One of my plumerias formed three seed pods on the last flowers on an inflorescence. Here's a picture of the two largest ones (one on the right is about 2" long, sorry for the fingers). It's almost time for the plants to go in the garage for the winter. Will the pods hold on until spring or will they probably drop off? It's not a big deal either way, I'm just curious.
They should hold on, Tom. I'm not going by experience but by what I've heard. Try to make sure that the pods stay dry and mark the calender to start checking the pods around June or July of next year.
Tom, I have overwintered my plumerias in a greenhouse and the seed pods held on. These are rather small, therefore, it will be some time before they ripen. However, with mature seed pods, I would put a nylon stocking or cheese cloth over them so that if they open, you won't loose your seeds. I have had that happen.
Thanks for the replies. I will keep an eye on the pods this winter and hope they hold on.
They will hold on but i would secure them because i lost some to high winds and birds..
Clare is right pods take about 7 to 9 months to mature she will spilt open like a bannana when she is ready..
This message was edited Oct 23, 2006 1:01 AM
I have been growing Plumerias for about 7 years now and never saw seed pods till this year but this is the third year I have grown mine in the ground and pull up and put in the garage for winter ....then bring out in Spring and plant back into my garden when the temps are warm enough..My seed pods are HUGE...do you think me growing them directly in the garden attributed to this?...Thanks...Jeanne
I don't think seed pod size is related to whether a plumeria is grown in the ground or in a pot, but they do say that a plumeria tree will grow faster and better when planted in the ground versus being grown in a pot.
Clare..that is so true..Mine have grown Huge since I've been planting them directly into my gardens and Blooms more....Jeanne
Yes growing them in ground will create much bigger seed pods and much bigger flowers..
The roots are the key...
The don't get burn in the pot and they are expanding outward versus the root ball effect..
More roots equal more nutrient uptake which equals bigger everything!!
:)
Thanks Lopaka..I have noticed such a big difference...I have root pruned mine and will be storing them in the garage soon!!..Jeanne
OK, when you plant them out it stands to reason the roots would spread out. When you lift them you must have to cut plenty of these new roots off. I guess that does not matter much to the plant ??????
Edited to say we were cross posting and now I see that you do root prune them. Do you keep them in containers for the winter?
This message was edited Oct 31, 2006 7:54 AM
You don't have to...just store them where the temps don't get cold (Never allow them to sit on the cold cement floor..that will kill them) ..and for me that it in my Garage...yes, I root prune in a circle around my Plummie...I have done this the day of when I store and 2 weeks before..then pull them out and I have a pot with soil...I put them in that..water well...then store in my garage and DON'T water again...they go dormant...last year we had such a mild winter and my Plumeria was near the window in my garage..and kept it's leaves..LOL...so strange...it will be colder this year..so I doubt the leaves will stay..they will most probably all fall off...Jeanne
This message was edited Oct 31, 2006 7:13 AM
My 2 young plumies almost started inflos and now the weather has cooled too much. I brought them in (they're in pots) a couple of nights when temps dropped below 50 (days still in 70s), but I don't think they'll bloom now. It's time for me to bring them in full time. I don't have a garage so should I bring them into the house and mist them and water lightly through winter or can I put them on my screened porch with plastic to retain some heat (makeshift greenhouse) and water lightly and mist?
Next year I'll put them in the ground and take them out when it gets cooler and store them. Sounds like you all trim the roots and still put in a pot with dirt when they're brought inside. I seem to remember a thread and picture that one of the plumie pros just dig them up, shake off the dirt and store them in an unused shower stall.
Instructions are really appreciated so I can keep my babies going.
Barbara
"Sounds like you all trim the roots and still put in a pot with dirt when they're brought inside. I seem to remember a thread and picture that one of the plumie pros just dig them up, shake off the dirt and store them in an unused shower stall. "
Barbara..you can store them inside as well...without being in a pot...just shake the dirt off..wrap the bottom with Newspaper and store in a closet..where ever you want...they go dormant...I just put mine in a pot so the roots aren't touching the cold concrete...too much watering during dormancy will rot the Plumeria...you might want to check out Plumeria 101 for reading as well...Jeanne
http://www.plumeria101.com/
http://www.houstongardening.info/plumeria.htm
http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/dyncat.cfm?catid=2024
I just found seed pods on one of my unnamed white plummies. It is also getting ready to bloom again. I didn't realize it took so long for the pods to mature.
