Watch this spot! I will finally have a plumeria bloom to post! California Sunset is getting ready to pop on two tips. Weegy, is yours budding yet? They are about the same age, so I hope so. These infos are from last summer/fall. They grew slowly in the greenhouse.
AND I got my cuttings from the co-op today, too, so I'm a happy camper. My sister in OR loves plumeria and she is a very good orchid grower, so I'm sending her a couple of cuttings to try.
The cuttings are quite long, should I still put them in one-gallon pots to root? As I recall, they aren't supposed to go too deep.
Any day now...
Sure is for me, Hetty! After I lost four last year in our freak freeze, I bought this one as consolation from a local grower.
That's great, Kathleen! Congratulations! Sorry about your losses in the freak freeze last winter. I sure know how that feels. It was awful for so many people.
Yes, put all your cuttings 2-3 inches deep in one gallon containers to root. I really compress the soil to hold the cutting in place when I have long cuttings, but my potting soil is very well-draining, and you should only do that if your soil drains really well. You can stake any cuttings that seem unstable and look like they are going to fall over, and you can also place them against a warm house for stability if that is an option. Cuttings that are 2-3 feet long can be started in three- or five-gallon containers, but I don't think the co-op cuttings are that long.
Please post pics when those blooms open. The flowers might seem lighter in color than normal due to the cool season so don't be surprised if that happens, but any flowers are nice flowers this time of year.
Some of the cuttings I got from the co-op were quite long 18"-20" I am going to start the larger ones in three gallon containers. I start most of mine this way and have never seen a difference between rooting in a one gallon container compared to a three gallon pot. I use a very well draining mix, like Claire suggested, that is 2/3 perlite and 1/3 potting mix.
Davie
Well, it took longer than I thought - then I had to find the right button to push on the new camera. She looks a little rough around the edges, but I am pleased. The scent is very pleasant but light to my allergy-compromised nose. I'll have some friends see what they think. Do you all think the color will intensify with the summer heat? I think the color was deeper on the blooming specimens I saw at the nursery when I bought it.
California Sunset
Thanks! DH is finally convinced it was worth the wait. :-) He was always asking me what I kept those sticks around for when they never bloomed. lol
Yea Kathleen, that's a beauty. Congrats!
Yours shouldn't be far behind, Weegy. Does it have inflos yet?
Nope. I'm way behind.
I bet it catches up when the warm weather hits. As I recall, yours was even more developed than mine.
i don't mean to try to get yall off topic or anything, but this is for anyone w/ an opinion, especially clare (cough cough)... mor lows are now getting to be upper 50's-upper 60's, and the coldest we should get for a while is 57, sois it ok for me to begin putting plumies in the ground while still in pots? how about one with an inflo??
That's a beauty, Kathleen. Yes, for sure it will become darker with more intense colors as the weather becomes warmer. Energy from heat will really bring out fragrance, flower size, and flower color, especially the color red.
Trent, when is your predicted last frost date? Has it passed? I would hate for a freak freeze to ruin everything for you. If it has passed, then go for it because your nighttime temps are certainly warm enough. I just check the last 24 hours at AccuWeather, and you are right that your low was 56. You can definitely put them out and sink them in their containers in the ground if nights are going to stay above 50 for you. The ones with inflo's should do fine too. Just be super careful not to knock the inflo off when planting because that can happen whenever moving or planting a plumie with a long inflo. Been there; done that:-)
Clare, does it make a difference that the inflo formed during the winter? IOW, will the existing inflo benefit from the heat (larger, darker, etc.) or do I have to wait for another to develop with the heat?
well the last front date for charleston was march 11, and they are a solid 2 hour drive north of us. ok thanks... and the one with an inflo is not straight, should i straighten it now?
Kathleen, it doesn't matter if the inflo's come up during the winter. As soon as the weather changes, the flowers will too. Over here during May Gray and June Gloom, the plumeria flowers are small and pale and lacking the red color, but by the time the heat of the summer kicks in in July, August, and September, the flowers are bigger, and the colors are more intense and rich. Inflo's can stay on a really long time. I have some inflo's that are over a year old now. They are so old that the new growth that grew around them are blooming now too. Inflo's can bloom during the spring, summer, and fall and then stop for the winter and then start again in the spring.
Trent, you are cleared to put them outside then! LOL! Wow, you want to be very careful, but, yes, I would straighten it. Slide a bamboo stake or plastic stake right up against the plumeria and tie tightly at the base with a plastic stretchy tie. Then tie the top part, pulling the plumeria back toward the stake until it is straight and tie. Plumerias are remarkably stretchy but don't force it too far if you feel like it will break. It just depends upon how bent it really is. If it is in the shape of a "U," you may have to straighten it in steps by tying the top tie tighter every few weeks. In about a month, you can remove the stake and ties, and the plumie will stay straight. Here's an older picture of mine showing some cuttings which were straightened by this method.
This message was edited Apr 4, 2008 6:20 PM
Thanks, Clare. Another bud opened today and it is very different, so I got my answer visually as well. It will be fun watching it change a bit.
Yikes, Trent! It looks like you had tried to stake it as well. I'm glad that didn't break.
yep... that was in november or october... it didn't even blink...and went on to bloom!she's such a trooper
clare - why do your plumeria always look perfect? arghhh! LOL
because shes clare!
well, that settles it. i'm changing my name to clare. haha!
Entering greenhouse: "I am Clare...I am Clare...I am Clare"
LOL
in my dreams
You guys are so funny. I try not to take pictures of the ugly ones so you guys just think they're perfect!
okay. name changed back to detrick. :-)
ditto...no, not detrick
yall are such fair weather friends!!!.... don't worry clare, i support you, ugly plumies or not!
LOL, Trent. Thanks, sweetie;-)
aren't i just so wonderful????? lol jk
