How do I determine whether my plumeria is dead?

I put it in the basement all winter, unattended. Now it looks wrinkled and dead but isn't mushy. I gave it some water and put it outside. It was a cutting in its first year.

Andi - the others are the experts but if I understand what they've been saying our temps (except last weekend and Mon.) have been too cold esp. for a cutting outside. We'll wait and see what they have to say. Clare? Michael? Hetty?

Sounds like its still sleeping.
Post a pic then well know better.

NOT MUSHY is good.
You don't want to put it outside until you are reliably over 60 degrees, reemember, this is a tropical plant. Meanwhile it might be happy in a sunny window.
Yes, picture would be good....

I brought it back inside.It was only out there for a couple of hours and it wasn't too cold. It looks nothing like it did when it was a cutting. I will try to figure out how to post a photo. I will be amazed if it's not dead. It's brown.

Well, is it brown, dry, and shrivelled, or is it brown and wrinkled with a greenish tip? It may have died if the roots rotted. Does it feel firm just below the soil? How was the rooted cutting stored? Was it in dry soil, moist soil, or bareroot? Is there any green visible at all? A picture would definitely help. How cold does your basement get? Is there any light in there at all? If it is dormant, it should be all right with some water and some light, but Chantell is right that it is not time to put the plumerias out yet until nighttime temps are above 40 for mature plants and 50 for the smaller, just-rooted ones. Singapores are very cold-sensitive and should not be put out until temps are above 60 as they are prone to Black Tip. It will not hurt to put your rooted cutting in the sun during the daytime. Bottom heat, bright light, misting, and some water will help to bring your plumie back if it is trying to come out of dormancy and in need of water. If you are able to post a picture, we can probably see what is happening right away. Take a look at Tom's wrinkled plumies in that other thread and tell us if yours look like his. If they do, read that thread and see if it could be one of the two options.

It's dead. I can't find the photo upload instructions in the FAQ, but it looks like a piece of a branch you tore off of a tree in winter, but shriveled too.

Did you check the roots to see if they are rotten? Let us know the conditions that you had it in. It might still be able to be saved, depending upon if there is rot or dessication or if it is just dry and dehydrated.

Uploading a photo is easy. Just hit the Browse button, find the picture on you computer (usually kept in the Pictures Folder in Windows), and select it, and then hit "Preview" before hitting send.

Thanks. I will take a photo. It looks really bad, but it doesn't just come out of the soil if I lift it. The conditions were an unheated basement without water. I could kick myself.

Andi,
When you take the pic and upload it to the computer - pay close attention to where you're saving it at...write it down. Some of the computers send those digitals to very odd places and are beyond difficult to find. So save it where you'll remember it...i.e. where it makes sense as Clare said. Example under My Documents and then under My pictures. It's so frustrating to save them only to realize you have no earthly idea where.
Chantell

Well, those are not necessarily bad conditions for a plumeria to remain dormant for the winter, depending upon how cold your basement got and how damp it is in there. The fact that it doesn't come out of the soil easily is a good sign. Have you been misting frequently? I would put your plumie on a heat mat, water heater, or other heat source and give it some water and lots of misting. You would be suprised what I have brought back to life from the brink of death. It is possible.

LOL, Chantell, that is good advice:-)

I haven't been misting or doing anything. Total neglect. I am trying to get the photo now.

Hello Clare!!!
I'll have to look back at your articles I printed out...but did you go over how to handle them during the winter - for those of us that would need to bring them in after summer?
How are you btw?
Chantell

Oh Clare if you only knew the horror stories of the places my pics have ended up in the black hole of the computer. My patience w/that type of "in search of" is ZERO...so sad

Ok, much to my embarassment, I have tried to upload the photo here. I am devastated by this error.

Malestrom Plays Taps....
Sorry bud.....
Doesnt look good at all.....

ouch

That's what I thought. I will start over this year.

Well the one on the left is dead. The one on the right might still be alive. It is hard to say. Is that two cuttings planted together in the same pot? It looks wet in there. Is that from watering recently? Those leaves in there are bad news. They invite dampness, mildew, etc. I would pull out the small one and carefully examine the stem and roots. That one might be saveable.