Jan...
Root pruneing encourages the plumie to start new roots about 4" inches back from where you cut the root..
The new roots that start will be the fine hair like roots which are the ones that take up the nutrients from the soil..
Roots can slowdown the plumie growth when they get wrap up into a ball around each other..
Square pots are good for stopping this...
For all the peeps who dig them out of the ground if i was you i would use basket pots like the hydroponics peeps use..
Here is a website that sells products for root pruning:
http://www.rootmaker.com/
Mine have done Beautifully ..just the way I am doing them..thanks for the tip anyway..Jeanne
My Plumeria is 7-8 years old..always in a pot until two years ago..this was it summer of '2005
And I took this Pic today!!
Here are some of the seed pods
and she is still bloomin!!
Jeanne.....the frog...my smirking frog. I have spent the last two years looking for some more of those frogs. I had some little vandals get to mine. I just loved them....had them around the yard, like they were just popping up and following me. Did you get yours recently...or have you had it. 5:33...I was calling 911 at this exact time last time last year, and was about to watch in horror as my house was on fire. How totally ironic...at the same time this year...I would see a picture of that frog..my friend...I had so missed and was searching. So glad he was in that picture.
So Sorry to hear about your House and frogs...I have had those for years...they were bought at a concrete place in Louisiana...Jeanne
Interesting follow-up. My two largest plumerias are getting too big to be easily manageable in pots. They are very top-heavy and tend to fall over in wind unless I tie them to the deck rails. Next year they'll need to be repotted into larger pots and that will make them harder to move. I may experiment with planting one in the ground to see how it grows.
Does anyone know much about the "Rootmaker" products http://www.rootmaker.com/ mentioned by lopaka? I'd like to try some larger-sized pots that would allow plants like plumerias and brugmansias to root easily out the bottom of the container but not the sides. Reason for that is my yard has compacted clay subsoil so it's almost impossible to dig deep enough to fully sink a large pot in the ground, and even if you could it wouldn't get good drainage.
Tom, there isn't any way that a plumeria would survive in the ground in your zone. If you were in Zone 9, then it would be a test, but a hard freeze will turn a plumie to mush. My friend Scott lives in Kansas, and some of his are so big that he has to lie them down in the garage for seven months of the year. They do fine, and then he root prunes and replants in the spring. Here are some of his pics below.
Barbara, please check out the "Overwintering" section of the Sticky Thread. There are some good links and threads there about winter care.
Nice pics, Jeanne.
Here is Scott and his plumerias behind him.
Here is his garage:
Here he is root pruning in the spring:
Root pruning done.
Repotting done.
Some of his plumies have to be tied up too, Tom, to keep them from being blown over.
Here are some braces that Scott made to keep the large trees upright.
Here is his friend Bruce, also in Kansas:
About overwintering, Paula now has a section on her web site about what she does, and there is a thread about what she does in the Sticky Thread. Here is Paula's web site: http://www.plumerialady.net/dyncat.cfm?catid=3186
Clare, I know there is no way a plumeria would survive outdoors over the winter here. :-) I meant to try planting one in the ground next spring and then dig it up in the fall.
Thanks for posting those pictures. I'm surprised they can grow that well in such small containers.
Oops, sorry, Tom. I should have known that you knew that. My fingers worked before my brain did:-) Tee hee.
Here's a pic someone posted of a 30-year-old container plumeria tree. I think the largest container size above is 25- or 30-gallon. With root pruning, that size should work for a long, long time.
It is all up to you what you feel works..
I can always tell by looking at inflos and the spaceing between flowers how a plumie is growing...
Container growing can never compare to root prune and/or ground grown plumies..
I have 3 year old plumies that are 15+ feet high...
Open pollinated/local hybrids are the biggest and fastest growing plumies i've seen..
A open pollinated/local plumies that has been around a long long long time have a small yellow center versus the wide or distorted yellow center that we see today..
:)
