Earlier I had posted a picture asking the same question, but as correctly guessed by the members, it turned out that it was not a bloom.
This is from the same plant, grown from seed, 3 years back. Yet to flower. Now I notice this (in picture). Should I be happy about it?
Thats a flower inflorescence
or flower stem
youll have flowers in 4 to 6 weeks
Congratulations!!
Yes yes be happy..
..run around the streets naked with green jello all over you!
*cough*
sorry had a flashback from my college days..
Like mike said flowers on the way buddy and she has rewarded you with 3 new branches
as a result of the flowering process...
If it is still hot there feed her with a high phosphorus fertilizer...
Dinu, what is the name of the tree in the background of your picture?
That' great to hear. Will run about, with clothes on. :o) Phosphorous -- I understand that wood ash has a good content of P and let me know if I can use it.
The tree in the background (with red, drying leaves) is Terminalia catappa or Indian Almond. The leaves come down twice a year, March and September.
Dinu
Wood ash...
Nope don't use it!!!
Many peeps use the wood ash as fertilizer and that's fine and dandy but not for the plumies..
Wood ash is all different like what kind of wood are you using and how long it's been outside..
Wood ash is not for plumies unless you got soil like Doc's from thailand which the soil has a low PH factor like 4 to 5...
Wood ash will raise the soil PH levels because it contains 25% calcium carbonate (lime).
Wood ash also contains about or close to 10% potash and only 1% phosphate..
It also contains some trace amounts of micro-nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc. Trace amounts of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium.
Wood ash does not contain nitrogen!
I have said this before in other forums but a PH level above 7.0 many nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, boron, manganese, copper, zinc and potassium become chemically tied to the soil and less available for plant use!!!!
Many peeps in all the forums waste alot of fertilizers by mixing all these nutrients together
with high PH level tap water..
I just tested my tap water today and the PH level was 7.0 with a chlorine level of 3.0+ which is higher then your average pool water :=O
-Some Examples-
Adding Superthrive to any water does not raise the PH at all..
Adding a superbloom fert to any water will lower the PH level..
Many times adding a normal fert to any water will raise the PH levels..
PH levels will not be stable you must retest the water after 30 mins to a hour for the levels to become stabled..
If your good and know your water ph levels beforehand you can add the extra ph or lower the ph to make up for the drifts on the acid levels..
The plumie will raise her acid level in the soil by 1 right before she flowers so when adding any bloom fertilizers one should consider what they are feeding their plumies while they are flowering...
Think of it as a pool in your backyard which btw you can use a simple 2 dollar pool test kit to check your nutrient ph levels...
I would keep the PH level around 6 to 6.5 no less no more...
A lower Ph level is bad for most fungus as they cannot survive this is the same as with the human body..
Alot of peeps drink coffee and sodas or lots of tea which all contain high PH levels..
All human virus and fungus need a high ph environment to live in the same goes with plants...
One more thing!
Wood ash should never be used on acid-loving plants.
You can use Bat Guano which is high in phosphorus about 8-12% of natural P.
Thanks for the enlightenment. Never knew all this. Feel good I asked and you took care to reply in wonderful detail. We use saw dust for getting hot water for bath. Saw dust comes from a saw mill. I dump this ash in the garden in a place where my banana plant is - not touching it. Other plants do so well in the area where I put this saw dust ash. I have also seen my barleria die when I put ash to its base. Some other delicate plants will not survive the new ash. But older piles seem to have helped. That's why I thought of asking the question. What is this Bat Guanu you refer?
Older ash is wash by rain and most of the lime is wash with it...
So basically it is mulch..
Bat Guano is Bat Do-Do :)
They collect it because it contains alot of "P"..
I mix it with my soil when i am planting my plumies..
http://www.whitesandsmedia.com/lopaka/20060721_0193.jpg
Just doing a quick search on ebay you can find some..
Will check the links later. I now remember that sheep dung is good in P content. It is quite popular among the serious gardeners. Now I have to tap sources for it.
as long as you don't tap the sheep..
:)
hehe sorry i couldn't resist
good luck!
:)
:)
Nice inflo., Dinu! Congratulations! Are the leaves dropping from the trees in your picture because of cooler temps? Blooming is starting to slow down for me because the nights are becoming much cooler. I have ten three-year-old seedlings about to bloom for the first time also, but if the nighttime temps continue to drop into the 40's, the inflo.'s may dry up and fall off. I want to see these bloom after three years of growing them so I am going to set up a greenhouse to keep them warmer at night and above 50. They will continue to bloom if the air temp will stay above 50. If you can, you may want to erect a frame and some plastic around your seedling so it will continue to bloom for you through the fall.
Robert, that was very helpful and interesting information;-)
No problemo Clare..
I edit my post because the forum mess up the url.. i guess it was too long.
Where you been?
Yes, temps are just a tad bit cooler. I can't think of covering them up with plastic. My plants are in the ground and I want them to be there 'permanently'. The other plumi is having more blooms now, probably for the first time. Will try to take shots.
Bat guano.. thanks for the info.
Hi Robert, some links are hard to post here because of the way they are converted. I've had trouble on occasion posting links, but most should work. I'm on a different schedule now, and I'm only able to get to the computer for a few minutes here and there. I'll always be around though if you should need me.
Dinu, I don't know how cold it gets where you are, but my inflo's will dry up and fall off when nighttime temps start to drop into the 40's. They are even slowing down now, it seems, and temps are in the low 50's at night. It seems the only way to keep them coming and blooming is to add heat or retain heat with something overhead to keep the heat from escaping. I understand that you are unable to move your plants. I hope they keep blooming for you.
Since I am hard put for time and the troubles of having potted plants (they require more attention), I use all the available ground space to grow most of my plants. Temperature here now is between Centigrade 20 and 29. It is a pleasant climate. Next month we will have good heavy thundershowers before it gives way to colder months starting December.
This is the close-up of the bud formation.
I have been observing these yellow spots of late... as it came during this time also last year. But this does not seem to affect the plant.
Hi Dinu, it is rust: http://www.plumeria101.com/problems/rust.html and http://www.bspp.org.uk/ndr/july2005/2005-27.asp It looks like you could have a bloom or two in the next week or two. The others may take about a month in warm weather.
