From our perspective as jasmine plants, we are delicate beings that thrive in warm, humid, and bright conditions. When we are grown indoors, away from our natural ecosystem, we become vulnerable to tiny invaders that can compromise our health and beauty. We rely on you to notice the subtle signs of distress we show and to help us recover. Here is a detailed account of the common adversaries we face and how you can aid us.
We often find clusters of small, soft-bodied insects, known as aphids, on our tender new growth, the undersides of our leaves, and our precious flower buds. They pierce our tissues to suck out our sap, which is our lifeblood. This feeding weakens us, causing our leaves to curl, yellow, and distort. Furthermore, they excrete a sticky substance called honeydew, which attracts sooty mold, blocking sunlight and further hindering our photosynthesis. To help us, you can wash them away with a strong jet of lukewarm water or apply insecticidal soap, ensuring thorough coverage, especially under our leaves.
These are not insects but tiny arachnids, almost invisible to your eye. They are most active in hot, dry conditions—the very environment that stresses us. They weave fine, silky webs on our stems and the undersides of our leaves. As they feed, they leave behind tiny yellow stippling marks, which can merge into larger yellow or bronzed areas, making us look dull and sickly. Increasing humidity around us by misting or using a pebble tray is a great deterrent. Wiping our leaves with a damp cloth can physically remove them, and miticides or neem oil applications are effective treatments.
Mealybugs appear as small, white, cottony masses nestled in the protected junctions where our leaves meet our stems. Like aphids, they are sap-suckers, draining our energy and excreting honeydew. Their feeding causes our growth to become stunted and our leaves to yellow and drop prematurely. They can be stubborn. For light infestations, dabbing each mass with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol is very effective. For more widespread problems, horticultural oil or insecticidal soap sprays will suffocate them. Please be persistent, as their waxy coating offers protection.
Scale insects are deceptive. In their juvenile "crawler" stage, they move about, but soon they attach themselves to our stems and the veins on our leaves, forming a hard, protective shell under which they reside and feed. They appear as small, brown, bump-like formations. Their feeding saps our vitality, leading to yellowing leaves, dieback, and a general decline in our vigor. Because of their protective armor, they are difficult to control. You can physically scrape them off with a soft brush or your fingernail. Horticultural oil is the most effective treatment, as it coats and suffocates them beneath their shells.
When you disturb our foliage and a cloud of tiny, white, moth-like insects flutter up, you have discovered whiteflies. Both the adults and their nymphs cluster on the undersides of our leaves, sucking sap and weakening us. Like aphids and mealybugs, they produce honeydew. Severe infestations can cause our leaves to yellow, dry out, and fall off. Yellow sticky traps can help monitor and reduce the adult population. Insecticidal soaps or neem oil applications, directly applied to the leaf undersides, are necessary to control the nymphs. Treatment often requires repetition to break their life cycle.
