Hi-
I looked through some of the FAQs, but my computer is so slow, that to root through all the links might take me days (LOL). And I really have only one quick question:
I recently got some cuttings that were about 12 inches long & about an inch in diameter. Very healthy, lots of dormant buds. I dipped 'em in hormone powder and put them in 1 gallon pots with quick draining medium. I have them under lights & in a very warm room now, and plan on putting them outside once the temperatures are safe.
Will I see blooms sometime this year? Or is it more likely next summer?
Thanks~
Info please (just a quickie question!)
this is one of those questions that can't be answered. there are many different variables. right now i would focus on the rooting process. i would imagine that your growing season outside is not too long and that your summertime temps are not hot. so the most important thing right now is rooting. you can extend your growing season by artificial lighting and bottom heat inside. you obviously already know that though.
i can only say that there is a chance that you could see blooms this summer or next summer. however, no one can say for sure.
one thing that might be good for you is buying rooted or grafted cuttings. that way you do not lose time in the rooting process.
good luck and i hope that you see plumie blooms soon.
I guess I'll just have to wait & see what happens.
Thanks for the answer~
yeah pretty much. :) but it is worth the like. like i said ealier i would recommend grafted plants from florida colors nursery or root plants. you have a better chance of seeing lasting blooms much quicker because the plants have established roots. btw, plumies can bloom while in the rooting process. this is usually not desirable because the flowers take energy away from the rooting process.
good luck!
Hope it's OK if I pop in with another question. I have two plants that I rooted last summer, got a late start so no blooms, but nice leaves. I was wintering them in an insulated storeroom that usually would have been fine, but this winter was way colder than normal for us. I had cold damage on the tips of both. I cut the tips following the suggestions in the FAQ and used cinnamon, they've closed up nicely and the rest of the stalk is fine. The question is when do I start to wake them up, too early to put out but I have artificial light and should they have heat again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will come back.
sally, you can get them started early.
i always recommend that if people have only a few plants that they try and keep them inside during winter if space is not an issue. that way you don't run the risk of damage. heck, i kept 35 in the house this winter. too chicken to risk it. i have lost tips and then had to wait a year or two for blooms. what a bummer...arghhh!!!
Thanks, I was afraid of that. I honestly didn't think there would be a problem in the storeroom, I won't make that mistake again, and I have orchids inside also. Cymbidiums in the bathtub for example.^_^ So I will put them under the lights with the orchids and hope for the best.
i am sure they will recover. and by all means just stick them in with the orchids or in a corner. LOL i don't try and keep my growing during the winter in the house. i actually cut off all the leaves before i brought them inside. i didn't put them on the heat mat or keep lights going. they were merely inside to keep from losing their tips from cold damage.
That's a thought, should I put them back on the heat mat or was that just for rooting?
This message was edited Mar 3, 2009 11:22 PM
i think you can put them on the heat mat to get a start on spring. i would moisten the soil if it is dry. you don't want to burn the roots.
Yes, I planned on watering some. Thank you so much for your help. Means I need another mat for my flower seeds.
the things we do for our kids. ummm...i mean plants. haha! all the best sally. hope you see flowers soon.
That's for sure!! Thank you, I'll post if I get good news.
I guess I am the sort to beard the lion so to speak, but both of my plumeria spent this winter outside. I am in zone 8b and we had temps in the mid 20's a few times and unbelieveably, snow!
My plants are in 5 gallon pots and I placed them against the house on the south side. The only extra protection they got was a sheet to cover them if frost was predicted. They are beginning to leaf out and I think this year, one of them will go into the ground.(of course, after I make a couple cuttings). I have a number of things that I was told were "drop dead tropicals" and could only be used as annuals here in south central Louisiana. I guess nobody told the plants they couldn't survive and thrive.
yeah, they can be pushed. you really have to take into account the whole winter. consistent 20s and you would have been in trouble. an occasional dip doesn't hurt especially when you consider southern exposure and some sunlight to heat up the soil to help them during cold nights.
Fortunately, we rarely drop below freezing for very long here. One of my greenhouses lost its roof and some side panels during Hurricane Gustav and I am in the process of converting it into a sort of conservatory. I am thinking of planting the plumerias and the fishtail palm in the ground inside the old greenhouse. I have devised a winter ceiling of sorts for it. Years ago I didn't mind plants in pots, but now, I have no desire to lug 100 plus pound plant containers around.
I also don't want to donate my big stuff to bank lobbies and mall atriums anymore and some of it just can't be whacked back every year.