I've been using Preen - a granule that you sprinkle in the beds. It doesn't kill existing weeds, though. And you have to re-apply in 3 months, maybe sooner if you get a lot of rain. But it does make a difference. You will still get a few but nothing like you do without it. And it doesn't touch nut-sedge. I used to pick all the weeds, but my back won't allow that anymore, and you can't use a shuffle hoe in heavily landscaped beds, especially ground-covers like jasmine.

Hmm.... I've only got two grand dukes and two sambac. But. In my experience. They lost all leaves a soon as I planted them. They remained sticks for many months. And then they burst into life, and everything is growing great since. Mine like it dry. I water maybe twice a month. Too much water and the roots rotted. I've never had any luck with that mix. Just doesn't jive with me. My jasmine are all planted in straight composted horse manure. I keep them in the upper threshold of gardenia light. So strong partial sun. I fertilise twice a year with whatever's on hand. And all in all I don't expect it to do anything till summer. It hasn't grown a lick since August. Hope that helps somewhat.

Hello! Sorry to hear you've been having problems with your jasmines. :( Here are some tips to help you- 1. Jasminum sambac (Sambac jasmines) like a moist but fast draining mix. They don't like soggy soils. I make my own potting mix called 5:1:1 which you can find by searching on this site. If you can't make your own then I suggest a professional potting mix like Fafard or if you can't find that then Miracle-Gro with added perlite for drainage. 2. Depending on where you live Sambacs thrive in full sun but if you live in a really hot place you might want to only give them morning sun, afternoon shade and evening sun or dappled sun throughout the day. 3. Let the potting mix become slightly dry between watering. The easiest way to determine if you need to water is using a moisture meter. That takes the guesswork out of it! 4. Fertilizer. I like to use all purpose Dynamite slow release fertilizer in my mix and every two weeks or so Dyna Gro Foliage Pro liquid fertilizer when I water. They should be fine outside in the warmer months. Just bring them in before it gets cold. These are just the basics. I'm sure others will have lots of good tips for you and I wish you success with jasmines since I too love their scent! :) -Robert Here is a link that might be useful: Some jasmine tips This post was edited by robert1971 on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 15:50

Good to hear Mike! Makes sense, neem can burn up leaves. I've noticed the leaves on my maxillaria turn brown if they get too much sun. Is yours getting a lot of sun lately? I don't water it too much because it's in pure peat moss and it retains a lot of water. I notice the bulbs shrivel if I don't water enough so that's how I gauge its water needs. But with orchids the more water the better. Some of my orchids seem to need double the water and fertilizer of the others. What medium is your maxillaria planted in? And maybe some leaves just tend to turn brown naturally. Some of my orchids will get ugly spots, probably from sunburn or humidity, on the leaves while others are virtually spotless. Maybe fungicide and less sun and no water resting on the leaves can prevent spotting and browning. I don't really know!