For several centuries, Stephanotis has been one of the most beloved home ornamental plants. Despite the fact that in the care of the flower is quite capricious, it is within its power to grow every lover of flowers. It is necessary to make a little effort, and it will delight the owners with its tenderness, beauty and unforgettable fragrance.
Stefanotis flower: description
Stefanotis flower (lat. Stephanotis) or Madagascar Jasmine, also called Marsdenia belongs to the Lastovnev family of plants, grows in its natural environment in Madagascar, Malaysia, Japan and China. The name "stephanotis" is formed in two words of Greek origin - "stephanos" (crown) and "otos" (ear).
In the wild, marsdenia is represented by about fifteen species, and at home only one grows - Stephanotis Madagascar or flowering. 
Evergreen liana can reach five meters in length, has oval leathery leaves of dark green color, with clearly distinguished central vein. The length of the leaves can be up to 12 cm, the location on the stalk is opposite.
Tunbergia, ficus, ivy, monstera, philodendron and passionflower are indoor evergreen vine plants, fairly common representatives of the flora.For stephanotis, the description would be incomplete without mentioning its beautiful, extraordinary bloom. Flowers, stars consist of five petals and have a variety of colors, from perfectly white to yellowish and light purple. Voronkovidny fragrant flowers, similar to crowns, reach a length of 4 cm, and a diameter of about 5 cm, they are located on the stalks in bunches, up to 7 buds in inflorescence.
In the wild, flowering can last up to 10 months. In greenhouses Madagascar jasmine can give its flowering at least 4 months - from June to September.
Fruits of a plant are two-part large boxes of ellipsoid shape, which ripen for at least a year. At the end of the ripening, the boxes open and release the seeds-parachutes, similar to dandelion umbrellas. 
The domesticated stephanotis blooms with snow-white waxy flowers with an extraordinary scent. A decorative liana is planted in pots with a support, giving the plant an unusual shape due to the rapid interlacing of any supporting fencing with branches.
Important! The sap of the plant is poisonous and may cause irritation when it comes into contact with mucous membranes. It is advisable to work with a flower in gloves, not to allow children and animals to it.
What conditions to create in the house
Decorative vine is often used for vertical gardening of premises, decorating of gratings and screens, as well as decorating windows with the help of arched supports.
In order for a plant to grow safely, it is necessary to provide certain conditions and observe some rules of care. 
Location and lighting
Properly chosen living space favorably contributes to the growth and flowering of stephanotis.
In the period from autumn to spring, the light-loving plant will feel comfortable on the southern windows. However, in the summer, in order to avoid sunburn, it must be rearranged to the west or east.
Lighting is one of the most important factors. for the proper cultivation of perennial Madagascar. In the natural environment of the hot tropics, the vine is hiding in the shadow of neighboring plants.
The flower does not tolerate bright light, However, twilight also does not accept. In the summer, it should be placed under the scattered rays of light, and in the short winter light days it should be provided with additional fluorescent lighting. In general, the plant should be exposed to light for at least 10 hours a day.
Aspidistra, aglaonema, alokaziya, anthurium, asplenium, begonia, dieffenbachia, nephrolepis, ivy and fittonia, as well as stefanotis, do not tolerate bright light, therefore, they should be placed away from the window.
An excess of intense light leads to the appearance of yellow-brown streaks on the leaves. Stefanotis suffers because of a lack of lighting, and why its leaves turn yellow, becoming covered with pale heels, and when there is an acute shortage of daylight, the plant leaves the leaves completely.
During the budding of room jasmine, it is important to leave alone, do not rearrange to a new place, do not turn the pot, otherwise the buds simply will not open.
Important! After purchasing at the store, stephanotis may not bloom for a long time. The reason for this is a change in his usual environment.
Temperature
Tropical flower prefers the off-season temperature. He needs to ensure maximum peace in winter. The optimum air temperature in the period from April to September is from 20 to 25 ° C, from September to November - to 22 ° C, and at other times not more than 14-16 ° C. This temperature difference has a beneficial effect on the flowering vine. 
It is advisable to ventilate the room where the marsdenia is located, but it should not be located in the path of the air flow. A sign that the flower is cold will be his abundant leaf fall.
How to care for stephanotis at home
Beautiful fragrant vine requires special attention. She, like a real bride, needs care and constant maintenance of beauty.
Watering and humidity
Tropical jasmine prefers a varied watering regime. In the hot season, it should be watered abundantly, as the top soil layer dries out. In the autumn-winter period, watering should be rare, but saturated so that the land community does not dry out completely, and starting from the end of winter and before the onset of heat, it is necessary to supply water to a flower often, but less intensively (once every three days).
Water should be soft and separated at room temperature. If the stefanotis leaves and grows dull, the vine fades and its tips die off, and there is a specific smell in the flowerpot or pourees appear - these are signs of moisture overload. In this case, it is urgently necessary to dry the roots of the plant, and replace the pot substrate. 
Did you know? Heads of flower growers are called springtails of the subclass of Collembola (Latin Collembola) of the families Entomobryidae and Hypogastruridae, a squad of maxillary. They look like small white or cream caterpillars about 2 millimeters in size with short antennae. On the lower part of the abdomen, insects have a fork, thanks to which they creep in the soil and jump on the soil surface.
