I think my plumeria is finally going to bloom. I'm really thrilled as this will be my first flowers. I'm not sure what colour they will be but probably yellow or white. I got the cutting from a neighbour who brought a few back from a visit to California a couple of years ago. Her cutting died because her husband planted it in the ground. I have this forum to thank for my buds. I'm sure the advice to fertilise with a bloombooster fertiliser is what made all the difference.
Sandy
Yay! Can't wait to see those flowers, Sandy! Good job!
Thanks Clare. I was wondering if I should keep using the bloom builder fertiliser now that I have buds and if so, when I should quit using it.
Yes, keep using it weekly or however often you do it. The more energy and nutrients the plants has, the more it will grow and bloom well. It will start to branch as it is flowering, and new branches will grow at the same time it is flowering. Keep fertilizing until fall. If you like, you can switch to regular Miracle Gro instead of the Bloombuilder formula. I use whatever I have on hand.
Okay, thanks for the help Clare. It'll be nice once the plant starts getting some branches.
Sure, Sandy. If you look closely, you can see one branch starting right at the base of the inflo in your picture:-)
Oh, cool. Thanks Clare. I'll have to check it every day and see how the branches develop.
I'm still waiting for my plumeria to bloom. How long do they usually take from the time you first see the buds to the actual blooms? I'm just wondering because I'm getting a bit worried about the temperatures at night. It dipped to 4C (39F) one night last week and has been getting down to about 6C (43F) lately. I was wondering if I should put the plant in the solarium. I don't want to lose the flowers. But it has been getting up to about 22C (72F) in the daytime outside so I thought it might still like being out on the patio. Is that too cold for them at night? At what temperature is it time to bring them in for the winter?
This is what the buds look like now.
Sandy
Hi Sandy, growth and flower production slows in cold weather and may even come to a stop if the plant enters dormancy. Mine start to lose their leaves when temps drop into the 40's as they prepare for dormancy. Prolonged temps in the 40's could trigger dormancy. I would definitely put your plant in the solarium if it is warmer in there at night. You can bring the plant out during the daytime still if you wish or leave it in the solarium during the daytime if there is plenty of sunlight. It looks like you still have a couple weeks until you see blooms. If the inflo gets too cold, it could dry up and fall off. I hate it when that happens!
Thank you very much Clare. I will bring it into the solarium. It's heated so it only goes down to about 15C at night in there. I hope I haven't left it too late. Hopefully I'll be posting pictures of flowers in a couple of weeks. :-)
I bet it isn't too late and you will have blooms in a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving or even until Christmas! Can't wait to see them:-) It's always nice to see pictures of blooms in fall and winter to help us get through the season.
Wow! Do the flowers last that long? It's going to be so cool to have it blooming all fall. It's safely inside the solarium now and I can hardly wait.
Well, the individual flowers can last a week or more, but as old ones fade, new ones open so you can have a continuous display of blooms for a few months and even longer. It just depends how big your bloom head is. I've had flowers blooming on two bloom heads of Tahitian Sunset since the beginning of July, about three and a half months, and I hope it continues to bloom for a month or so more yet. You can see the old and new flowers in this picture as well as some unopened buds.
Nightowl, I'm thrilled for you, I just took a picture of mine the other day, and it has a baby bud on it too, guess all that frantic fertilizing weekly has made it worth the while. It's a y cutting, and both ends have buds on them, not as far along as yours. I'm thrilled too, been waiting since last fall for buds, I have no idea what color it is either. But you can bet i'll be screamin when the flowers get here.
LOL
kathy_ann
GO SANDY!! 8D
Thanks kathy_ann and Malestrom. Thanks to the advice to move my plumie into the solarium it's growing like crazy again. The bloom is coming along nicely....it's really interesting to see how it changes every day. I think it's going to branch three ways instead of just two. Is that common? I tried to take a picture last night but it turned out too blurry. I'll try to take another one tomorrow and post it.
Sandy
Well, I hope someone comes along and answers for you sandy, I'm very new to plumerias, only have one. Their soooo very expensive. I've waited a year for mine to bloom.
I hope it's worth the wait.
kathy
Sandy,
Plumies can develop two or more branches when it blooms. I think Clare has one that developed about fourteen branches in a short span. There have also been occasions where no new branches developed, but those are rare. The nice thing is that you will have three branches that will also develop inflos to create more new branches as your plant develops into a tree. Great!!!
