What's it?

Is this a seed pod beginning? How should they be treated? It is October (tomorrow) so the weather is cooling off. I brought it indoors but don't know how well it will do.

Yes those are seedpods. They will hang on through the winter. Plumeria seedpods take 9 months to mature.

Congratulations!

Yay! that is soo exciting! :)

Wow, thanks guys. Hope I can get newbies!

Look how this has grown! What do I do with it?

just let them hang on. they will mature next spring or summer.

Look at these now! Are they still good? Does it usually take this long? This is the same plant.

They take NINE MONTHS. They should be ready to pop soon.

Thanks Dutchlady. I read thru the thread and saw where you said 9 months. Geeze, you must have patience! Will they bust open and need to be plant immediately? Kina like the the Hoya?

They will bust open and blow away in the wind unless you catch them....
Plumeria seeds are viable for a year or more, so no rush...

or the seeds will rot in the pod unfortunately. i don't like the look of that shriveled one! sometimes ppl help deliver the seeds.

Thanks tuscon. I thought about cutting one open to see what's inside. i might do that then with shriveled one.

no problem... : )

* pod splitting

** pod endosperm covering

*** removing endosperm

When the pod splits,this means the seeds are ripe and ready to pick?
I have 2 pods on mine,but the are no splits on the pods yet.

I usually cut the pods off. Leaving them takes a whole lot of energy away from the tree. Unless you plan on sowing them, I would cut them off. In my opinion, for whatever that's worth, it's not worth sowing seeds because it takes so much time, patience, effort, and money to wait five years (at least) to see what you will get. If the seed is a result of self-fertilization, you will get a similar flower to the pod parent in all likelihood, and you will have waited a long time to see the first bloom.

I realize that seed sowing is fun, and I did it myself, but I have to say that I wish now that I hadn't sown 40 seeds seven years ago and more in subsequent years. I wish someone would have told me "You know you are going to water, fertilize, and care for these trees that won't bloom for six years, and you will get tired of not getting blooms from them. You'll lug them in to the greenhouse every winter and lug them back out. Leave the hybridizing to those in Thailand that have acres and acres of land and who will pick the best for commercial production, and then you can go to Florida Colors and buy them for reliable blooming year after year."

If you have the time, patience, and land, then I say go for it. You can always use the duds as root stock when you start grafting. It is important, however, to a lot of people and collectors that the duds be culled. Having duds out in circulation will only cause disappointment to someone eventually. There is a lot of characteristics that make seedlings duds. Hybridizers know to look for things like a poor blooming habit, long lanky growth habit, thin lopsided inferior blooms, etc. If the plumeria grower and gardener is going to sow seeds, then there is some responsibility for culling inferior ones as hybridizers do. HTH.

Hi Clare,Long time no see!
To some point I can agree totally with you!
But then the mother in me,makes me grow them from seed,as my babies,as a man I'll never have,I also grow coconut palm trees,knowing I'll never get coconuts from them,as longs as there in containers,I'd plant them in the ground,but they don't seem to love the cold and snow winter brings,so I'll lug them in and out of the greenhouse as long as I'm able to do so,but when my back finally goes,so will all the plants I love to grow as a gardener.
The challenge,is one aspect of gardening,that keeps me going,it gives me something to look forward for tomorrow,sometimes it's the journey,and not the destination thats important to me.
Hope all is well with you,like you,I don't get to post as often as I'd like too,as working too hard and to many hours.
BTW,cotton candy has several inflos on here for the first time,I'll get to see her bloom!

If there weren't people growing plumeria from seed, we would not have the richness and variety of cultivars that we have today.
And you can see blooms as soon as 18 months after planting, although three years is more typical.

Here is my seedling 'Bella Napoli'

Purity!
Any smelling to her???

She has a pretty typical 'frangipani' fragrance.

LOL!
Now,not being around plumerias except my own,which either has the spicy,fruity or the
perfume fragrance,or is there another,that I do not know about?

Plumeria have a broad range of scents. Aztec Gold smells of peaches...

Love the smell of peaches!!!

Hi Don and Hetty! You both make very good points. However, I think only in the warmest, most advantageous environments do seedlings bloom after an average of three years. South Florida is definitely an advantageous environment so I'm sure seedlings are willing to bloom sooner there than they are here in Southern California.

I know in Thailand, the typical time from seed to bloom is about two years; and Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other tropical places are probably relatively fast also.

I just hate to see so many people that live in colder regions struggle with growing seedlings and lament that their seedlings never bloom. I live in a subtropical region, and I was doing a lot of lamenting.

I do understand reward of nurturing and raising from a seed to a tree though, and if a person is happy with having a tree just to have those gorgeous leaves, then sowing seedlings can be an economical way to go.

I personally would just rather have blooms every year as a reward for the amount of work put in. I know that Florida Colors Nursery is growing out many seedlings, and I am happy with buying one of theirs when they get some good ones.

It is great to chat with you again, Don. You and I go way back. As a matter of fact, I think of you when I see all my epiphyllums bloom, and they are blooming right now. You work so hard and for such long hours. I honestly don't know how you do it all. I have just been so busy with work and yard maintenance and home improvement stuff that I find I have little time for anything else. I hear you about your back. I know that has been an issue for you, and to a lesser degree, my back has had it too -- another reason that I gave the seedlings away and the reason that I put a lot of things in the ground here. When my back goes out, there will be no more moving around heavy container plants for sure. Congrats on your Cotton Candy! Please post pictures of it when it blooms:-)

That cutting I got from you has several branches,and four of them have inflo's on them now,and getting bigger everyday,over all height between 5 to 6 ft tall now,still a few weeks away from bloom,but will post pics when they finally bloom!

Awesome, Don! I can't wait to see it!

I cut mine off and cut it open to see what was inside.

They are from this plumeria. Don't know the name.

This one is my favorite of the two blooming. It smells wonderful. I think it is Aztec Gold. I had tags on them but they got lost over the winter one year. I have 3 more plants growin that I'm waiting on blooming. One is supposed to be red i think and the other is supposed to be white with red or something like that. I will say that they are the ugliest things to over winter but are so worth it in the summertime. Everyone that comes over goes straight for these plants and asks what they are and smells. Only the AG smells to me.

What does inflo's mean?

I think inflourescenses (sp?) JRox

JRox, inflos are developing flower buds on Plumeria. It can take a few weeks for inflos to mature and blooms.