How to Plant Night Blooming Jasmine Seeds

The night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) or jessamine is a sprawling shrub that reaches 10 feet high and 6 feet wide. The distinctive feature of the night blooming jasmine is the fragrance that is emitted at night from the small tubular white flowers produced during the summer. It dies to the ground in places that experience freezing temperatures but returns from the roots when the weather warms. Night blooming jasmine can be propagated by seed or cuttings. Also, the roots can be divided in winter to produce more plants.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Flower pot with drainage
• New potting soil
• Night blooming jasmine seeds
• Source of water
• Mister

1. Collect night blooming jasmine seeds from the dry pods present on the plant in the fall or from the seed packet. If harvesting seeds from an existing plant be sure the pods are dry and ready to release their seeds. A pod should contain about four to six seeds. If the pods are still white and tender, the seeds inside are not ready to harvest.

2. Prepare planting pots by filling pots with new potting soil. Use new potting soil because older or used potting soil can contain pathogens that can attack the roots of the newly sprouted seeds. Soak potting soil with water and allow it to completely drain so the potting soil is damp but not wet.

3. Press the dry seeds into the top of the damp potting soil. The germination rate is high for night blooming jasmine seeds, so don’t plant seeds too close together. You don’t want to damage the young plants if you need to separate them. Don’t cover the seeds with soil as night blooming jasmine seeds need light to germinate.

4. Place the pot in a bright area, but not direct sun, with constant temperatures in the 75 to 85 degrees F range. Keep moist by misting the top of the soil with a water mister. Sprouts should appear in 4 to 6 weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• You can increase the germination rate by putting the seeds in a plastic bag and holding in the refrigerator for 6 weeks. Use this method only if the seeds are dry and separated from their pods.