Winter Jasmine needs your help - leaves turning white

Hi there,

I seem to have a knack for killing plants but have managed to keep my Winter Jasmine going for a few years now (more due to its hardiness than my skill, I know!) In the space of a day though, it seems to have developed some nasty looking white bits on most of the leaves growing on one 'stem'. The rest seem to be ok but since this is the only stem which is about to flower, I'd quite like it to survive!! Please, I'd really like to know whats wrong with it and what I should do.

Also, I was thinking of repotting it but haven't done so because the pot it is in has wires which the Jasmine has climbed up and been wrapped around. How do I go about that and would normal houseplant compost be ok for it? Would this help it to get more flowers or is there anything else I can do for it?

Many thanks

That looks like sunburn. If the plant was watered and water splashed the leaves and it was sunny, and from what I've heard it's been sunny in the UK for the past month, the water can act as a magnifying glass on the leaves and burn it.

It does look like the pot is rather small but I'd wait until it puts on new growth before transplanting it.

This might be interesting re the myth of water droplets acting like a magnifying glass -

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Leaf%20scorch.pdf

Had you recently moved the plant into full sun from a location that was far less bright? If not, then it's likely that over-watering and/or a high level of solubles in the container are to blame.


AL

Here is some info I found........ Hope it helps. Good Luck !

Flower Blight

Flower blight is a very common disease to affect a number of plants, including Jasmine. This can be identified if you notice brown spots on the leaves, they eventually turn completely brown and start to fall off. This disease is caused by a fungus and is most likely to affect your plants just after warm spells of weather.

This is a very dangerous disease for Jasmine because the spores of the fungus can survive throughout the winter in the soil. This means that they will be able to re-infect any new plants which are planted in the same soil.

To control flower blight you should pick any of the infected flowers before they have the chance to produce spores. If any plant material falls onto the ground then you must pick this up and throw it away or burn it. Remember to never compost infected plant material.
Leaf Drop

It's normal for all plants to shed leaves when they get older. There are a number of reasons for this. The first reason could be caused by flower blight (see above). Other reasons could simply be because you are over or under watering them. Over watering or under watering will cause the leaves to drop off.
Powdery Mold

Powdery mildew or powdery mold is a very common problem which can affect all plants. This can be identified by looking for powdery white substances on the leaves. To control this condition you should use a fungicide spray and it's important to repeat this treatment 3 times with 2 weeks in between treatments. You will need to choose a fungicide which is suitable for treating powdery mildew, ask for help if you're not sure which ones will work.
Choosing Healthy Plants

When you are buying new Jasmine plants for your garden it's very important that you don't accidentally buy diseased plants. These could infect the rest of your garden if you're not careful. Just because a plant has a lot of flowers on it, it doesn't mean that the plant is actually healthy. Inspect the quality of the leaves and look out for any of the symptoms that are mentioned above.

If your plants start to suffer from any of these conditions, treat them as quickly as possible to prevent it spreading.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/identifying-and-treating-jasmine-diseases#ixzz1Mzjmx2pv