Hi Chantell! I'm doing good! Hope you are doing well too:-) There are a few links here on this forum with winter storage instruction. I'll try to find them and post them. Mine stay out all year except for the cuttings that I am rooting which get put in the greenhouse. The plumies with inflo's get a spot in the greenhouse too so that they will keep blooming. Here's a link with links to articles about winter preparation and storage: http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/dyncat.cfm?catid=2013

This message was edited Mar 17, 2006 1:53 PM

Chantell, here is a good link about winter storage with pictures: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/534865/

Thank you, Clare...not that I want to be thinking about winter when hopefully we're on the tail end...but always good to be prepared. We're all doing well...busy since baseball has started for my son already...yikes!!! No free weekends until Aug. :)

Two different cuttings. I just recently watered; within days. The leaves are from when I bought the plant in last fall, so I don't think that they mean much.

After looking closely at the second one again, I think they are probably both dead. Sorry about that. I know it doesn't help much now, but I would clean out any dead leaves or plant matter out of the container before storing for the winter and keep the soil on the dry side. I also would give each plumie their own individual one-gallon containers. It looks like that container is too big. So sorry!

Id soak that pot in 1/2 bleach 1/2 water for 20 minutes before using it again as well.

UGH!!! Saw that message too late, Michael. Had a Ficus Bonsai "bite the dust" last week and replaced it with a much of baby succulents...didn't even think to clean out that bonsai pot appropriately - grrr!!! My brain was obviously MIA during that time!!

eh....
Just a precaution....
They could be fine. ;)

fingers crossed - won't forget next time, for sure

I use bleach on my pots too after each use. It's a good precaution for sure, especially if something was previously rotting in a pot.

Clare,
Yes - I completely understand now....like I said don't know what I was thinking when I just "swapped" them out.

Chantell, I've done it too so no worries, Mate! There were times when I was too lazy to dump the soil, wash the pot, fill with soil again, etc. Succulents are pretty tough so I wouldn't worry about them.

I feel really bad about this. What's a good place to buy some starter cuttings. I am not picky. I picked up a couple on the popular auction site, but I doubt that they were a good deal.

Cheapies?
Try Packers.
Nice ones? try Tropicnature.net Sukis site.
Shes da Bomb!

Does it make a difference in terms of scent? I don't usually neglect plants, this was just a result of very bad advice, but I don't want to spend a fortune either. I am a snob about enough plants already.

Andidandi, Michael pointed out some good places to buy them -- one is super cheap and one is on the higher end. Packers, also known as Aloha Palms Nursery, http://www.alohapalms.com/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=4414669.14228*873L-4&product=PLUMERIAS has cuttings for $2 a cutting, but you have to purchase a minimum of five cuttings, and you will have to root them yourself. Some of them -- the whites, yellows, and Celadines -- are easy to root. Others -- the reds, rainbows, pinks, and Singapores -- may not be easy to root. In any case, warm weather, if not hot weather, is needed to root cuttings successfully unless you have the aid of something for bottom heat, like a heating pad. If you are rooting cuttings from Packers, you probably won't have any blooms this year, but you probably will the following year. If you want to see a plumie bloom this year, buy a rooted one or a grafted one from Florida Colors: http://www.floridacolors.com/ Also check your local Home Depot and Target during the summer for blooming ones for sale. Usually, unnamed unregistered cultivars are less expensive than named registered cultivars, but in terms of scent, it makes no difference whether they are named or unnamed. Some plumies smell heavenly and have a classic scent; some have a fruity or peachy scent; some have a spicy scent; some have a floral scent; some have a very mild scent; some have no scent at all.

Edited to fix spelling

This message was edited Mar 20, 2006 7:07 PM

Clare or Michael,
Do all the HD's carry Plumeria? Not sure that I ever saw any...but wasn't looking before either...would've just past by thinking why is there a stick in soil...LOL
Chantell

Hi Chantell, they usually do here in Northern and Southern California in the summer. I think some have reported seeing them at the Home Depot in Texas. It is worth checking out because they are usually reasonably priced. They have them at nurseries here too. They may not have them in Virginia, but you never know!

That's it...I'm moving...LOL Nah....wouldn't be able to bring my newly acquired Persian Lilac!!! Gonna be so pretty!!! $10 @ Wally world - 3 gal - 5' 6".....cool or what?

Ive never seen em in PA or NJ or DE Home Depots or Wall marts or lowes
It seems to be a southern and west coast thang. ;)

Fine then Michael....then I'd like a steak and cheese to go please...grilled mushrooms and onion...no green pepper. That'll make me feel better....that and NO MORE winter weather advisories...grrr!!!
Oh and ummm....I am south...of you....lol!

This message was edited Mar 21, 2006 12:18 AM