is mainly represented by irritating substances in the sap of the plant, which cause unpleasant inflammatory reactions of the skin and mucous membranes.
Lighting and placement
Stefanotis is a light-loving liana, which, despite all the apparent rigidity and firmness of the leaves, does not react well to direct sunlight. For this plant, it is worth choosing light areas with diffused lighting. The best place for a plant has always been and remains the eastern and western windowsills, but only in summer. In the cold season for this vine, the intensity of illumination in these places may not be enough.
The best flowering stephanotis demonstrate if they are provided with diffused lighting on the southern windows or bright diffused lighting in winter gardens. Even the slightest shading, lack of light or short daylight hours are manifested in the intensity of plant growth. Compensating supplementary lighting for this culture is not only acceptable, but also desirable. Stefanotis, even during the dormant period, remains a plant of long daylight hours (minimum duration – 12 hours).
Stability, the absence of any sudden changes in lighting is critical at the budding stage. The plant cannot be displaced or rotated in relation to the light source. Even if the stephanotis is rearranged for leaf cleaning procedures, it is important to ensure that the plant stays in the same place and position after returning.
Temperature control and ventilation
Stephanotis love restrained, stable warm conditions with slight fluctuations in air temperature during the summer. The liana achieves the greatest decorativeness if the temperature values โโdo not go beyond the range from 18 to 22 degrees. Stephanotis reacts very badly to heat, even a short-term increase to 25 degrees, and even more so higher, can lead to a loss of decorativeness of the leaves.
The main condition for the flowering of Stephanotis is a cool wintering. This plant is afraid of extreme cold, temperature drop up to 10 degrees. But an excess of the temperature value beyond 16 degrees will lead to a violation of the normal course of the resting phase and the absence or more scarce flowering of Stephanotis. For wintering, the optimal temperature range is from 12 to 16 degrees Celsius.
One of the most difficult moments in the selection of conditions for Stephanotis is his fear of changes in temperature. And during the rest period, and during the period of active development, any drops of more than 2 to 3 degrees can cause developmental disorders or health problems.
Stefanotis, in the literal sense, needs to be protected from any stress. Particular attention to protection against temperature extremes should be paid with the beginning of budding and the flowering stage. This sensitivity to change must somehow be combined with constant ventilation: without access to fresh air, Stephanotis quickly becomes depressed. This vine does not tolerate polluted air, cannot be used in the kitchen or grow in contact with tobacco smoke.
Stefanotis can only bloom in a well-lit place. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com HQ
Home care stephanotis
The careful care this vine requires greatly limits its spread. Stephanotis require experience and close observation, they often react too radically to the slightest mistakes in care and are prone to “extremes” – loss of leaves and stop flowering. For them, watering, air humidity, and top dressing are important.
Watering and air humidity
In the development of stephanotis, the periods of rest and active vegetation should differ significantly in the degree of substrate moisture. From March until the end of flowering, watering should be abundant and fairly frequent. Waterlogging should not be allowed, but soil moisture should be stable, with only the upper layer of the substrate drying out.
The approximate frequency of watering is 2 times a week in summer. Stefanotis loves more rare, but abundant watering more than meager, but frequent procedures. With the end of flowering, watering is gradually reduced (by the amount of water, but not by the frequency of procedures, on average using half as much water in winter), until the plant is transferred to a cool content.
During the entire wintering, stephanotis is watered carefully, slightly moistening the substrate, preventing it from drying out, but significantly reducing the degree of moisture. Drought and stagnant water for a plant are equally dangerous and often lead to disturbances in the growth of vines. Throughout the year, you need to monitor the “signals” of Stephanotis and check how dry the substrate is between water treatments.
For stephanotis, watering is permissible only with soft water at a controlled temperature equal to the air temperature in the room and the temperature of the substrate.
Stefanotis loves spraying, but does not tolerate buds, flowers and even pedicels getting wet. The plant is sprayed only during the warm season, regularly (daily) or periodically, depending on the conditions in the room.
Stephanotis is most comfortable in medium-high humidity levels; in dry air, it is worth supplementing spraying with other methods of increasing air humidity (for example, installing pallets with wet pebbles or expanded clay). In winter, spraying for Stephanotis is not carried out.
The leaves of the plant must be regularly cleaned of dust. Scenting is not suitable for this vine; it is better to limit yourself to gentle wiping of the leaves with a soft damp sponge or cloth. Only young plants can be gently washed with warm water (in adults, this procedure is most often not allowed by the dimensions).
