Thanks for the info Clare.
Blooms?? How looooong must I wait???
I just finished reading this thread. Plummies are beautiful plants. Do you think it's too late in the year for me to get one? And if I get a rooted plant, how long will it normally take to bloom?
Cat, most plumeria nurseries have stopped shipping this time of year as temperatures drop. A plumeria would normally go dormant this time of year where you live. I would wait until spring and contact Florida Colors Nursery and get a grafted plant. You should call them and ask them to send you one with an inflo. Cuttings or grafts taken from flowering trees can bloom right away.
Ok, thanks Clare. Does Florida Colors Nursery have a web site? Never mind I can google it!
Here you go: http://www.floridacolors.com/ You will get either Luc or Carol, both super nice people.
Thanks! I'll save it and get with them in the spring.
I have conducted serveral studies when it comes to temps..
I think once the nighttime temperature frequently drops below 55°F the plumie should be stored or brought in if you live in areas where it gets colder..
From what i have seen in south florida all these years most plumerias stop growing when the average ambient temperature drops below 65°F!
Plumies on my uncles farm in Maui go dormant when temps frequently start to drop below 65°F also..
I like to note that this information pertains to all my plumies in the ground and the ones around my neighborhood including the ones at my uncles farm which are over
50 years old.
My uncle is visiting me now and i just ask him to confirm my thoughts and he agrees with me on the numbers..
Plumies in pots especially seedlings can take cool weather without any ill effects but this could be the result of soil type or where the pots are stored like warm concrete or wood or micro climates like Clare said..
When i say stop growing i mean the branches no longer show growth but many plumies will maintain their leaves and flowers..
This can be the result of stored energy the plumie has and can confuse peeps into thinking the plumie is still growing.
As you all know even cuttings stored for long time can produce inflos and even flower..
This is my 2 cents worth so hopefully my info can help some of you...
Please note and this is very important!
Where i live i rarely see temps below 55 so please remember this when you read my findings..
If i see dormancy in plumies every year and i rarely see temps in the 50's then the plumies magical number for dormancy has to be in the 60's.
When i talk of temperatures i am refferring to several days of or frequent drops to these cool temps not 1 night of a cool breeze.
You will know when this happens because most or all of the lower leaves will turn solid yellow due to the fact the plumie sacrifices the leaves that
do the least amount of work for her.Lower leaves do not get much sunlight and therefore cannot convert light into energy for the plant to use so the plumie
takes what it can (sugars,protein,etc..) from those leaves and the end result is premature death of the leaves.
Also please remember that the sunlight is not strong this time of the year and this plays a major factor in the dormancy of the plumie..
If you use a Green House and have some type of grow light then the magical numbers will vary depending on the intensity of the lights and the type of plumie
you are growing.
This message was edited Oct 24, 2007 1:23 PM
Clare and lopaka,
Thanks for sharing your experience with these beautiful plants. Those of us who are new to growing them need and appreciate all the advice and the incredible pictures that spur us on this journey.
OH! OH! OH! I have another tiny inflo beginning on another one of my plants. All of them are inside now for the winter and I hope I can do them justice.
Louise
Robert, when you say "average ambient temp," you mean the overall day and night temps combined as an average? So a nighttime low of 50 and a daytime high of 80 would be an average of 65? That sounds about right. However, night time temps frequently remain below 65 here during all seasons. We have very warm days but cool nights even in the spring and summer. I know that is what makes the two different coasts very different even in the same hardiness zone. The only time we have warm nights is during these warm Santa Ana winds during the fall. I have never studied when growth stops here, but I would say it stops at around 50 as the lowest nighttime temp here in my location, but it could very well be different in yours. Daytime highs are in the 90's right now, but they are normally in the 70's. If a high of 75 is averaged with 50, that would make an average of 62.5, still close to your number of 65.
Yes that is correct Clare..
As you know soil retains the heat and the bleed off time varies with soil types..
Soil is very very important here because different types of soil hold the heat longer during the night..
Hopefully Clare you can finish my test i did a long time ago with the soil temps, do you remember?
For my temps here the soil is on a average 10-12 degrees cooler then the ambient temp..
I like to see at what point the soil temps increase when the ambient temps get alot colder to the point that the soil is warmer then the outside air..
Hmmm. What kind of soil holds the heat longer?
LOL, Robert! No time for test here. I can barely keep up with posting these days. That investigation will have to wait until another time for me. Yes, you are so right about soil temps being important. Nearly all of my plumies are in pots on concrete next to bricks and rocks and aluminum siding. The soil is actually hot to the touch at times during the day and stays warm at night. I'm sure that I have some favorable microclimates here, and I am grateful for them.