Don't ask.........
What size pot?
A third of an acre lot and grass being removed a little more every day. So far many of my plants are still small but in another year or two I am going to be in SERIOUS TROUBLE. However, I'll be like Scarlett O'Hara and won't worry about that today..... LOL I think there will be a massive sale at that time!
Hi Guys! Meag, Hetty is right about Florida Colors Nursery. They are wonderful, and I too highly recommend them. They have a web site at http://www.floridacolors.com/ that you can order from, or you can call Luc or Carol and place an order by phone.
Michael gave you some excellent recommendations in Aztec Gold and Celadine. Those are two must-haves for sure. Michael and Hetty are also right that seedlings typically take 2-3 years to bloom or longer so don't wait that long to smell plumie flowers!
As to where I put them...LOL! I have even less room than Hetty does: 1/8 of an acre. I've been removing rose beds and all sorts of plants to make room for the plumerias. I too will be in trouble in a couple of years. Hetty, are you an Aries? I think Scarlett O'Hara was an Aries. I too am an Aries and will worry about that later! LOL!
Just look at all those babies. How long can they stay in the 1 gal pot. I see that one is blooming already. Is that a seedling or a cutting? I have some cuttings that seem to have rooted in the past few months, they're starting to put out new leaves, I take that as a good sign.
Hi Linda! That picture was actually taken last year at the end of August. The ones that are blooming in that picture are cuttings. I did have three seedlings bloom at 20, 22, and 24 months old, but those are around four feet tall. Cuttings should be transplanted from one-gallon containers soon after they are rooted and after the roots have filled the pots. New leaves are definitely a good sign and are an indication that roots have formed or are being formed. Here is a picture of some of my seedlings at 20 months old:
Here is a pic of the first bloom of one of my seedlings:
Here is another seedling flower:
Here is my other seedling flower:
I am most definitly in trouble!! I have an acre yard!! But I don't have the weather most of you have.... and live in a very small double wide. No greenhouse either. Extra bedrooms look out!!! Plummies will be moving in!!!
LOL, Meag! You go girl!
Clare, those are beautiful, I can't wait. I have some seedlings that I received as a trade when they were about 3 mos old. I've been growing them for about 18 mos now, so maybe this summer I'll see blooms. I think I'm supposed to feed them a bloom booster fertilizer when the weather warms up and I move them out. Is that correct? I need lots of help here. I have brugs, should the plumies be treated about the same?
Hi Linda! You will probably get flowers this summer! How exciting!
Yes, Plumerias have a lot of similarity to brugs: they needs lots of fertilizer to bloom well, well-draining soil, and protection from freezing temps. Brugs grow a lot faster than plumerias, but they are susceptible to the same insects. I find that plumerias don't require quite as much maintenance as brugs require.
Yes, you will want to start fertilizing weekly once your plumerias are outside and start out with a Bloombooster solution and any supplements you would like.
Now, could someone please give the name of a good pink for a beginner. My husband is sitting here with one eye cocked....he just don't know what has been started here, does he? LOL!!!
Plastic Pink or Slaughter Pink are both wonderful.
Thank You!
I agree with Michael about Slaughter Pink; however, Plastic Pink has a reputation for being very difficult to root. I've heard this from others as well as had a couple rot on me. Check out the new Florida Colors variety list and go through PlantFiles for more ideas: http://davesgarden.com/pf/b/Apocynaceae/Plumeria/none/cultivar My favorite pink right now is Key West Pink.
My Plastic Pink came rooted. ;)
Malestrom = "ROOTED ONLY!!'
OOOOhhhh I love Miami Rose!!
I cant wait till its warm enough to ship here safely!
;)
Those are gorgeous, can't wait to see my first bloom.
Michael, you are smart! The ones that I just ordered from Florida Colors will all be grafted! ;-)
I love Miami Rose too. In fact, Key West Pink and Miami Rose are very similar. Does anyone here know the differences between the two? I was just wondering. My MR hasn't bloomed yet, but when it does, I can compare them side by side.
That is a great picture, Hetty! Hetty, I just ordered you! Tee hee!
Flordia Colors only have Plastic Pink and Miami Rose as cuttings....no Key West Pink. I do have to have a grafted plant in order to see blooms this year... right? So what is next on the list?
Melanie
I went back to FC web page and went through all the descriptions of the pinks, here is what I came up with...Jeannie Moragne, Pink Ruffles, and Polynesian Sunset. Are any of these good for beginners. All of these are grafted.
Thanks,
Melanie
My little eight seedlings are putting off their second set of leaves.. but one of them are a really light green. They are still in the same pot I started them in. It's time to repot right? Thanks so much for holding my hand!!LOL!!
I have several seedlings of Key West Pink and I just Aquired a Miami Rose from DutchLady.
I am sooo excited!!
OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!! I feel the spring gottahavanotherplumierush setting on!! QUANDAMOOKA IN THE WORKS TOO WOO-HOO!!!!! 8D
Meag, Miami Rose and Key West Pink are very similar so I would just get the Miami Rose from FC. You can getting cuttings or graft plants on most of their trees. Some are difficult to root so FC only offers some as grafted plants. If you are going to order Plastic Pink, I would definitely order it as a grafted plant. No, you don't have to have a grafted plant in order to see blooms this year. Cuttings taken from a flowering tree will usually flower in the first year. I've had grafted plants which didn't flower in the first year but which put on wonderful growth instead and then flowered in the second year. That is not uncommon with grafted plants, but they make strong growers because of the graft.