Top dressing and composition of fertilizers
Top dressing for Stephanotis is carried out only when the plant is actively developing and blooming. From March to September – every two weeks according to the standard scheme, halving the dose of fertilizers in the first year after transplanting and feeding in the dosage indicated by the manufacturer in the second year. At the same time, liquid complex fertilizers are applied along with water for irrigation.
The composition of the fertilizers is very important, as Stephanotis prefers mixed mineral and organic fertilizing. Complex preparations can be replaced by alternating organic and mineral dressings.
For this vine, a balanced composition of fertilizers with a slightly reduced nitrogen content is important. Fertilizers for flowering crops have an optimal composition.
Unlike many indoor vines, stephanotis thrive on any type of long-acting fertilizer.
Even without flowers, stefanotis vine is very decorative. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com naturgucker
Pruning and shaping stephanotis
Stephanotis are not grown without support. Plants, most often, are curled in wire circles or trellises are installed to emphasize the classic appearance of the vine. If you wish, you can experiment with more original supports, and with the direction of free lashes.
The curly nature of the plant makes it possible not to use the methods of “hard” garter: it is enough to direct the plant or fix it in several places with a soft twine.
Usually, plants need pruning only when there are some violations in their development. In stephanotis, elongated, bare, unproductive shoots and weak branches without leaves are cut off.
The thickening of the plant is stimulated by shortening the main shoots to the desired length. Cardinal pruning, especially most of the lashes, is best avoided.
Transplant, containers and substrate
Stephanotis are transplanted regularly, but not annually. As a rule, the plant has time to master the potted substrate in two years and replanting every second year is considered the best strategy. It is possible to transfer vines to a new container only at the very beginning of the period of active growth.
If the vine is large, especially when grown in a greenhouse with free growth on walls and trellises, the transplant is replaced with a simple removal and replacement of the topsoil as long as possible.
When choosing a substrate for stephanotis, it is worth giving preference to special highly nutritious soil mixtures for flowering plants. Sod soil should dominate in the composition. The optimal pH response is 5,5 to 6,5.
When choosing containers, it is advisable to observe the classic ratio of height and diameter, giving preference to deep containers. Drainage holes are required, as is drainage to 1/5 of the pot height. For stephanotis, only stable containers are suitable. The plant prefers natural ceramic pots.
Stephanotis are never transplanted with the removal of the old substrate from the roots, trying to completely keep the dense root ball intact (of course, with the exception of an emergency transplant, which the plant tolerates very badly).
Transfer is carried out carefully, avoiding injury. After transplanting, watering should be very careful, rooting stimulants can be added to the water to compensate for damage and accelerate adaptation.
Diseases, pests and growing problems
The susceptibility of Stephanotis to diseases and pests is determined by how much the conditions of its keeping differ from optimal ones. Autumn and winter are considered critical periods, when high temperatures or low air humidity can lead to rapid insect infestations.
The plant is especially loved by scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Stephanotis are usually prone to extreme lesions. It is not worth experimenting with pest control methods on them, immediately starting to use highly specialized insecticidal preparations.
Common growing problems:
- stretching shoots in an insufficiently lit place;
- weak flowering even in light partial shade;
- yellowing of young leaves and the appearance of spots on old leaves when watered with hard water;
- twisting buds at low soil moisture;
- falling off of buds at any displacement of the container;
- complete yellowing of old leaves in low light;
- sharp dropping of leaves in a draft or with a jump in temperature;
- stopping the development of buds or flowers with fluctuations in air temperature or hypothermia of the substrate.
Stefanotis is especially loved by scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Scot Nelson
Reproduction of Stephanotis
The main breeding method for this vine is cuttings. Stephanotis are propagated by stem and apical cuttings. Cut cuttings from 8 to 10 cm long only from last year’s branches. It is enough to leave 1 pair of leaves on them, making an oblique cut under the second pair and removing the lower leaves from the shoots.
The most difficult thing in rooting is the requirement to create hot conditions: the cuttings take root only at a temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius. For rooting, a mixture of a standard substrate for stephanotis is used with sand in equal parts. Cuttings are planted under a hood or film. Treating cuttings with growth and rooting stimulants increases the chances of success.
Rooting of stefanotis cuttings takes at least 1,5 months. Young plants are very sensitive to high temperatures and should be kept cool.
