I didn't want to highjack another thread so I started this one in hopes that I am not the only newbie that wants to know! Do all plumies get seed pods once they bloom, or do only certain ones get the seed pods? Or do they have to be a certain age to get them??
Seed pod question for the experienced ones out there!
Hi Bev, a tree usually needs some maturity to develop seed pods following flowering, and the pollinators have to be present in the area in order to pollinate the flowers. Some cultivars set seed more readily than others -- probably because some self-pollinate more readily. Thrips are the pollinators of plumerias. You can pollinate the flowers manually. Jim Little's new book shows how to do that, but the male and female organs are very tiny so it is difficult to do.
Thank you Clare, I have Jim Little's book, but I am not sure that I could manually pollinate them. It would be awesome to be able to though! It was just something I wasn't sure of.
Bev, I don't think I could either. You would have to have a lot of patience, I think. I'm not sure I want thrips around either. I think thrips are responsible for spreading viruses, aren't they?
Thrips are bad news period!!
If you got hibiscus or gardenias say goodbye to your unopen flower buds..
I am constantly in battle with them over my various gardenia's..
To be honest tho i have never seen thrips on any of my plumerias maybe there is much better food for them to eat in my garden :(
I have no idea what they even look like and hope i never have the pleasure of their company! I do however have gardenias, but maybe my climate isn't suitable for them?? I don't know.
Well if your gardenia's open up look under each petal if you have them they will be the little black skinny bugs moving around..
If you pick the flower and she is infested with them get a small bucket or dishpan and put a pinch of "Hartz Flea and Tick" shampoo or "Saddle Soap" mix with water and dunk her for a few seconds..
Then gently rinse off with clean water..
I use distilled or bottle water so i do not burn the flower..
Here is some info:
http://www.homestead.com/ipmofalaska/files/thrips.html
I got a pic of a Jasmine type flower that I believe has 2 or 3 thrips on it.
If Im wrong, someone please correct me...
Here it is...
Yes Dave67 congrats you got thrips on your pikake's..
They will eat your young buds off so spray the tree she is tough and will take most pesticides..
The ortho products work great on them..
BTW
That is my all time favorite plant and mine are right next to my michelia alba so to smell them all together is like what Charlie smelled when he first entered Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!
:)
Thanks for the name of the plant Lopaka,
I was calling it my "snowball jasmine".
It is definately one of the best "smells" in my yard...
Dave, the scientific name, if you are interested is, Jasminum sambac. Yours looks like it could be the cultivar 'Grand Duke of Tuscany': http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55233/index.html Mine was the slowest grower ever, and it got tossed.
Oh my god you threw out a pikake..
There isn't a plant on earth that could match her scent how could you clare?
:(
Dave the pikake name came from the queen of hawaii who grew these at the royal palace..
She gave the name pikake to the plant which means peacock in hawaiian..
The plant is grown in hawaii to make soap and perfume along with making leis..
The plant grows leggy and you must prune her so she will fill out, that is the secret to a healthy blooming plant..
Watch for snails at night they will eat the leaves right off her..
I was so excited to find and order 3 Jasmine Sumbacs off the internet this Spring, they were really small plants in 3 inch pots, but I had heard they were really hard to find and the smell was wonderful. Then last weekend walking through Lowes, there they were in 2 gal pots. I had a good laugh at that one. LOLOL
Good to know about the snails, sure glad I caught this thread. The slow growing part I could have lived without. I want mine trained up a trellis with a Thunbergia Battiscombii, sounds like it might take quite a while, huh?
Hmm
I dont have a problem with growth i feed them "Peters Super Bloom" and they want full sun..
Don't let the soil dry out either..
These plants were very hard to get a few years back so maybe some nurseries are
growing them now because they have become popular..
BTW
The flowers will get bigger and bigger after a few prunes..
They will look like a big clumb of califlower and the smell will drench your garden..
In fact mine are blooming now so keep feeding them..
Ok, I will feed them tomorrow. I don't have the double, I have the Maid of Orleans. It was the smell discription that sold me on them. I just love the fragrant ones. I put 2 in the back on each corner of the house, and then one on the side where I sit. Now I am wondering if I will get as many blooms on that one since it is in filtered sun. Thanks so much for all the info! I had been following this thread for the seedpods, then got to see what thrips look like and now this! What a bonus. :~)
LOL, Robert. I didn't think the fragrance was that great. It smelled a little too much like Grandma's perfume to me if you know what I mean. The 'Grand Duke' struggled for a long time, like more than a year, and I don't have time for fussy plants! LOL! Besides, my brugmansias, gingers, tuberose, stephanotis, aglaia, plumeria, michelia, gardenias, etc. smell much better and aren't near as fussy! I also had that single bloom one, Jasmine sambac 'Maid of Orleans' and tossed that one too for the opposite reason. It was a huge grower! I think it also was a bug magnet and had mealy bugs or something.
Clare we have the same plants in our garden.. :)
That pic is baby pikake,when they get bigger the smell is awesome..
It also looks like she had a spidermite problem hard to tell..
Lol everyone who has smell my flowers had the same reaction "Oh My Wow".
I think gardenia's and jasmine are alike and seem to like the same food..
I just took a picture of my Aimee gardenia and one of my gingers that are in my carport today..
The leaves are natural with nothing on them..
That is an awesome gardenia, Robert. My 'Aimee' is blooming too, and I am in love with her.
