As some of you know I am especially interested in Plumeria...Frangipani...Hawaiian Lei flowers...although tropical...they can be grown indoor under lights etc...The seedpods on Plumeria take 9 months to produce seeds..so many people just propagate by "sticks"..cuttings..etc...I am starting some classes here with shut ins..sr citizen groups etc...growing them from seeds..and have been thinking i would like to do the same thing via the net with some of you folks who already have lights set up etc...or those you might know of that are shuts ins etc...and need a winter hobby ...Some generous friends of mine have sent me seeds and my thought is to make a HOW TO..email with directions...what's involved etc...Although this is an effort on my part promote the sharing of plumeria...it also would be a fun project for many....Plumeria seeds are shaped like fish..with fins and all...When grown from seed...they don't always resemble their parents at all...and sometimes that's good as new introductions can occur that way..Most often it takes 2 years for the seedlings to bloom...but sometimes sooner and sometimes later...While mature plumeria go dormant in the fall...and "awake" in the spring...plumeria seedlings can be grown all year especially under lights...There is much more to explain etc...but i wanted to invite those of you and someone you know to participate...I would provide the seed etc...If interested in this project...please send me Dmail and i'll collect names etc..and get everything organized...Thanks..Bob
OT...looking for Shut Ins ..Sr Citizens for Plumeria Project
Bob this is so kind of you !
Isn't he a sweetie????????????
All together now...
HOORAY FOR BOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
om goodness...well i hope a lot of you will join in....Allison a natural with her growing expertise for this...he he...just dmail me your name etc..I think they're 5 signed up so far...it will be fun and a bit different from the gesneriad way of starting seeds..
I would be willing to try. I recently killed my plumeria, but have quickly acquired 4 more and they are doing just fine. I killed mine, by not paying attention, and overwatered it. It got stem rot. I had the thing for 3 years and it was given to me by my husbands grandmother. Talk about feeling guilty. Like I said though. The four I have now are doing great. If you feel like taking a chance on me, I would love to.
Kelly
Hi Kelly...please dmail me..thanks...Bob
i wanted to ad a further word on this project...we still have room for more...i thought i should explain how this will work..
..i will email with what is needed and i will send you the seeds..
basically this is what you will need
.fine vermiculite.
bounty towels
a container like a plastic shoe box that closes tight..(i use one of those plastic containers that lock tight...we want to keep moisture inside)
some SUPER THRIVE...AND lights
we will soak the plumeria seeds overnight in S.T.
put them in a plastic container..that has vermiculite on the bottom....moistened but not wet..
two bounty towels that have been wetted and WRUNG out so they are damp...not wet....and lay these on top of the vermiculite.
we will than lay the seeds on the dampened paper towels...usually the seeds emerge in about a week or so...sometimes sooner...the seeds look like gold fish and we will lay them flat
than we cover and LOCK the container...and put them under lights or on a heat pad...or source for bottom heat...bottom heat is the key to germination.
..if we see too much condensation on the inside..we can open and take the moisture off the plastic.
the nice thing about doing this in the plastic boxes is that one can see them..and also they will keep in here a very long time...while i don't suggest it..i have had mine in their plastic boxes for months....
..you may read that there are other ways to start these seeds but i want us to follow this method as it has worked very well.
as the seeds emerge and get their true leaves one can transplant..but i prefer to leave them in their plastic containers till they get about 3 inches tall..
that's a brief look at the method and i will explain as we go along...
so if anyone else is interested...dmail me....thanks..Bob
I'm back and haven't forgotten about our project ..just typing loose ends together....if there is anyone else that wants to try their hand at the plumeria seedling project..dmail me as i want to get everything out to you that are participating soon...thanks and hugs to y'all....bob
