I have waited three years to get it right so it would bloom and now it is dropping it's blooms one by one just before they open up. What have I done wrong now? Thank you, Joan
First plumeria bloom and it is dropping blooms
Joan, tell us a little about the conditions its in and what your nighttime temps are now. It sounds like it doesn't have enough energy to bloom, which takes a lot of energy. It could be lack of nutrients, lack of light, lack of good drainage, or a combination of those things. It could also be that temps in your area are dropping at night.
Clare, I was hopping you would answer. I have been flowing you on another thread and I may need to give it more nutrients. It was 95 today and 83 at night. It looks beautiful and the color is grate. I have not given them enough food or sun. I have learned a lot tonight. I am in East Tx. so it will be hot for along time. I will send you a picture of it and the other plants and maybe you can tell me some more about them. I had just given up on them and them I started reading what you and others have said and now they are out in the frount. Thank You, Joan
Wow, you have some great heat right now. I hope you are giving it lots and lots of water during this time. That could be the problem too if it is getting too dry. Yes, if you get some water soluable fertilizer and water it in, that should help give it some energy. You've got some scorching heat there so you should probably be watering daily if you have good drainage in your pots. Six hours of full sun is considered full sun so that could be from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or whatever. It will probably keep the next buds it has if it has enough water and sun.
Clare, I will send the pictures In the morning. Joan
Two plants here first one losing blooms but looks very healthy. Second plant leaves are curling on edge.
Flower
Leaves are curling on edge
The leaf deformations looks a lot like what mine do in the wintertime when they are inside and dont get enough lighting.
I think they look great, Joan. Does that first pot have good drainage? Hopefully it has a couple of big holes in the bottom so water can run right through. Good drainage is absolutely essential to the health of a plumeria. The second one looks like it has spider mites or some other sucking insect. Mites, aphids, whiteflies, and other sucking insects will make the leaves curl like that. I would spray with some Neem Oil, Horticultural Oil, or any garden Insectide/Miticide and be sure to spray well underneath the leaves. As Michael pointed out, make sure it is getting enough light. As I mentioned before six hours of full sun is ideal.
I went out today and bought Schultz, Bloom Plus, 5-30-5. I will put it on in the morning and I will look real close. I have a bad time with red spider but I did not think they would get on my plumerias so they were not getting the attention I should
have giving them for other bugs.
I will check the bottoms of each pot and Michael I think I will move it to another place where it will have more sun.
DH will drill more holes for me because the pots just have the holes they came with. The second one is in a small pot so I will just re-pot it.
What night time low temperature do both of you use to bring them in for the winter?
Thank you both for all your help, Joan
That sounds really good, Joan. If you don't get some flowers this year, you will for sure in the spring after all that good treatment. You can remove some of your leaves, if you wish, and spray the others. I'm doing that too because I've got a spider mite infestation also.
I don't bring mine in for the winter. They stay outside all year. They don't even drop their leaves until temps drop into the 30's, and last year, only one lost all its leaves entirely. That was Duke, and it didn't happen until February.
I would bring yours in before temps drop below 40 for sure, but some feel more comfortable bringing them in before temps drop below 50. The larger, more mature plants can tolerate cold a lot more than smaller ones. The well-rooted ones are also more tolerant of cold than the just-rooted ones. So there is some discretion regarding when to move them inside.
I erected a portable greenhouse for my tropicals and plumeria seedlings last winter, and I kept just-rooted and still-rooting cuttings in it, but I'm not sure that I'm going to do that this year. I may just let all the plumerias fend for themselves with the exception of some seedlings that I just started this summer. I may bring those in the house when temps drop into the 40's. It doesn't get much below 35 here in the winter.
