Hi everyone, I am not new to Dave's but I am new to Plumeria. I went to Hawaii(Feb06) - fell in love with plumeria -and brought home some plumeria seeds and a cutting. Well to make a long story short the seeds never sprouted and my cutting was growing reasonably well until this past summer when I lost it. So I kinda had given up on the idea but I am in love with them and I want to know if anyone successfully grows Plumerias - that lives somewhere as cold as me? I would appreciate having a mentor when and if I can get some more cuttings. I noticed ordering them is rather expensive (the cuttings were dirt cheap at the Kona Airport). I am hoping to get some in spring. (And from lurking here I see that spring is the best time for me to start them anyway.)
Newbie - Growing Plumeria in Cold Areas?
Hi Meredith, there are certainly cold-weather growers that overwinter them indoors. In fact, anyone not living in Zone 10 is doing that. There are even growers in Canada here. When you have such a short growing season, you might have to find a way to extend it, like with heating pads and lights, in order to see flowers, especially on the late-blooming ones, but there are ones that always seem to bloom early in the season too. Your best bet and the fastest way to see flowers is to start with a graft one from Florida Colors. The Dwarf Singapore Pink, in fact, makes a lovely houseplant in the winter if you have a lot of light where it will live. These trees need lots of sun, fertilizer, and water with excellent drainage. You didn't say why you lost your one, but maybe we can help you figure that out so that you will be successful in the future;-)
Hi Clare, thank you for your recommendations, I will check it out.
About losing the plumie- I think it was my DH's fault - he thinks the cure for a dieing plant -is too plop it out in the screaming summer sun -when it's been only growing indoors! I think that is what led to it completely dieing but it wasn't doing too well before that. To his credit-my DH is the one that brought it back from being dead and wilted looking-before he killed it - lol.
Maybe I should go over how I planted it and all the inbetweens? I looked up online what kind of potting soil to use and ultimately I think I used mostly cactus soil. If I remember right - I put bark chips (orchid potting type) on the bottom for drainage. I remember the pot did not have drainage holes so that is why I did that. I just grew it in my living area which is mostly open with sun coming in windows facing south and west. It was mostly just experimenting because I had no idea what I was doing -and it's hard to find info on growing them more like houseplants. Hmm.. trying to remember everything so you could help point me where I went wrong. At some point my cat peed in it which sent it into wilted dead looking state - that is when my husband brought it back to life. He said he washed all the old soil off the roots (massaged-lol) and repotted it. It was growing well then it started shriveling up and changing color- so he thought it needed more sun and started putting it outside (with no regard to shocking the poor thing). Well after that is about when I would say it was a goner. So we started trying to grow it about a year and a half before it's final demise. I' just surprised we kept it alive for that long.
Meredith79, Your best bet are the Dwarfs. I have two dwarfs and six reg. size trees. For first six years in would bring them into my house without any dirt or pots and just lay them on floor for the winter. After that i got a greenhouse. The big trees i have cut them back to fit into greenhouse. It has not hurt them at all and they regrow, bloom all summer. All of them are 10-12 years old and are in ( now this is the bad part ) 50gal. pots! 200-250lbs each. Jerry
Hi Meredith79,
I am in Michigan Z5 and just started some cuttings this past fall. Its freezing cold-even for Mi. My plumies are growing in a makeshift greenhouse in my basement. I have lights heat mats and a small heater inside an enclosure constructed out of a large white tarp. The plumies are doing well as are many African Violets and several species of Crassula.
I don't have any dwarf Plumeria yet- waiting for spring and warm shipping temps. But they are on the gotta-have list!
Jerry - Wow! How do you move those around? I am in love with the big fragrant flowers - I have only been able to find 3 types of dwarfs, is that the only you know of? (Singapore-pink or white and a dwarf deciduous) I was thinking the dwarf decidious would be good because it looks like it has quite large flowers, I don't know about fragrance. Are any of them fragrant?
lilmac- Sounds like you have quite the set-up, I want to order some too, but it's 10 degrees here now so it's probably not a good idea. Guess it will have to wait until spring.
Meredith, all plumeria with very few exceptions (P. Pudica) are fragrant.
