Shrivelled branches on dormant plumeria - is this normal?

Attached is a picture of one of my plumerias. Three of its four branches are starting to look shrivelled, as if the plant is drying out too much. I have two plumerias, both of which are dormant in the garage. The branches on the other plant still look normal and there is one branch on this plant that still looks OK. I don't see any signs of rot anywhere on the plant and the ends are still alive and green. Will it perk back up once it gets some water?

This is my first year overwintering plumerias and I'm not sure exactly when/how to bring them out of dormancy. It's been unusuall warm here the past two days (highs around 80/lows around 50) so I think the plants could go outside. But, later this week it's supposed to return to near-normal temps (60/40) and I think that will be too cold them. Would it be OK to leave them outside when its' warm and then take them back indoors at night?

Hi Tom,
That looks like desication.
They are thirsty for sure.
Potem up and givem a drink, theyll plump up in no time.
Yes to the temps now and bring them back in when it cools down.
Welcome!!

I second what Michael said.

I almost forgot,
Put them where its plenty warm or even hot,
Lots of light too but watch the full sun just yet,
They may burn if you dont harden them off first.

I agree too with Michael and Hetty. Is the soil dry? There is one of two things happening, but the main reason is the same:

1. The roots are not taking up water because the soil is dry, and the plant needs water
2. The roots are not taking up water because there is root rot, and the plant needs water

I hope it is number #1. First, I would mist frequently and put the plant in warm, even hot, conditions during the day. If your low is 40 at night, that is fine for plumerias that are acclimated to those temps. Mine have been doing fine with temps in the low 40's and even high 30's, and most of them still have their leaves. If you want to put it outside on hot concrete during the day and bring it in at night, then that is the best alternative. If you have a heat pad inside, you can place it on a heat pad at night. Be sure to mist frequently when using a heat pad. The soil should be moist but not wet and not dry.

I would mist frequently to plump those stems up. To tell if you have rot or problem #2, reach beneath the soil with your fingers and gently squeeze the stem. If it is soft, mushy, brown, stinky, or discolored, then you have got to cut off the rot until you find clean white wood and re-root the cuttings. If your stem feels firm (other than a few wrinkles) and looks green and there is no discoloration, then the problem is #1, and you just need to water and mist.

Edited to add: Here's a link about winter preparation and storage: http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/dyncat.cfm?catid=2016 By the way, I noticed that you have got a new leaf coming in so I think your plant is coming out of dormancy if not already there.

This message was edited Mar 13, 2006 11:53 AM

If it is rot,
Be sure to sterilize the knife before making the final cut
Or the pathogen will transfer to your new pice and rot all over again.
Lots of tears when this happens.
Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks, everyone. I watered both plants with tepid water and put them on the deck next to the wall - it gets lots of sun there and stays very warm. I re-checked the base of the trunk below the soil line and there are no signs of rot. I will leave them outside unless the nighttime temperature gets below 40. One more question - how to prevent sunburn? If I leave the plants where it's warmest they are going to be in full sun for most of the day. If I move them to the shade it will be a lot cooler, especially since the pots would be sitting on the ground instead of the warm deck surface.

pUT A LIGHT COTTON CLOTH OVER THEM
ooPPSS CaPS sORRy.....

Good point, Michael! I always forget to mention that. That is very important. I use a sanitary cloth wipe that they use in hospitals which is supposed to kill everything. I think it is called "Santi-Wipe."

Tom, I'm glad that they just needed water and that there is no root rot. Good news! Michael is right that there are lots of tears when that happens. Been there; done that! Michael knows more about sunburn than I do so a light cloth for a couple of days sounds like it will do the trick. Otherwise, gradual exposure would probably work well too. You could put them in part sun/part shade for a few days before moving them into the full sun exposure. Filtered sun is probably good too.

Yah, harden of slowly.
I introduce them to the sun whenthere is a 3 or 4 day cloudy spell.
I keep them under a sheet for that time.
Then I do 4 or 5 days in the filtered sun without the blankey.
Then ill introduce them to thier summer homes in full sun.
Just watch them carefully, especially the young green ones.
The older hard wood trunks do ok fast.
The green literally cook.

Thank you, Clare and Michael. I will try to baby them for the next week or two. On cloudy days I will leave them outside but on sunny days I will keep them indoors at mid-day. If it's both warm and sunny I will keep them outdoors but in the shade. One of the plants started to grow inflorescences last fall; so far they have stayed green and healthy-looking, so I hope I see some blooms in a few weeks.

