Hi, I have been a member for the last couple of months and have learned a lot from you guys. I started collecting plumerias last fall and have fallen in love with them. This particular plant just flowered for me and I noticed the red splash of color in the petals. I have no idea what kind of flower this is, so any imput from you guys is welcome. Thanks.
Hi TTowers and welcome to the Plumie Forum! Hetty is right, and I agree with her advice. You can easily transfer the virus from one plumeria to another with cutters so be sure to sterilize your cutters between cuts when cutting your plants. I use a cloth called Sani-Cloth Plus, a germicidal disposable cloth that is used in hospitals and kills just about everything.
Not to sound ignorant, but can this virus kill my plant?
Nope not at all enjoy her long life!!!
Heat seems to bring more intense splashes out..
You can also use physan 20 or TSP (trisodium phosphate) from home depot to clean tools..
I would not plant any more plumies next to her unless you want the color breaks..
I've been following this and other threads on plumies and am definetly hooked. Dutchlady gave me a "Miami Rose" cutting and I have been babying it in an earthbox and now have transplanted to the front of our home for all to see and smell. Although I've not had any flowers as of yet the plant is doing real well. I fertilized it with 10-10-10 two weeks after transplant.
My questions are:
1) My climate is tropical as I am just below the Tropic of Cancer. How often will it bloom?
2) What type of fertilizer should I use and how often and how much?
3) Is there a preventative spray that I can use to keep her healthy?
4) Any specific watering instructions?
A lot of questions but necessary on my part. Now if you ask me about tomato propagation I could help there but I don't mind admitting that I am totally new to plumeria and don't want to lose her because of an error on my part. I call it "Her" because she is so unique. Can't wait for the flowers! How long will it be? I transplanted it a month ago? This "newbie" has to know? LOL & THANKS...
T, if you will go to the top thread on this Plumeria forum, "Frequently Asked Questions" you get get all your answers and lot, lots, lots more information.
Good luck with your Miami Rose; I am sure "she" will be a beautiful lady. :-)
Thank you. Forgot all about"sticky"
Tplant, Welcome to the Plumie Forum! We sure have a lot of great people here with great advice! Enjoy your Miami Rose. It's a great cultivar. Mine is about to bloom any day now. Alice is right: Bless you, Alice! There is a lot of info in the Sticky Thread but to briefly touch upon your questions:
1. Plumies in the ground will usually bloom once on one inflo anytime from early spring to late fall. As individual flowers open and fade, new ones open and fade, and this can go on for a month or several months on one inflo. Meanwhile, new branches form and come in during blooming.
2. Many people differ with what type of fertilizer to use and how often to use it so you can make that decision after reading the sticky thread. I fertilize regularly from spring to fall, depending upon when I have time. A balanced fertilizer like the one you used seems popular. I used MiracleGro this summer because it is what I had on hand. Many people use supplements as well.
3. If you live in an area that is humid, you may get rust, and Bayleton is used to treat and prevent rust. There is more on that in the Sticky Thread.
4. Plumies love water as long as it is warm out and as long as it is planted in well-draining soil. If temps in your area fall below 40 in the winter, your Miami Rose may go dormant, in which case it will lose its leaves. It may go pre-dormant in which it does not lose its leaves, but it does not grow or grows very slowly. You can water less in the winter and should water very infrequently if your plumie loses its leaves. I water my plumies about three times a week in the winter and only when the soil looks dry. Most of my plumies did not lose their leaves last winter or the winter before that. I'm in Zone 10b, but due to the microclimates in my yard -- six-foot brick retaining wall, rocks instead of grass, aluminum siding along the house -- it does not fall much below 40 here except for a few hours before the sun comes up. Reducing water and fertilizer in the fall, along with the reduced light, could induce dormancy in your plumie so it is up to you whether you want your in-ground plumie to go dormant or not. You may want to keep your eye on the weather reports in case you happen to have a cold snap or an unexpected freeze warning, in which case you would want to throw a sheet over your plumie. HTH
This message was edited Sep 20, 2006 11:52 AM
Our temps here are about the same as yours Clare so I take it that I should not fertilize from fall to spring as you do but provide water as our winters and spring, although perfect weather, is dry.
Tplant, I stopped fertilizing a few weeks ago and won't start again until next spring, but I do water throughout the winter when the soil looks dry. Many of mine are against either the brick retaining wall or the aluminum siding so that absorbs and releases heat as well so those plants probably dry out faster than the ones in the yard. Yes, as long as you have leaves, I would continue to water when the ground looks dry. Once your plumie drops its leaves, if it drops its leaves, then you can stop watering or water very infrequently. It rains a lot here in the winter so my plumies get plenty of rain water and relieves me of my watering duties, which is nice, but I am always concerned about the ones that have lost their leaves that are getting rained on because cold/wet soil around the roots of a dormant plumie is a bad thing and can lead to root rot. That is when well-draining potting mixes come to the rescue. If a well-draining potting mix is used with plenty of pumice, perlite, bark, etc., then water will not saturate the soil but will drain right though. Plumies planted in the ground will generally have better drainage than containerized plumies. Many people in Florida and Southern California have their plumies in the ground, and they do just fine. Many people here in So. Cal. reported a mild winter last year in which many varieties did not lose their leaves.
Here in zone 10 in Florida we still have at least another month of very warm weather (80s/high 60's) but the days are getting shorter.
I am doing my last general fertilizing this week. Then start again as soon as new growth starts in the spring which in this area will be in early March. We will have our first blooms again in early April, my first bloom this year was on April 12th.
Welcome TPlant to the forum..
Did you notice my location?
:)
You are 10 mins from me..
As you know the watering issue is already taken care of, as you know also its raining here everyday!!
Pembroke Pines has alot of plumies in many yards so does Cooper City and Davie..
Just go ask the neighbors for a stick :)
BTW
You and I are in Zone 10b not 10a
Have a look at this detailed map of florida zones..
http://images.meredith.com/bhg/pdf/gardening/hardiness/florida.pdf
You will need adobe acrobat reader to view it..
Coconuts trees do not grow to far north of us...
I read a report last week about our weather this year..
The report said we have the exact same conditions as the rain forest in S.America this year..
:(
Looks like Brad and Dutchlady will have the rain this week before we get it..
I also see a cold front coming down their way but we will never see it because of the warm weather coming from the south..
Warm air meets cool air means only one thing MORE DARN RAIN!!!!!
This message was edited Sep 20, 2006 2:36 PM
Oh hello everyone..
:)
