Could someone please tell me what is happening to the leafs of my Plumeria. First they get these brown spots, then they turn yellow and fall off. Thinking maybe it's black spot or something like that I've used spray and a systemic. Nothing seem to help. Advise would be appreciated. Dorothy
Dorothy, as the weather changes with the autumn air. My plumerias too have some leaves that turn yellow and drop. Especially those older leaves. Some when they become completely dormant (indoor--if we force them to be dorman), it's normal for all of the leaves to drop until next growing season resumes. Do you get frost protection where you're? I have to keep mine indoor during late fall and winter. I bring them back outdoor when temp. is greater than 50F. degrees.
Lilly_love, the leaf yellowing and droping has been happening all summer. I though maybe it was some sort of disease, I've tried different sprays and a systemic but it continues to happen. It has not even bloomed as yet, but there are the buds showing. Right now, it's still in the 80-90 temp range. When the weather changes and temp drop I have to bring inside cause sometimes we get frost and freeze. But this is not the case as yet. Thank you for the info and I'll keep viligante with the care. Dorothy
Hi floridagardner,
I am south of you in Brevard County and my plumerias did the same thing after I fertilized them. They dropped almost all of their leaves, then the stalks went on a growing spree and new leaves sprouted. I thought I had over fertilized, but it seems it was just a growing spurt.
Neptunesmuse, I never thought it could be the fertilizer. I fertilize using milorganite, which is organic and suppose to be easy on the plants. I'll not fertilize again this season and see what happens. See my other post for a photo of the plant. Thank you. Dorothy
i'm with lily...
The weather here in Central Florida doesn't usually start to get any cooler ( fall-like) until the end of October - even though the weather people are saying low 70's for this weekend. My plumeria's don't usually start to go dormant until the end of November with the night temps drop below the mid 60's. We have had really cold winters for the last two years, but my plumerias don't drop their leaves and stop growing until early-mid November. Then I bring them into the garage to rest. I am no expert, I can only share my experiences here in Central Florida. :-)
The Plumerias in my area have looked horrible all year. Huge mature trees all over town have yellow leaves and not as many blooms as they usually do. I've seen a few trees that look really good, maybe because the owners baby them with lots of food and water or maybe that particular variety just does well regardless of the conditions. I attribute this to our excessively hot and dry summer. We reached into the 90's many day and that is unusual for us. Also during the heat there was little if any rain, a very dry summer. I think the heat and drought stressed them to the max. I watered mine but the sun and the intense heat still took it's toll on the leaves.
I also wondered of the Corexit they spray on the remnants of the oil spill in the Gulf might have some effect on them.