There are Orange Dwarf and Dwarf Richard Criley Rainbow in addition to the ones you mention. More dwarf or compact varieties are appearing all the time.
Dwarf Deciduous is indeed very fragrant and has large blooms.
jerry,
please, can you post some pics of you 10-12 year old trees in 50-gal containers? and i said i was going to stop at 15-gal. LOL
Dutchlady - I am so glad you posted about the P. nudica not being fragrant! I went to Aruba in Dec. and there was a plant that my daughter and I picked a flower (for our hair) from every time we walked by it. I kept telling my DH that I thought it was a plumeria but ?it couldn't be because it doesn't smell like anything? Now because you posted that I searched it and now I know that this is the plant from Aruba. Thank you for the unintentional id!
Now that I know most of them are fragrant. I guess my hope is that I could eventually have one that smells like the ones used to make a lei that I brought home from Hawaii. It was a wonderful smell I could never forget nor describe. It seems like it is one of the more common white and yellow large flowered types for lei making. If you know the type - What would the fragrance be described like?
Meredith, check out the Sticky Thread at the top of the Plumeria Forum when you have some time. There is so much information there that will help you, I think. Here is an article that I wrote as well: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/45/ I just noticed that the pictures are out of whack at the top. I'll have to fix that.
Celadine is the yellow/white that you are probably referring to, and it smells like classic plumeria and very good.
I think your husband did the right thing. No drainage holes means death very quickly. A plumeria must have good drainage. Bark chips can hold water, especially if they are sitting in it. Plumerias are tropical trees and will suffer if they are kept as houseplants all year long. They should be put outside in the spring after the last frost date and then brought in before the first frost date. The cat pee probably wouldn't have been bad if there had been some drainage. Putting the plant outside after it had been inside might have given it some sunburn, but it wouldn't have killed it. Repotting it with well-draining potting mix in a container with drainage holes would have saved it. I'm surprised that it lived as long as it did too;-) I don't think any tree could survive that long as a houseplant in a container with no drainage holes unless maybe Bonsai trees.
Clare-Thank you, for the info. Now I will know better for next time. Do you think a dwarf deciduous would be okay for a beginner like me? Or should I stick to the evergreen? I am having a hard time finding somewhere to buy plants rather than cuttings. Are rooted cuttings that much different than either plants or cuttings? -I don't remember the plumeria being hard to root. I believe I started it at the end of Feb. and within 3 weeks it was rooted. So cost wise I thought cuttings would be best in case I kill it again. However it appears the dwarfs are harder to root, I am sorry for all the questions- I did read a little of the sticky threads- I will start reading through them better. It's just nice to have a helping hand sometimes.
Meredith, I think a Dwarf Deciduous would be fine for you or anyone. Plumerias are easy to grow once you know what they need. I recommend that you buy a grafted one from Florida Colors Nursery: http://www.floridacolors.com/ That way, you don't have to worry about rooting it. Call Carol at the number on the website to place your order in the spring.
Plumerias take an average of 3 months, 90 days, to form a root ball, and they must be placed on the hottest surface possible to root. Summertime is the best time to root a plumeria because that is when there is the most heat available. At Florida Colors, grafted plants are just a few dollars more than cuttings, and it will save you three months time that you would spend rooting the cutting, which is a whole blooming season for some people.
MEREDITH79, The dwarf deciduous has the better fragrance (lemon-citrus ). Ok moving around ; strong back but not for long, but mostly SWEAT! Jerry
A better picture. Jerry
Clare-Thank you again for your advice. I checked out Florida colors but I guess I had sticker shock and tried searching around - just in case. I'm just scared I'll end up with a rotted stick again! With people like you to help me out hopefully that won't be the case. After I looked at all the different problems a plumeria can have- I think mine had all of them! I guess I thought the bark chips had good drainage(dah!). Now I know better!
Jerry - I thought you were going to tell me you have your own forklift-Lol. Someone should invent a plant caddy made just for moving plumies around. So you don't throw out your back-and so my DH doesn't when I am as successful as you with my plumeria! Or should I make that plumeriaS plural -it seems as though it is quite an addiction!
