PLUMERIA

Just 'discovered' these while at the Polynesian at Disney, FL! Would anyone be interested in setting up a trade for springtime? Would like to try some from cuttings. Sase or trade?? Thanks, John

Hey john, They are much harder to grow then they may look, they rot easily, even rooted cuttings do. They need soil that drains real well, and need to bet in a full sun, high heat part of the yard, :) I tried three, killed all of them, Then I got 5 more, killed them, then I got one last one, and I put it on the cement slab we got in the back yard, watterd it when it had ben dry for about a week with a 10-56-10 formula, like I was told, had it Y (like a brug) bloomed and it smelled awsome, put it in the greenhouse, rotted LOL So, I gave up on them and went to the brugs, they have verry simular growth habits, and smell a little better :)

awww what fun would it be, if there wasnt a little challenge?
Ya know, they do have plumeria, gardenia,vanilla, etc. scents all over the place... wonder when a brug scent will be out?? :o)

I found Plumeria very easy to root. As long as you let the cut heal for a couple of weeks or more before planting and only water one in a while, they are okay. During the winter they can be stored in an unheated, but frost free garage, bareroot, and they will be fine to plant the next year. They might even bloom while hanging in the garage. The problem with them here is that our season is so short. I felt my space could be better utilized with another type of plant. Don't shy away from them though. They are a pretty plant that adds a lot to a tropical garden.

I found 1gal pots w/2-3 in each for $1.80. Bought 10, brought them home & split them. Some were so big I put them in 5gal pots.
They don't do good in GHs b/c of the humidity, so I was told. They get mold & aren't suppose to be watered in the winter, anyway.
So, by Busybee's instruction, I took about half of them out of pots yesterday & wrapped them in newspaper for next spring. Then ran out of daylite.
20 extra pots in my GH house takes up a lot of room. I am babysitting 4 that belong to a GF & they are 7' tall. They are setting outside of the GH. I wrap them every nite it is going to be in the 40's or lower, with freeze cloths.
Yes, they are beautiful but somewhat of a pain if left in pots. Will be glad to share when the weather gets warmer. I don't need 25+ but just couldn't resist that price!
:~)

Thanks everyone! When in FL I heard they need to be put into Cactus soil, and not even watered until there are leaves (and roots). I still think I'd like to try them, so Smockette, we'll hopefully work something out in the later winter/early spring!

A couple months ago I bought a clipping of a frangipani. When it came in the mail, I planted it in a gallon pot of top soil and sand mix, cause I haven't decided where its permanent home is going to be. Then I find out my next door neighbor has a full grown tree in her back yard. Coulda got a clipping right off her tree LOL. Her flowers are yellow and white, mine are supposed to be pink and white.

John, Plumerias are awesome! I have 22 of them. I rooted 17 of them myself and bought 5 grafted ones from Florida Colors. To start with, get yourself some cuttings and root them. The only ones that rotted on me are the rainbow ones, which are notoriously hard to root. Plumerias need very little water so the biggest challenge is trying not to overwater them while they are rooting. Here's a link where they are $1.99 a piece: http://www.alohapalms.com/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi I've ordered from Packer Nusery several times and was always pleased with the cuttings that I received. There is a five-cutting minimum per order. To see how to root them, be sure to check out this web site: http://www.plumeria101.com They are easy to root and grow, and the fragrance is delicious. Let me know if you have any questions or need my help. All of my plumerias are too young to take cuttings from, but in the future, I would be happy to share with you.

Here is a picture of my plumerias when they were rooting:

Here is a picture of them growing up:

Here's another:

My first bloom of the summer:

Here's a good web site:
http://www.floridacolors.com

Clare_CA, how tall would you say they were in your 3:12 posting? What size pots are they in? They look to be about 2' tall. That is the size of the cheap ones I bought.
What do you feed yours?
How long fr potting to root to flowering on your first one?
Thanks for the great links.
:~)

Clare,Have you ordered from the Alohapalms?Wow,great prices.

Please keep me in mind for some!

Hi guys! Thanks for your posts!

Smockette, I'm not sure which posting you are referring to, but they were about 6-8 inches when they were shipped to me, and they were already healed. I've rooted some that were larger and some that were smaller. They started out in one-gallon containers which I got from Home Depot for .50 each. Then when they grew leaves and roots, they were transplanted to three-gallon containers and then five-gallon containers, both of which were also purchased from Home Depot. They will be fine in five-gallon containers for a long time. I just used slow-release fertilizer, like Dynamite 13-13-13 when I transplanted, and I occasionally used Miracle Grow over the summer. Three of my grafted Plumerias have inflo's which are about to bloom. I'll post pictures of those when they do. I think they are Duke, Tahitian Sunset, and Nebel's Rainbow. Depending upon the variety, they root very quickly in warm weather, usually a few months. They can flower right away if the cutting came from the flowering region of the parent plant, or they will flower during the next flowering season. Check out this web site: http://www.plumeria101.com

Rootdoctor, yes, I ordered 13 from Aloha Palms, and they are pictured in the first post above. Each one was $1.99.

TwinLakesChef, mine are much too young to cut into, but I will be happy to share in a few years when they have grown bigger. You may want to consider ordering from some Aloha Palms for $1.99 each if you are in a hurry to start growing plumerias!

If you live in the right place, they make really great trees. In Kauai they were everywhere. I brought back a couple of cuttings and plan on giving it a try.

TLC, want me to send you one w/your Desert Trumpet?
:~)

Sorry, C_C, the one @ 3:11. Notice the time on @ of your posts? Of course, if I could type better, you might have understood my question. Sorry, blonde fingers.

Yes, George, you're right about that. They are all over Hawaii. They look kind of funny when they lose all of their leaves and go dormant. They don't go dormant where I live, but they do lose a few of the bottom leaves in the winter.

Smockette,
LOL! Oh, the time! My computer says 1:11 and 1:12, probably because of the time difference. Those plumerias are about 18 inches tall.

Smockette,
We will talk; I will owe you something back; keep in touch

Clare, thank you for the excellent information! John

Your'e welcome, John, and Merry Christmas!