Hi, from my trip to Hawaii I brought some plumeria seeds to Belgium. I planted them in August and was very happy to see that 3 of the 4 seeds produced a plant! I planted them in special soil meant for cactusses. In Belgium there is a chance for frost from oktober-april so these plumeria have to stay inside half the year. Is there anyone with experience with growing plumeria in such conditions?
Hi Brit,
Welcome to Dave's.
I to am growing plumerias also from seed living in a zone 6,very
similar to your climate.
Give them as much sun as possible,and watch for spidermites and whitefies,on the backside of leaves,these insects seem to find these plants like a magnets.
Be careful not to overwater them as well,they tend root rot very easily.
It may take as long as 3 years before you see flowers from your seedlings.
Good luck
Don
I'm also trying plumerias from seed. New experience. I hope mine get as big as the one in the picture. Mine are still in 4 inch pots. I'm fertilizing them with half strength 20-20-20 and have them under florecents. Even if it takes 3 years for blooms they are an awfully neat plant. I will say I'm going to buy a cutting in Feb at the Garden show just to hedge my bet. :)
Robin
Hi Tropicman,
thanks for your reply.
Do you put your plants outside when it's warmer ?
Luckily they have nothing "bugging" them right now but outside that might change.
Can you tell if a plant has root rot from it's appearance above the ground?
Hi Robinz,
when did you plant those seeds?
I'm not sure whether to fertilise them now or not, as it's winter.
You're lucky to be able to find cuttings for these beautiful plants in your country, florists in my country don't even know plumeria exists !
welcome to dave's garden, brit. i became plumeria crazy after my last trip to kaua'i (oct 2004). i'm trying to grow a few from cuttings right now.
congratulations on your plumeria plant!
=)
Hi Brit,
Yes you can tell by the softness,or mushy like appearance of the stem just above the soil level,might even tell by color of the stem as well.
Here is a pic of my seedlings ranging from 2 ft to 3 ft tall,in the greenhouse.
I plant mine in the ground for the summer months,and then repot to over winyer inside.
I germinated these last fall,this summer was the first summer planted in the ground,which accounts for such fast growth.
I rooted a Plumeria cutting in zone 3 Saskatchewan last spring.
Thanks all for replying.
I was just wondering, don't they shed their leaves in winter?
Tropicman,
nice to see what my plants will look like in a year or so!
I'll try planting them outside in summer too, or put their pots into the ground like it is suggested at plumeria101.
This message was edited Dec 13, 2004 3:39 PM
Yes they will shed there leaves if you cut back the sunlight and water,and just let them go dormant for the winter.
These should bloom next summer ,hopefully,thats why I'm keeping them in the growing stage,once they have bloomed,I probably will let the go dormant next winter.
I got a cutting a couple of years ago. It hasn't grown very much. I put it outside for the summer but the rest of the year I keep it in the solarium. Are you supposed to let them go dormant for the winter? I put it in the solarium last winter and kept it growing. I have had trouble with mealy bugs so watch out for them too.
You can let it go dormant but keeping it warm and growing is better Sandy.
Thanks all. I'll try to get some more seeds and do some experimenting in the spring, I think. Right now keeping my plants in the sunniest spot and watering them a little every day seems to keep them happy !
How do you determine what climate zone you're in?
Here's a thread that might help you figure it out: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/434344/
I heard it both ways,some think a little dormant time brings out better and bigger flowers,but to speed up the flowering in plants started from seed,I think it's best to keep them growing thru the winter months.
Down south around Houston,I know some dig them straight out of the yard,and put them in the garage,and just leave the roots right out in the open,don't even repot them,leave them just the way they came out of the ground.
Then come March plant them right back in the ground,don't even water them,from November to March.
The plumeria cuttings I have planted are showing some HOPE. Yesterday, at VERY CLOSE inspection, I noticed a WHITE DOT on the very tip. FRESH SAP, I think. Does that mean there is growth coming out of TIGHTLY CLOSED cap?
Thanks.
Moonglow, I have a bunch outside in my Zone, and they stay outside all year. I have had very little leaf drop, but the cold does bring out the white tips. That is normal "bleeding."
I did bring my one-year-old seedlings into a portable greenhouse that I set up this year to keep them growing, but I soon noticed a major aphid problem so I removed all of the leaves. They will grow back in the spring. Here's a picture below.
Hey, all you guys interested in plumeria should become a member of this plumeria forum: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?
This picture was taken December 10, 2003:
This next picture was taken December 21, 2004. They are the same seedlings on the bottom left-hand corner of the picture.
Wow, Clare. All those plumeria babies. LOVE plumerias and will follow that link you sent.
My plumeria "bleeding" means it's ALIVE??? I am so thrilled. I am attaching a painting my friend gave me. She's a wonderful friend and very talented artist.
Thanks, Moonglow. Instead of a gardener's hat and gloves for your DG's picuture, you should have a plumeria flower behind your ear! That is an amazing painting that you have there. Yep, your plumeria is definitely alive:-) I don't know why the cold causes the white tips, but it will flake off come spring.
Well.. growing inside and then out for the summers is indeed possible... keeping the root as warm as possible is a cure all and a fast track to flowering.. I like to rot inside in the winter on a heat mat from a waterbed heater .. outside I put the pots on a hot roof... a driveway is also a heat producer for root zone heatting... waht it that there's enugh water ..but do let it get dryish before waterring again... it's the ammount of dryness and heat not water that causes rot... minne get water a few times a day in the summer.. but being on the hot roof it's dry in a few hours... I've had seedlings blom in considerblly under a year..from seed to flower..
You can keep them up and blooming alll year for sure.. mine have gone all of the time for many years and the side benefit is blooms inside during the winter ... I have two of them blooming today.. a white and a Nebels rainbow .. I feed summer and winter .. Gordon
Nice Gordon, thanks for the info
Hi Brit,
I am also from Belgium, about 20 km from Brussels and every year I bring home ,from the Canary Islands, cuttings of Plumeria to root them and afterwards distrubute to friends. As from the second part of may (les Saints glace, de Ijsheiligen) you can gradualy put your plants outside. Don't start imediatly to put them in the sun. Let them the time for acclimatisation, and in spring (end march) you can for the best repot your plants in bigger pots with a very nutriciant substrat composition. They need a lot of fertilizer and are quit fast growing. If you need more info, and you don't live to far from Brussels you can contact me (albleroy@edpnet.be) to organise a visual meeting.
Manny greetings ,
Albert
This message was edited Jan 9, 2005 9:10 PM