Those are all lovely selections that you picked out. There are so many nice ones that it can be hard to choose.
Don't worry about the light green seedling. It may have a deficiency of some sort that will be resolved. I am repotting seedlings too. Yes, I would think it is time to repot and give them each their own little container. Anytime that you have questions, feel free to ask. Michael, Brad, Roger, Kukiat, Hetty, and many others on this forum are knowledgeable and experienced plumeria growers and are happy to help.
Congrats, Michael! I have a seedling of Key West Red, and I also have a regular Key West Red, and according to FC's list, Key West Red is the same as Cranberry! I didn't know that! I also didn't know that Salsa is also Rose Red. I also have a Rose Red seedling. Seedlings are fun! Congrats on your Quandamooka! I hope you are feeling better these days, Michael. I know about that rush that you speak of. It prompted me to buy 10 from Florida Colors a few days ago.
Here are some of my seedlings that are getting potted:
Does anyone out there have any experence/opinion about starting seeds and cuttings in perlite only? I've got a ton of it I'd like to use. I've been using Jiffy Seed Pellets and so far so good with them, but I need to get rid of some of this perlite. Hope to meet some of you in Galvaston this July. I'm planning on going and would love to put some faces on names or names on faces.Michael, take care of your self so you can be there. Lori
Hi Shubunkin, you can always mix it into potting soil so that the potting soil drains better. That is how I would use it. I wouldn't recommend using in by itself for seedlings because it doesn't hold nutrients or retain water very well. Some people do root cuttings in it by itself, but I think it is better used when it is added to potting soil to make it better draining.
Shubunkin,
I use a mix of about 4 parts perlite 4 parts peat Moss 1 part sand mixed put it 2 inches from the top of a 1 gal. plastic container stick my 12"-14" cutting in about 4" and firm around it .fill up to the top with pea gravel.Water it .Then I plunge the pot into the ground in full sun and don't do a thing untill a see it sprout.In short perlite works just fine.
Don
If any of you get a chance to get to S.florida you should make sure to save an afternoon and go to Florida Colors and take a camera ,magic marker, and a big bag .Call ahead and see if Luc or Carol have time to show you around .If you can make it in late Spring or later you'll never forget it.The last time I went my magic marker was running out of magic and I wasn't able to label properly about a 1/2 dozen of my cuttings .But Luc sure was a great wealth of info and a master tour guide.As we were walking by huge trees in full bloom with seed pods hanging down just about to open he told me to pick it and put in my bag.
A great couple of hours and not to mention now the uncuriable addiction.Now what on earth an I going to do with over 100 seedling. Such a terrible problem huh guys.
Don LaClair Florida 9B
Sounds like what I need to make my fever rise. Wish I had acres, but alas I do not.
Thanks you guys, I already use cactus mix and I'm mixing in some perlite and it's working OK..........but, of course I want it to work better....... AND I have a royal bunch of perlite that I mistakenly bought (for cheap--really!) and I'm trying to get it out of the garage before my husband actually realizes it's there and starts wondering what I'm up to. ....Sound familar??? Lori
Shubunkin - Hi neighbor. If you still have some of that perlite to get rid of in July, bring it to the roundup! I use it for rooting epie cuttings. :-) Another addiction.
Clare, what size pot should one year cuttings move up to? I also have a couple of branched plants I bought last summer in one-gallon pots. How should I repot these? Enjoyed your articles - you have a talent for simple explanatory writing that is also readable. Does that make sense? Perhaps you should work on a book to support your habit!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen! Thanks so much for the compliments! I really appreciate that and am really glad that you enjoyed the articles. It was really fun to do, and I am just glad that it is readable and not boring! I love to talk and write about plumerias and would love to do a book some day. Your one-year rooted cuttings would love to have a five-gallon container this spring or even now since you are in such a warm zone. You may even have to repot to a ten-gallon container by the end of the summer. You can do this if you have a warm fall, but if it will be cold and rainy this fall, then you could leave it in a five-gallon container and repot to a ten-gallon or fifteen-gallon container the following spring. Plumerias do quite well, even if they are rootbound, so you don't have to worry about them so much like you might about other rootbound plants.
Don, Luc and Carol are wonderful people! They are going to Thailand and India this spring.
Clare, thanks. I picked up some 12 inch clay pots yesterday to try - I have a tendency to overwater, so I will see how these work before I repot the smaller ones.
Doing more clean-up than gardening right now, as our whole area is on strict water conservation for the next eleven days - no water coming in at all while the Water Authority makes some improvements. Back to saving dishwater for the plants.
Kathleen
Kathleen, I have a tendency to overwater also and am trying to break that habit. The good news is that plumerias love water during the warm seasons and as long as the temps don't get too cold at night. Good luck during your water conservation!
Oh you Californians! You have the advantage with plumerias! Maybe all these east coasters will get the addiction really going on this end! The more I read the more I say "I gotta' have one!"
Hi Barbara! LOL! You are in a pretty good place to grow them as well, and there are quite a few Floridians here like Hetty, Roger, Brad (ncasselberryfla), Brad (flyboy), and donlaclair, and many others that I can't remember now. Michael is in PA, and GordonHawk is in New York, and they do super well with them too! We have to get our favorite New Yorker over here to show us his plumie collection to get the East Coast jazzed! I agree: you've gotta have one!