I do OK with plants in general, but I don't have much experience with plumerias... but fortunately I can ask here at DG and save myself some grief from trial and error. Thanks for being so helpful! I first saw plumerias up close in Hawaii a couple of years ago... I didn't know until last year that it was practical to grow them in non-tropical climates. I hope I have enough restraint to avoid acquiring too many before I figure out what I'm doing. :-)

this info is great!!!was just looking at my own shriveled plumeria & wondering what to do...as i live in z 6 & it is the first that i havent killed(had two last summer,but thought they could take a night outside in the 50s oops!!!!) thanks alot everyone for good info....I am a new member & just figuring everything here out..but well worth the membership for all the great info...

Welcome June!!
Another Pa Plumie Fan!
WOO-HOO!!!

Water and warm temperatures really helped. The branches have plumped up and look very healthy - no wrinkles. How long does it usually take them to start growing new leaves?

Hi Tom, I never had any problem with sunburn until recently. It is all about how acclimated to full sun the cuttings are to begin with. All of my plumies are in full sun year 'round and have never had sunburn. I've purchased plumeria cuttings from Florida and Hawaii, and those went directly into full sun to root without any problem. New branches grow in full sun conditions and don't get it. However, my neighbor gave me a cutting of his tree this fall. He cut it from a branch growing against his house and under the eave of the roof in full shade. I put it in my greenhouse to root. I imagine that was its first experience with sun! LOL! Here is a picture of it below so that you can see what sunburn looks like. I think this sunburn occurs with plumies that have been growing in shade and those that have been protected for a long period of time so it can't hurt to proceed slowly and gradually acclimate yours to full sun. I say throw restraint to the wind and obtain more plumies! LOL! Plumies are easy to grow, and it sounds like you know what you are doing already.

Hi Jeaninpgh and welcome! You definitely need to bring your plumies in for the fall and winter when temps start to drop below 50 at night when they are small plants and just-rooted cuttings. As they get acclimated and more mature, they can start to stay out longer. Mine are used to temps in the 40's at night and do just fine, but they start to drop their leaves at temperatures below 40. Any temperature above freezing is really all right, but 32 and below will cause damage and even death.

If you guys are interested, I wrote two articles about growing plumerias and about what I do to grow them and root them that you might find helpful. Look for the link to Clare's Garden at this site: www.plumerias.com

dear clare thanks I was told that by ed packer at packer nurseries when i bought new cuttings-he even gave me a free blooming tree for my mom who suffered a stroke & wanted to see a bloom-free & he paid 14 $ postage to send it w my order & my whole order was only $25 ,nice man...

Hi Jean, I agree that Ed Packer is a nice man. When I was first starting out growing plumerias, I bought 13 from him, and I love the ones that I still have.

Thanks, Clare. Did you forget to add the picture of sunburn? I think I know what to look for, though. It happens to most plants if they're moved from protected, low-light conditions to sun and wind outdoors. For a lot of my plants, I don't worry about it too much - their "indoor leaves" will get scorched and shredded when I put them outside in the spring, but they'll bounce back. I assume what one wants to avoid with plumerias is burning the tips of the branches and damaging the area where new growth emerges.

Oh, sorry, Tom. Yes, I did. Here it is. You are right. Brad said sunburn affected his inflo, and all his flower buds dropped. If the tips are damaged, new branches will form below the tips. It is just unsightly, I think, and probably affects the growth, I would imagine.

oh hi guys & thanks for all the info,Ive been working too much to check back till today,but since Im considering taking my plumie out in daytimes i figured id read what all u guys wrote,as i dont want to kill eds plant...its all wrinkled & shriveled-i hope its just dried out as tips are green....am watering & going to set out in days & bring in at night,as i am in pgh pa & its getting cool agaim next week...thanks again for all the info & pics,as i killed my first two plants last year,I left one out in autums & thought it would take the chilly nights-it rotted away!! & then the survivor was living quite well until my son killed it,i store my tropicals in his sunny attic bedroom....my brugs have survived & my son even named them that attic is so sunny they didnt even go dormant...will they live thru the cool week coming?? lows of 39 at night?? or should i bring them all back in???never grew these before either...same question about my vargiated bougainvilla ..thanks a binch for info & pics by the way ,as here in pgh no one is familiar w these tropicals that im liking more & more...jean

Hi Jean,

If your plumies aren't acclimated to cold, I wouldn't put them outside fulltime until the nighttime temps remain above 50. My variegated Bougainvillea is outside all winter, and it does fine. PlantFiles indicates that it is hard to 20 degrees Fahrenheit: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54294/index.html Plumies need to remain above freezing at 32 degrees, preferrably above 40 if they are acclimated to colder temps.