Jerry-We posted at the same time. I like the photo -can I ask why it appears the plumie is chopped at the bottom is that something you need to do to repot it? Or did you just get tired of that one? Is this a stupid question??
MEREDITH79, No just to be able to get it into greenhouse. I do this every winter. They get about 8-10ft. tall and about 6-8ft. wide. The same trees if grown in Fl. would be 20-30ft. tall. Jerry
Jerry -So you have to reroot them every year? Or am I misunderstanding?
Clare- I just looked at Floridacolors again, and I was confuzing them with other sites I had been looking at. So I have a question-are you referring to buying a grafting? The deciduous is only offered as grafting or cutting. http://floridacolors.com/Dwarf%20Deciduous.htm
Edited - Sorry I looked it up on the website. This is a much better price than other places! I will be ordering in spring! Or at least until temps are above 40 for long enough to ship.
This message was edited Jan 22, 2008 1:37 PM
This message was edited Jan 22, 2008 6:25 PM
Meredith79, No i leave them in the pots. The branches i cut off i just compost. Jerry
I fainted!!!!!
Meredith79, I found an old catalog from THE EXOTIC PLUMERIA,website- www.exoticplumeria.com I have not bought any thing from them but they have great pictures. And pics. of some big trees. Looking at catalogs helps get me thru the winter. Never know when you will find that plant you can not live without. Jerry
OMG thats just a branch of your plant!? Wow I can't imagine having them that big!
Jerry- Ya I am gonna have to get myself on those mailing lists. It will be much better than looking at the seed catalogs I've rifled through dozens of times already!
I'am trying some cuttings that are 3-4 years old and keeping them in 5gal. pots. So far they are staying small and have bloomed for the last two summers. The big pots are filled with nothing but roots. I feed heavy with ( super bloom ). Maybe PLACENCIARITA will post some pics. of her trees? Jerry
COMPOST???? Nooooooooooooooo
come on man...jerry, please tell us that you're joking about composting the branches that you prune from your plumeria. btw, thanks for posting the pics.
dete
Can I ask why no one wants Jerry to compost the branches? Is it because you would all rather see them turned into new plumeria plants? This could be done right?
PLACENCIARITA -Can you please post some pics?
Dutchlady - Thank you for clearing that up for me. I assumed that was why - but I am new to plumies so you never know!
I'd like to mention that I love Naples and I have some family that live there! I was just talking to my aunt about plumies and she told me they grow like weeds there. She said she can just stick a piece in the ground and it will grow like a weed! She has lived in a few different houses and with the current one she hasn't had time to do much gardening. Too bad for me or I'd have her send me a cutting. Lol.
If she didn't have the house up for sale that would be wonderful! Every winter my DH and I talk about moving to Hawaii - but that is such a long shot -now we've been talking about Naples (on a 'slightly' more serious note).
She even offered to let us stay there until we figured everything out. The only thing that's really stopping us is my step son who's 10, we can't take him and we can't leave him!
I wonder if I'd be the first to move just so I could grow plumerias in my yard? At least I'd have some family near by!
Sorry, Jerry, we didn't mean to chase you away - it's just that some of us are plumeria impoverished! Next time, send a box of cuttings to one of us and we'll distribute them. :-)
Ya - good time to buy- but unfortunately bad time to sell! We bought our place way too recently -so we'd end up losing money! I think this is the case for a lot of folks right now.
Ya Jerry -come back and show a picture of one of your monsters in it's full glory!
Texasbigleaf-Compost heap, please help me get up off the floor. I think I have just fainted! I would be glad to pay the shipping for the cuttings before you dump them.
Meredith, I grew plumies when I lived in Chicago and I bet if you beat the bushes there are plumie growers almost everywere.
Mickey
This message was edited Jan 23, 2008 10:39 AM
Funny you say that Mickey -I just got off the phone with a local greenhouse that advertised 'unusual tropical plants' and she checked to see if they had some. Here I am thinking "ya, not this unusual" Well she ended up finding some - she is just not sure if they are ready to sell. I have to call back when the grower is there-I guess he went home sick. I told her- no problem - if I order one I can't have it until spring anyway!