How to Grow and Care Chandni Plant Bonsai (Crepe Jasmine)

In this article, we are going to explore the beautiful Chandni Plant bonsai, which is widely known as Crepe Jasmine.

But do not get fooled by the name “Jasmine.” At one time in history, every white flower with a sweet fragrance was nicknamed jasmine, and the Crepe Jasmine is not real jasmine.

Chandni Plant (Crepe Jasmine) belongs to the Apocynaceae family, and, typical of the family, its broken branches “bleed” milky fluid.

Moreover, this beautiful shrub blooms in spring, offering a generous amount of fragrant white blossoms.

This shrub looks attractive when planted in a shrubbery hedge. And another aspect of growing Crepe Jasmine is trimming off its lower branches so that it appears like a small tree. As long as you keep pruning, this makes an attractive presentation.

Let us check how to grow this attractive flowering plant,

Chandni Plant Bonsai specification

Botanical name	Tabernaemontana divaricata.
Common name	Crepe Jasmine, Chandni Plant
Family	Apocynaceae
Height	6-10 ft
Width	5-8 ft
Flowers	White
Sunlight	Partial sun to full sun
Watering	Normal to moist
Soil	Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Fertilizer	Bonsai Liquid Fertilizer
Suitable time for Pruning	September to October
Suitable time for Repotting	October to November
Blooming time	Midsummer to late summer

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How to Grow Chandni Plant Bonsai

The best method to grow the Chandni Plant bonsai is through stem cuttings collected from mature mother plants.

Use cuttings with a length of about 2-4 inches. In addition, applying a rooting hormone will help saplings to grow faster.

Now, use a pot or growing bags, and fill them with a mixture of river sand and coco peat in equal ratios. Please keep it in the shade and water moderately regularly for a few days. Avoid overwatering, and it will rot the stem cuttings.

After three to four weeks, your saplings will become ready for replanting.

For growing directly in the soil, choose a place where partial sunlight is available. Also, ensuring a well-drained soil medium as it is one of the essential requirements for the growth of the plant.

How to Care Chandni Plant Bonsai

Temperature

If the summer temperature is over 45°C, place the plant in a shady area. If the temperature is below 45°C, or during the winter, the Chandni plant can be directly exposed to direct sun or indirect sunlight.

Chandni is a tropical plant; hence it thrives well in warm and moist climates. If you are growing Chandni Plant bonsai outside India, like in the US, the climate in USDA hardiness zones 9-11 is ideal for growing this plant.

The growing season for this plant is spring to fall. In India, it is grown between March to October.

Sunlight

Chandni bonsai plants love sunlight. They grow well in full sun or partial shade conditions. But they will stunt their growth when displayed in full shade. At least 6-7 hours of direct sun is needed for the optimum growth of the Chandni plant bonsai.

Watering

Crepe Jasmine requires regular watering to keep the soil always moist. However, do not overwater the plant. Instead, always check the soil dryness by inserting your index finger 1 inch into the soil. If the topsoil sticks to your finger, watering is not needed. However, if the topsoil is dry and dusts off your finger easily, watering is needed.

Reduce watering frequency once the bonsai plant starts to develop its roots.

For all the flowering plants, including Chandni bonsai, the watering frequency should be reduced once the plant starts budding; otherwise, the buds will not be stable and will drop off the plant.

Soil

For Chandni bonsai, mix 30% cow dung compost and 70% garden soil as potting mix. If the soil in your area has greater clay content, mix 30% cow dung compost, 20% sand, and 50% garden soil. This mix will provide proper drainage to your bonsai plant.

The good thing about the Crepe Jasmine plant is that you can grow in any soil; however, the soil needs to be well-drained. Improper drainage will result in root rot. Moreover, it is a very adaptive plant. It enjoys growing in slightly acidic soil. So, consider soil that is having pH range of 4.6 to 6.0.

If you choose the alkaline soil (pH above 7), the Chandni plant bonsai will likely develop Chlorosis. To prevent this, apply a fertilizer that balances the alkaline nature of your soil.

For the optimal growth of the Chandni bonsai, mix 2 tsp of white vinegar in a cup of water and apply this to the soil every 15-20 days for shiny leaves. Remember not to apply excessive vinegar because the excess application will lead to leaf burning.

Repotting & Pruning

As this beautiful plant is grown as a shrub and hedge plant, pruning its lower branches maintains the shape and growth of bonsai in the right direction.

This plant can become root-bound if grown in a small pot. Therefore, you should check the root system once a year, and if your plant is root bound, root pruning becomes vital; otherwise, your plant will gradually die.

You can consider the following 2 methods for root pruning:

Method1: If you want to grow a full-sized Chandni plant, remove the root bowl from the container and transfer the root bowl into a bigger size container so that the roots have maximum space to grow.

Method 2: If you want to grow a small plant or make a Chandni plant bonsai, choose a suitable small-sized bonsai pot for your plant. Remove the root bowl from the current pot, prune it so it can easily fit in your new bonsai pot, and place the root bowl into a new bonsai pot.

Pruning Chandni bonsai plant:

It is necessary to prune deciduous flowering shrubs for two reasons:

Removing old, damaged, or dead wood increases airflow and yields less disease.
Rejuvenate new growth, which increases flower production.

The pruning of Chandni bonsai can be divided into four groups:

Minimal Pruning: In minimal pruning, take out only dead, diseased, damaged, or crossed branches. Usually, minimal pruning of Crepe jasmine is done in early spring.