Well, I see this thread popped back up again :) Here's an update... my two plumerias are doing just fine so far. One had started to a few small leaves while dry/dormant in the garage but those fell off soon after I moved the plants outdoors. They have been outdoors almost constantly the past four weeks except for a few cold nights when I brought them back indoors. As long as it's above 40F I figure they're going to be OK. I have small leaves starting to form and the one that had inflos forming last fall has held onto the buds - they're growing again! If I'm lucky I'll have blooms in a few weeks. So far, so good! Question: When should I start to feed them again? Do I wait until the leaves grow to certain size or should I start now - and do I start with "regular strength" or diluted fert?

That's great, Tom! I would wait a bit longer to fertilize until your nights warm up a bit, but that is just what I would do, and you can start anytime you wish. I will start fertilizing when the temps are above 50. Growth is slow when the nights are still in the 40's. I would also wait until you have at least one set of full size leaves, but opinions will vary on when to start. You can see what other opinions you get on this and decide. I would definitely start with regular strength fertilizer. There is no reason to dilute it. Here are a few links: http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/dyncat.cfm?catid=2017 and http://www.plumeria101.com/fertilizer.html and

thanks clare & tom,my plumie looks just like that wrinkeled pic-i bring it in at night just in case,have been working too much to check in here alot,but was looking for info on texas B.O.P & saw the responses,thanks so much for advice,as i killed a plumie last year & so want this to bloom for my mom,shes very sick & may never see one again!! bad heart cant be fixed,,,so thanks so much for advice & info,,,,much appreciated..gtg look up this crazy texas B.O.P. as i really want one...i need a bigger hous eto overwinter all this stuff,but its all so beautiful thats its worth the extra care the vargiated bougainvilla is out now & loving it,as its 50s at night,but Im still bringing the plumie in,as i remember how fast the last one died,so am more careful w this new baby!! overprotective new mama syndrome...went out onto rainy muddy patio to rescue it--barefoot even!!thanks all of u again & have a great weekend...lmk if any of u ever trade tropicals or perennials too,as im going to be doing less working & more trading as planting season is here in west Pa finally!!!...jean

Jean, your plumie will be happy outside full time if nights are above 50 for you now. I forgot whether your plumie has roots or not. Cuttings will become wrinkled if kept too dry so make sure that the soil is moist at all times, and you can mist the cuttings to keep them hydrated. Stick them on a hot surface, like hot concrete, as the heat will help the rooting process tremendously. Misting and heat should help to iron out those wrinkles.

Jean - just follow Clare's advice and your plumerias should be fine. The branches on mine plumped back up and look completely normal. I gave mine a bit of shade by moving them around for a few days so they wouldn't get sunburned. Since then they've been on the deck in full sun. Even on days when the temp is in the 60s the deck surface is still very warm to walk on - the plumies seem to like it. The leaves are growing back nicely now. I'll do as Clare suggested and wait until the leaves reach full size before fertilizing them. It seems like a logical plan - wait until the plant is actively growing and can make use of the food.

Hi clare thanks ,my nights are still in 30s this week & next so I am leaving it in nights,It has no roots yet(i was surprised to see,as it came here blooming!!)I also have a bunch of brugs im moving in & out but may just cover tonite ,its warmer on the patio & the poor things are getting yellow leaves ,I think from being left in my dark cellar for three days straight,so I took them out & watered & will cover them all before it cools off as days are 70 nights 35 but on the patio cobered up w blankets Im sure it will be warmer,as I also have spanish lavander i just potted into huge pots & they were too heavy to bring in,I almost kiled myself last night so Im covering them all & saying a prayer,next year I will just now bring them down from the sunny attic till may..my sweet husband says her building me a greenhouse this summer as I think I need it!!!I am getting a real tropical plant probelm every room in my house has a potted tropical my patio is full too!!sure will be beautiful if it all can live another week or so thru the chilly april....thanks again for th advice I do check in here when i can just really busy this time of year.jean