Mike
Hi Sandy! Congrats on your three branches. I think three are preferable to two because of the reason that Mike said: more flowers next time! Three branches forming from one make a nice balanced tree appearance. Mike is right that I do have one that has developed 14 new branches around the inflo. It is amazing. Here is an old picture of it, but I'll post a recent one of it soon.
Yes, I was thinking that having three branches would be great because it would mean more flowers next time. Yours is amazing with the fourteen branches Clare. I'm interested to see what it looks like now.
I know what you mean about plumies being expensive Kathy. I wouldn't have this one if it weren't for my neighbour giving me the cutting. Not only are they expensive up here, they are also difficult to find. I'm sure the blooms will be worth the wait. :-)
Sandy
Lurking today, and found excellent information again. I have had a few plumeria's for a couple of years and didn't even pay attention to the fact that the branches appear while flowering. I have four at the moment with inflos and went out to check and sure enough, all are putting on branches. Now I understand completely why they need so much fertilizer during this time with all the energy the plant is using. My Nebel's Raibow is putting on it first inflo and I am patiently waiting to see her first blooms. Thank you for sharing all the great information. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the information needed for each type of plant I grow and this made it so much easier.
Dott
Hi Dott! Congrats on your four inflo's! My Nebel's Rainbow has been blooming wonderfully all summer. It's a great flower with firm stiff petals and wonderful color. If it is starting to dip into the 40's at night, you can bring your plumies inside and put them by a bright window, and they should continue to flower for you for some time.
That's truly a beautiful flower Clare. It shouldn't be much longer for mine now.
They are calling for our first 40's dip on friday night. I will bring them in on the inside back porch for the night and take them back out during the day until we get into the 40's more consistently at night. We are getting prepared at the moment to house all my tropicals for the winter. I had the plummies in my south windows last winter and actually got blooms on my first plummie.
Thank you for sharing your picture with me. I can't wait.
Dott
Sure, Dott! If your plumies are fairly mature, they should weather the 40's all right for a little while before they start dropping some leaves. I'm in the same predicament. I have some inflo's just forming, and I would really like to see them open, but sustained temperatures in the 40's at night will slow down the formation of the inflos, and they might even dry up and fall off all together. My trees don't even lose all their leaves in the wintertime, but they do get a yellow leaf dropping here and there. I have some nice microclimates for extra warmth thanks to a six-foot-tall cement retaining wall, which surrounds the backyard, and three-quarter rock instead of grass. I might have to bring the ones with inflos inside at least until they finish blooming. I have to keep my eye on the nighttime temps.
For some reason, my Nebel's Rainbow flowers don't want to open up all the way. Some flowers open completely while other flowers only open partially. I am wondering if maybe they aren't getting enough heat or enough light perhaps. I may have to move it around and experiment with it.
Here's the updated pic that I promised. It's really grown.
Sandy
Nice inflo, Sandy! You should get lots of flowers on that one. Here's the picture of my multi-branched one that I promised you:
Wow! That's amazing Clare. It looks like it's going to bloom too.
Thanks, Sandy. I have my fingers crossed that it will bloom before the cold hits. It's a race right now to see which comes first:-)
Sandy it's exciting to see your plumie growing so well. I almost fell of my chair when I was scrolling down and saw this beautiful bunch of blossoms, only to see that it was Clare's (Sept 14) Clare, I don't mean to belittle your blooms, they are wonderful, but I thought at first glance they were Sandy's.
My 2 have started to grow, after doing very little this summer, but I had a visit with Sandy and learned the secret of fertilizer. Sandy I missed not having a visit last w/e.
Clare, I too hope that you get blooms before the cold hits.
Linda
That's too funny Linda. My blossoms are coming along slowly but surely. I can't believe how fast my three new branches are growing. The new leaves sure are smaller this time of year though. I'm sure it's because it's so cool these days with the rainy weather we've been having.
I'm glad your plants have started to grow. Do you keep your sunroom warm during the winter? I'm not sure if you're supposed to fertilize during the winter if the plants go semi dormant due to lower temperatures. I'm afraid I'm not much of an expert. Hopefully somebody will jump in here and help me out.
Yes, it's too bad we couldn't get together when you were up this way last weekend. I would like to have seen how much Cooper has grown since I saw him last time. It was nice to see the pictures on the other forum. Perhaps you could post one of him here with your plumies. I know for a fact that Clare is a dog lover. :-)
Sandy
Hi Linda and Sandy!
Sandy, I do not fertilize in the wintertime. Most plumerias go dormant in the winter except for ones that grow in the warmest, most tropical areas, and even they need a rest period. I would start fertilizing first thing in the spring.