Decorative perennial welcomes increased humidity. For proper development and growth of the plant must be regularly sprayed. In the summer it should be done twice a day - in the mornings and evenings. And in the cold season once a day is enough. Wetting should be done with warm boiled water, increasing the temperature of the water during the period of air drying by heating devices.
In the dry summer period, it is necessary to produce additional moisture by placing the flowerpot in a pallet with wet peat or expanded clay. A clear sign of a lack of moisture are faded soft leaves and premature fall of flowers. 
Soil and fertilizer
Land for vines should perfectly pass moisture and air. At the same time, it should have a sufficiently acidic reaction -pH 5.5-6.5. Ready-made universal mixture for ornamental flowering plants can be purchased in specialized stores, but it is better to prepare high-quality soil with your own hands. There are two ways to do this. One of them involves a mixture of equal proportions of such components:
- the garden qualitative soil collected in the spring;
- the compost sustained within 3-5 years;
- undisturbed river sand;
- peat.
- one piece of humus;
- loose leaf soil (two parts);
- sod field soil (two parts);
- peat (two parts).
The period of formation and ejection of the buds (April and May) is very important for perennials, so at this moment he especially needs to be fed in the form of phosphate or a solution of good cow manure.
Important! When purchasing ready-made fertilizers, you need to make sure that they do not contain nitrogen.
Pruning
To preserve the decorative appearance of the liana you need to give shape and beautiful volume. Pruning stephanotis produced in early spring, before its intensive growth, removing only the branches without leaves and too long shoots.
Young branches of the plant will give a lot of flowers, and in the summer pinching of the shoots will provide longer flowering. 
It is desirable to carry out the garland of the liana to the support during the period when the shoots are still flexible and not woody, giving the perennial a beautiful shape.
Transplant rules
The flower pot with a flower must be ceramic, spacious, with a high drainage layer. The heavier the capacity in which the vine is planted, the more stable it will be.
Transplantation takes place in the spring before the appearance of buds. If you replant a flowering perennial, it can reset the entire color.
Young plants need to be transplanted once a year, and mature - no more than 2-3 years. The best way for stephanotis, how to transplant it painlessly and without loss of flowering - transshipment with the addition of fresh soil. This method of transplanting prevents damage to the small roots and further wilting of the shrub. 
Watering in the first few weeks after transplanting perennials should be very careful. Excess moisture will cause its death. The best growth will contribute to the growth stimulator.
Did you know? The gentle perennial is simply shrouded in equally beautiful folk superstitions. Often, charming white buds adorn bouquets for a wedding celebration. It is believed that the flower brings happiness and peace to young families, helps to improve relationships, brings a touch of romance in the lives of spouses. There is also an opinion that the closed people liberates the flower and makes them more sociable. They also associate with the capricious stephanotis that if there is a vine in the house where there is an unmarried girl, then she will soon marry.
Reproduction stephanotis cuttings
There are two ways of breeding stephanotis:
- sowing seeds;
- rooting cuttings.
Since seeds at home are formed very rarely, the flower is propagated in most cases by cuttings.
Apical young cuttings are best rooted with a pair of leaves and several internodes. After trimming, they are placed in a mixture of moist earth with coarse sand, deepening approximately 1.5 cm into the ground, covering with a can or film. The greenhouse is better placed in a bright place, without direct sunlight, periodically airing and watering the soil. The soil temperature under the greenhouse should not exceed 24 ° C.
After the appearance of the first roots and leaflets, three weeks after planting, the greenhouse must be removed. After another two weeks, the sprout can be planted in a pot in which the flower will grow further. Once a year, seedlings need to pinch and hand over. 
Problems in cultivation: pests and diseases of stephanotis
Pests most commonly affecting tropical liana:
- Greenhouse aphid - affects the buds and the lower part of the leaves. It is characterized by a cluster of sticky small insects that deform the leaves.
- Mealybug - spreads on the leaves, stems and buds, squeezing the juice from the plant. It is characterized by a white wax coating.
- Shchitovka - colonies of insect sucking juice affecting the stems and leaves in a matter of days.
- Spider mite - forms a web on the lower part of the leaves, making them weak and soft.
It is possible to get rid of aphids and scale insects with the help of the Akarin biopreparation, and in case of severe infection it is better to spray it with "Fitoverm" or "Aktellik". Ticks can be destroyed with the help of “Kleschevit”, and the mealybug is killed by spraying with “Phosphamide 2%” emulsion. To combat powdery mildew, you need a solution of the drug "Hom".
From folk remedies for the destruction of pests include:
- treatment with soapy water;
- washing plants with a warm shower.
- Yellowing - most often associated with violation of the rules for the care of the vine: watering with lime water, deprivation of light, delayed fertilizer or improper transplantation.
- Blooming flowering. Transferring the winter in excessive heat, lack of light, feeding with nitrogen, or a sharp temperature drop — here is a list of reasons why stephanotis does not bloom.
- Leaf fall - occurs when there is a shortage of light in the winter, when the light day becomes shorter. Also, perennial loses leaves during hypothermia or drafts.
