Can plumerias tolerate temperature dipping into the 40s at night? If so, for how long? 80 daytime, 50s nightime here now, but I know we will have 40s and maybe even 30s early April - put em out then or not? Thanks - jimmy
Temperature toleration?......
Mine are not real happy with the temps in the mid to high 40's at night. (that only happened a couple of nights since they went out) If it were going to get any cooler, I would bring them in but it is in the 80's during the day and the sidewalk they are sitting on gets pretty hot to hold some heat during the night. Our nights are now in the 50's and 60's.
Tammie
Most of my collection has gotten 40's all winter long and even some mid-30's, and they are doing fine. They do, however, start dropping their leaves below 40 and start to go dormant, but that won't happen this time of year now that the days are longer. Mine are starting to put out inflo's and have shiny tips even with 40-degree nights. The warm daytime temperatures off-set the colder temperatures at night.
What zone are you in? If you are past your last frost date, you can feel safe putting them out. Just be prepared to cover them if you should have a prediction of 32 degrees or lower. It got down to 32 at my place a few times this winter, and it even was 28 for two solid hours. I covered them on the night it was 28 with tarps. I have only two tips with slight damage and nothing more. On most nights, it stays in the 40's and only dips into the 30's for a couple of hours between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. before the sun rises on the coldest winter nights. Short-term cold doesn't seem to affect them. The warm daytime sun heats the potting soil and allows them to do very well with colder nights. Nights should stay in the 50's here now too.
Jimmy, I bet yours are larger than mine. So, moving them in and out probably isn't practical. But I put mine on one of my wagons and have rolled them outside. If it does turn cooler (which I'm sure it will), then I'll be able to move them back inside the garage. As most of mine are just now leafing out, I am hoping that I can avoid leaf burn by going ahead and getting them outside. Plus I am hoping to avoid spider mites which make me crazy when I have actively growing plumeria inside.
I have enough room under lights for my seedlings and so, I'll keep them inside for a while longer.
The white flies are still driving me crazy and mine have been outside for 2 weeks. I have sprayed, washed and wiped them off till I almost know each personally by name!
Tammie
Good advice, Nat. Those mover/roller wooden thingies work great too. I know some people use Costco chrome shelving with wheels for their one-gallons and move them out during the day and wheel them back in at night.
Tammie, whiteflies are a problem here too, and most people recommend using an oil-based product like Neem Oil or Horticultural Oil to suffocate them, but you have to get them in the early morning when they are the most still. They can even been vaccuumed off the back of the leaves in the early morning so I've heard. There actually is some new research regarding whiteflies. When worm castings are applied to the root system of the plant or tree, it is absorbed by the plant, and this taste and/or scent repels whiteflies for some reason.
Try to remember that the soil will be 10-12 degrees cooler then the ambient temps until the outside air gets close to freezing..
Another words keep them warm 60+ degrees to keep them from going back into dormacy..
:)
I will try worm castings... have enough of those since my mother has been providing me with plenty of worm food all winter.. just harvested my bin a few days ago. got about a gallon of castings this time.
Tammie
It has just gottencxold at night here so I brought all my plumeria back inside.It was 40 last night. Next year I am not bringing thenm out no mater how nice it is untill later..
I tried the worm cassing thing. I didn't see any results yet. Maybe it takes longer....
Mickey
Mickey, give it a little time with the worm castings. I think it has to be absorbed by the plant, and perhaps that takes some time to do. In the meantime, you can use a horticultural oil or neem oil or even vegetable oil to spray on them. Just be sure to hit them directly. It is still cold at night here too, but hopefully, it will be warming up soon.
Keep in mind that some plumies are rather finicky too.
I have lost 4 to 'cold' damage that wasn't frost or freeze.
They didn't like it and went from healthy to black very quickly.
One was a Hilo Beauty another was a Scott Pratt.
I do believe the reds are more susceptible to the cold damage.
Seedlings youve grown in your zone would probably do better than any.
I bring mine outside when the lowest expected temps are above 45
I also keep them on a cement patio that is protected and against the house.
In the end of May is when I spread them around the property