Spring pruning: This pruning will encourage vigorous, new growth, producing summer flowers- in simple words, flowers appearing on new wood.

Summer pruning after flower: After flowering, cut back shoots, and take out some of the old growth of the plants.

Suckering habit pruning: The white flowers appearing on wood from previous years should be cut back by half of the flowering stems to encourage new shoots. Always cut the dead, damaged or diseased wood first, no matter what type of pruning you do.

For pruning the Chandni plant, rainy seasons are mostly preferred. But you can also prune this Crepe Jasmine in September and October at the beginning of the winter season. Whereas repotting should be done in October or November.

Propagation

You can easily propagate Crepe Jasmine through cuttings. Once cuttings are planted, it starts to grow within 20-25 days.

The suitable time to plant the cuttings is in the rainy or spring seasons.

Fertilizing

For the Flowering plant, a good amount of phosphorus should be provided and nitrogen for healthy green leaves.

Feed the Chandni flower plant, preferably in September and February. Also, you can use a mix of cow dung compost (high in nitrogen content), dry leaf compost, neem cakes, and 2 tbsp bone meal powder as a fertilizer for Chandni bonsai.

Additionally, every 15 days, apply liquid fertilizer to Crepe Jasmine bonsai. Mix 1 tsp of NPK into 1 liter of water and spray the fertilizer. Consider using 200ml of this fertilizer at a time.

Alternatively, you can apply DAP (high nitrogen and phosphorous content) every 15 days to the Crepe Jasmine plant. Scrape off 1-inch soil from the inner rim of the bonsai pot, use 1 tsp of DAP (25-30 grains for a big pot and 10-12 grains for a small pot), and evenly sprinkle it inside the rim.

Cover the rim with soil again and provide watering. Make sure not to apply DAP directly at the bottom of the plant’s stem.

Use cow dung compost if you do not want to apply chemical fertilizer. Every 15-20 days, apply cow dung compost to the Chandni plant by hoeing the soil and watering the compost in the soil.

Remember not to over-fertilize. It will lead to plant decay and yellowing of leaves.

Winter care

This plant goes into dormancy and sheds its leaves during the winter season. The leaves become yellow and start to fall off, leaving an intermingled bunch of branches behind. Do not be deceived by this phenomenon! Your bonsai plant is not dead! It will start its new growth as the soil becomes warmer during the spring and summer.

Diseases & Pest

Caterpillars – oleander hawkmoths eat the leaves of the Chandni Plant. Furthermore, whiteflies, scales, nematodes, and sooty mold can also attack the plant.

Use a neem oil spray to prevent the plant from this insect attack. Mix 4-5 ml of neem oil & 2-3 drops of liquid hand-wash soap in 1 liter of water and spray on the leaves of Chandni bonsai.

Toxicity and Medicinal Use

Chandni Plant belongs to the Apocynaceae family and is toxic like many other plants. But they have medicinal uses in Ayurveda in India and other Southeast Asian nations.

Some of the uses of the Chandni Plant are as follows:

This plant is used to treat several liver-related medical conditions.
It induces relaxation and helps in preventing strokes.
A natural analgesic used in many skin treatment products.
The plant helps to speed up the healing process of wounds.
It is also used in manufacturing lotions, creams, and perfumes.

FAQs

How do you care for Chandni Plant bonsai?

Plant the Chandni bonsai in slightly acidic soil and ensure proper drainage. Provide the plant with full sun or partial shade and water it once the topsoil dries.

What is the color of Chandni bonsai?

Chandni Plant bonsai grows dark green leaves along with beautiful white color flowers.

Is Chandni Plant poisonous?

The parts of the Chandni plant can be poisonous if not used correctly.

What is the common name for the Chandni plant bonsai?

The common names for the Chandni plant are – Adam’s apple, crepe jasmine, crape jasmine, East India rosebay, moonbeam, Nero’s crown, and many more.

What is the English name of the Chandni Plant flower?

Crepe jasmine or the Crape jasmine.

Does Chandni Plant grow in the shade?

The plant can grow in partial shade if proper care is taken.

How do you keep the Chandni Plant blooming?

To ensure good blooming:

After the jasmine flowers, prune the vine in late spring to encourage healthy growth and prepare the vine for the following year.
If needed, prune again in late summer to remove scraggly growth. Never prune after the end of summer.

What is the best fertilizer for Chandni bonsai?

A 7-9-5 fertilizer works well for Chandni plants. It is 7% of nitrogen, which ensures lush, healthy, green leaves, 9% of phosphorus for abundant, large flowers, and 5% of potassium for strong roots and improved resistance to diseases and pests.

Conclusion

Chandni plant bonsai is one of the most suitable plants for home gardens. Moreover, you can grow easily. Owing to the shape of the flowers, it is widely known as the pinwheel flower plant.

This tropical evergreen plant usually branches out with different shades of green foliage. It also blooms throughout the year, with small clusters of beautiful white flowers.

Moreover, Crepe Jasmine responds well to pruning; hence, it is quite easier to make hedges and garden borders with this plant. The miniature type of Crepe Jasmine plant is best for this purpose.

Also, the beautiful white flowers in abundance, amongst the thickly packed green leaves, look awesome.

If you like to read an interesting post about bonsai, check out our other posts.