i received this as 'rainbow'......what ever it is, i just luv it!!!!
cindy
my very first plumeria bloom
Beautiful bloom head, Cindy! Congrats! I love the red star in the center:-) Very nice. How's the fragrance?
WOW those are gorgeous blooms! :-)
-Julie
Really beautiful blooms, did you grow it from seed or from a cutting?
I have just planted some plumeria seeds - never grown them before, so I don't know what to expect :), so am embarking on a great adventure.
Janice
Wow, those are beautiful flowers Cindy.
Janice:
I agree with you that growing plumerias from seeds is an adventure. I planted some seeds two years ago and I'm hoping to get some blooms this year, or maybe next year. I'll try to post a photograph of my remaining seedlings ( I've put some of them up for adoption :-) ) later because I'm at work now.
i bought this as a rooted cutting.....and thank goodness i did..the other 2 plumerias i have were just cuttings..they are rooted finally(had them both well over a year)and not blooms yet......oh and the fragrance.....wooohoo!!!....i had no idea how nice it would be...im ready to go to hawaii and get some plumerias from there.....lol
are the seeds hard to do?....i have thought about them but not gotten any yet
it is my understanding they dont come true from seeds?.....i would like to hear how yours are doing janice...where did u get the seeds?...how long to germinate?....u got any pics of your seedlings?...would u do it again?..lol
cindy
Cindy:
The seeds are very easy to do. Yoou can find some great information here: http://www.plumeria101.com
You're right, the plumerias don't come true from seeds so they're called seedlings of the pod parent until you name them something different. The seedlings I have are Maui Beauty seedlings.
I had a seedpod on my Maui Beauty when I bought if from http://www.floridacolors.com I didn't notice the seedpod until after I'd had the plant for a few months and the pod began to grow larger. http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=562232
Veronica
Hi Cindy and Janice, Veronica is right that seeds do not come true to the parent, and the seedlings can take 2-3 years or longer to bloom. The flower can look like anything because of the number of chromosomes or something to that effect. Seeds can be purchased from Maui Plumeria Gardens or eBay, among other places. If you are a member of a Plumeria Society, seeds are usually free to members and get distributed all the time.
Here are some pictures of my seedlings.
This is 12-10-03
Here they are again 01-2004:
Here they are 04-2004:
Same date as the post above: 04-2004:
05-2004:
07-2004:
12-2004: After I defoliated them and put them in the portable greenhouse for the winter:
Lastly, 02-2005 in the greenhouse still. I better go take some new pictures. Many of them have now been repotted to five-gallon containers, but you get the idea.
I bought the seeds through Ebay, and potted them a week ago. I am going into the greenhouse every morning to check if there is any growth, and offer encouragement :) I don't know the rules for buying cuttings from overseas, so I shall wait to see what my seeds do!
Thanks Clare for posting the pictures, it is useful to see what they should look like and how they grow.
Thanks also Veronica for the web sites, as I have only got the vaguest idea of what to do, though I see I did plant the seeds correctly :) I do enjoy growing things from seed-it is great seeing that first shoot come up (and hopefully not collapse and die)-shall certainly post some pics if they do shoot.
I notice Clare, you use a very open potting mix with vermiculite - is is a 50:50 mix?
Janice
Hi Janice, Good luck with your seeds! I believe Maui Plumeria Gardens sends plumeria overseas, and you might check with Florida Colors too. There are some people on eBay which will ship overseas also. My mix doesn't contain Vermiculite, which holds water, but it does contain Perlite, which helps water to run right through. Pumice is also good for mixing in the soil for good drainage. When watered, the Perlite does float to the top so eventually you get a bit on top of the soil if you don't mix it back in with your fingers. Pumice doesn't float to the top and is better for this reason. I buy a mix these days that I am happy with so I don't have to mix it myself, but when I did, I used 1/3 Perlite, 1/3 good potting mix, and 1/3 cactus mix.
Thanks Clare for your advice. I can get Perlite here and will search for pumice. I have made a note of the mix you used, it sounds really good for anything that needs very free drainage.
Janice
****bump****
Great info here.