Clare, thank you so much for all the help. I have a greenhouse that I keep at forty all winter. We only have light freezes so I have to watch for it to get to hot in the greenhouse from the sun in the winter. It just seems to get warmer and warmer here in the winter and cooler in the summer. Can you tell a change where you are? My son and daughter-in-law live in L.A. and they love there. Joan
Hi Joan, you are quite welcome:-) My portable greenhouse would get up into the hundreds during the day in the winter. I would open it to air it out when I got home in the afternoon, and it would be 110 in there and even higher. The plumies loved all that heat. I don't think I want to bother with it this winter. I'll just bring some seedlings indoors if it gets too cold. It was a mild winter last winter, but the winter before that was cold. It came very close to freezing that winter. It starts to get cold around the end of October here if we are lucky.
Clare, I have been reading the thread where you were talking about La Florida and the web site of Florida Colors. I went to there site and did not see any seedling for La Florida. I have never bought a plumeria the ones I have were given to me. So I am not sure which is the best to buy. I saw cutting, grafting and seedling. Are the prices at Florida Colors good and are there some that are easier them others to grow?
I went out today and my bigest plumeria has two new buds and it has not droped any more blooms.
This is realy fun now that I understand what I am to do.
Joan
Hi Joan, Florida Colors has many plumeria for sale which are not listed on their web site unfortunately. The do, however, publish a list each year which they send out to all their past and present customers. You will need to call them to see if they have any La Florida for sale. The seeds of La Florida were given to a friend of mine, and she shared some with me. She got them initially by going to Florida Colors for a party and tour when they had one this past summer. I think she won them as a door prize.
I can't say enough good things about Florida Colors. They are a very reputable business, and their prices are extremely reasonable. I have bought most of my collection from them. I have bought both cuttings and grafts. (Their seedlings, by the way, have flowered before they are sold and are usually named and registered as cultivars. They have created some beautiful and exciting hybrids.)
There are some cultivars that they only offer as grafts because they know they are difficult to root. The ones that are typically difficult to root are reds and rainbows. All are easy to grow. At this time of year, I would only order grafts because rooting cuttings during the cooler seasons of fall and winter can be difficult. It is so close to colder weather now that it might be best to wait until spring to order more plumerias. I know that I won't be buying any more this year.
Congrats on your buds!
Clare, I just read the site on grafting, it was very clare and I printed it out so I can try it next year. Both you and Kukiat wright very well, If I can understand it any one can. Boy I am hook in just a few days. I realy thank you but I can not speak for DH.
I can not belive I just get hooked and it is time to stop for the winter when it is still 95. But it will give me lots of time to learn all the things I need to know. You are a great teacher.
I was glad to here you have burgs too. I will be asking you all kind of dumb thing there too.
Joan
LOL! Joan, you are sweet:-) Thanks for the compliments. I'm happy to help you with whatever I can. As far as grafting goes, I'm terrible at it. I've tried it a few times, and my grafts failed. I need to keep practicing at it.
If you are hooked, I say go for it! Don't let the weather stop you. There are ways around the weather:-) It's a little more work, but it's fun too. You can start seeds and cuttings on a heating pad indoors with some supplemental lighting. (My DH refers to my plumeria collection as a cancer that keeps growing!)
Clare, It opened. I did what you told me to and it opened. Here are pictures of bloom and new buds. Thank you so much, Joan
this is bud 2
Bud 3
Yay! I'm so happy for you, Joan! It's a beauty! I bet it smells good too:-)
Clare, can you tell me the name? I seem to see it a lot on here. I just went out to check the smell and the wind is blowing so I will try again and let you know. With the new buds will I be able to save them if I bring them in the house when it starts to get cold?
It looks like a common white. I don't recognize it as being a registered cultivar, but common white is just lovely. I have one myself. Yes, it should keep blooming for you if you bring it in and put it by a sunny window. It should keep blooming in your greenhouse as well as long as it doesn't get much below 40.
Thank you so much. I am so proud of it you would think I never saw any thing bloom before. Joan
It's very okay for you to get excited! Plumeria flowers are very exciting!