Sandy, you are so right about that. My girl Dutchess died this past January, and I miss her so much. She used to follow me around the garden.
Clare I remember when Duchess died and you posted this picture. It broke my heart.
So my plumies that are outside on my covered deck, sitting on heat mats... I guess I should bring them in and let them got dormant.?
Here's a picture, Cooper's not too good at sitting still, and you can see where he's bitten the leaves.
Linda
Thanks, Linda. That is good of you to remember. You and others on the Brug Forum were a tremendous comfort to me on the night that she died and after that, and I will always be grateful for that friendship and support.
Awe, and what a cute little rascal he is! Hi Cooper buddy! Your plumie looks great! How low are temps now there at night? You can bring them in at night if temps are going to dip lower than 40, and then put them outside during the day if you can. A covered patio will provide extra protection, nad the heat mat is a bonus so you may be able to leave them out a lot longer than others would.
I just found this thread and am I ever excited! MollyMc traded me 2 rooted plumie stalks earlier this year and they have, until late last week, been putting all their energy into growing taller and putting on leaves.
When I returned from a 11 day ballooning trip last Sunday my DH pointed out a growth on one of the plumies that he thought might be a bloom. (Personally I thought it might be some kind of growth...) I couldn't be happier that it looks very much like the first picture in this thread!!!
Since I live in deep South Texas and it's just now getting below 100 I shouldn't cause any problems for it by really pouring the fertilizer to it now, right? (The nights usually hover in the high 60's-high 70's this time of year.)
Also, I had decided to upgrade them to a larger pot tomorrow as they are surely becoming tight in their present quarters. Would that not be a wise thing to do right now?
With thanks for all the help that I know is but a click away,
Donna/dstartz
Them in May.....
Hi Donna! Congrats on your inflo! Sure, if the weather is still warm where you are and your plumies are rootbound, go ahead and repot to one size up. They are going to take a rest soon in the wintertime so fertilizing this time of year is not recommended. Usually, plumeria growers fertilize regularly from spring to fall, but if it is going to be warm for another month where you are, they should be all right. Will you keep your plumerias growing in a greenhouse, or will you bring them inside for the winter? It is pretty late in the year for flowers, but I think you will see yours blooms if you bring it inside when the temperatures start to dip down into the 40's. I have a few inflo's starting on my plumies too, but they have to stay outside for the winter this year so it is a race to see if they will open before the cold hits. The cold weather may dry them up, or they may just stop progressing and continue progressing next spring. This one, "Intense Rainbow," just opened last night:
This message was edited Oct 15, 2005 11:21 AM
Cooper is such a little cutie Linda. So he's been chewing on some of your plumie leaves eh?....hope he's not chewing on any brugmansia leaves. Your plumie looks great....so healthy and nice big leaves.
That's a beautiful flower Clare. You sure do have some nice ones.
Donna, I hope your inflo blooms this fall for you before the cold gets it. I found that mine has taken 2 months to get to the point where the first bloom is looking like it's going to open any day now. I can hardly wait. It's quite a pale looking bud so I expect it will be white or yellow. Here's what it looks like today, exactly 2 months since the first picture.
Sandy
Linda, Sandy reminded me that you do want to keep Cooper from eating the plumeria leaves. I know brug leaves taste really bad because my girl Dutchess took a bite once from one of my brug leaves, and she immediately spit it out. She liked to nibble on things here and there when she was bored. The plumeria leaves have white latex sap which is poisonous. A little probably won't do anything, but a lot would probably make the little guy sick so, if he is in a plant chewing stage, you may want to put a little fence or barrier around you plumies:-)
Thanks, Sandy! You're right that that flower will probably be white. That's pretty slow but probably typical for this time of year. It seems that the more heat we have, the faster things bloom. Every time we have a heat wave, I run out to see what has opened.
Thanks Clare for the reminder about eating the leaves. Cooper's favourite snack now is the bark from the dead apple tree. Clare your plumies are what dreams are made of, they're wonderful eye candy, I wish I could smell them too.
Sandy, that's so exciting to have a plumeria so close to blooming, I'd be sitting out there watching it like a hawk.
Too bad we're not coming up any time soon.
Linda
Don't worry Linda, you can bet I'll be posting a picture or two, especially when I have a few flowers out at once. Harley just had a good time playing with Cooper's brother Charley from across the road. He's a beautiful little puppy too. I should have run in and got my camera. Here's a picture of Harley.
Thanks, Linda!
Awe, Sandy, Harley is adorable!
