This is my first year of over wintering plumeria, so any advice is appreciated. I have already read the articles, FAQ’s and other information about how to over winter them, but none of it just seems to fit the bill for me.
I was very successful in getting my cuttings to root and grow, and the cuttings that already had inflo’s on them to bloom for me.
Well, now is the time to bring them in for the winter. Normally we would have already had a killing frost, but we have been unseasonably warm this past summer and now this fall. I rooted my cuttings in one gallon pots and did not pot them up to larger pots, because I wanted them to have a root ball that filled the pot when I brought them in for the winter.
I will have to over winter them in an upstairs bedroom, along with brugmansia and all other tropical and house plants. The room has a southern and western facing window. There will also be 6 shop light fixtures that I use to help supplement what natural light I do get in the middle of winter. That is not a lot of direct natural light, since that my house is situated at the bottom of a northern facing slope.
The room temperatures will most likely be a constant 72 degrees until mid to late winter. Then the temperatures will go up, sometimes to near 80 degrees or more. The reason for the temperature increase is; I have 2 (two) fluorescent light fixtures that measure 4 feet X 4 feet, that house 4 – 48 inch bulbs each, that I will be using to start whatever type of seed that I am growing. When these two fixtures start being used the room temperature takes a dramatic rise. I use a couple of fans to keep the air circulating to try to cool it off; they do help but not a lot.
The room will be bright, but not bright enough to really support growth unless plants are placed directly under the lights.
So should I:
1 – Try to make room for the plumies under the shop lights?
2 – Keep them “near” the lights and keep them barely moist?
3 – Just put them wherever they will fit and keep them on the drier side like I do my brugmansia?
Another question, since that many of them has been infected by Broad Mites I would like to trim off the affected leaves before I bring them indoors. Are there any special precautions that I should take when doing that, so that the plants do not bleed out a lot of sap?
Thanks in advance,
David
Questions on overwintering Plumerias in my situation.
Well, your choices are either to let them go dormant or keep them from going dormant or keep them growing and blooming. Keeping them from going dormant or keeping them growing is usually preferred if you want to get a jump on spring.
It sounds like they won't go dormant, given the amount of heat and light that you described; so you'll want to water when the soil looks dry. Dormancy is often brought on by withholding water among other factors so, if you keep them under lights in dry household heat with a fan circulating the air, you will not want to withhold water.
If you want to keep them growing and blooming, you can increase the amount and intensity of light. Metal halide lights are often used. I think someone I know uses 1000 watt lights to extend the daylight, and they can even be used 24/7. The amount and intensity of light is increased, and different spectrums are often required to keep them growing and blooming. This level of lighting is not needed to keep them in what I call a pre-dormancy state -- not actively growing or slow-growing but not dormant.
If you want them to go dormant, then you can remove their leaves, decrease watering, and keep them cool and away from the lights. Cool areas are usually preferred for dormancy storage to prevent desiccation but not too cool that rot is encouraged.
You can certainly cut off the leaves at the base of the stems and let the stubs fall off on their own. Cutting is supposed to spill less sap as opposed to breaking off the leaves at the base. Some sap bleeding is inevitable. The leaves should come back quickly under ideal light and heat conditions, but leaf drop usually occurs before dormancy so, if the conditions are cool, the plants could just enter dormancy.
Hi Clare,
Thanks for your advise. I cannot afford to purchase a High Intensity Light system at this point in time. It is something that I have been very seriously thinking about though. It would be worth the investment, because it would do a much better job than the many sets of shop lights that I have set up.
I guess that I will have to take it day by day with the plumies this winter and just tinker with their "micro" climate in the room.
I hope to build a 'lean to type' greenhouse on the west side of my house sometime in the future. And where I plan to place it, I will be able to hook into my central forced air oil furnace. That way it should be a lot cheaper to heat in winter.