Plumeria Party

[marlasmom]

One of the men on the plumeria forum on Gardenweb had a party last Saturday. He literally had 1,000s of plumeria and was so knowledgeable and soooo nice. Snowark predicted that I would come home with armloads. Actually he had several buckets of cuttings and pots of seedlings and told us to help ourselves. I took 3 and felt guilty, but others took dozens. He showed me a couple that had been 2 years in the rooting. He travels to Hawaii 3 or 4 times a year and this year bought an extra suitcase to bring back an additional 125 cuttings. People there were saying they had 200 and figures like that. I have 17 - now 20.

It's an addiction. However they are not attractive when they are not blooming so I think I will slow down. I am thrilled with the 3 new ones. The breadth of colors and fragrances is amazing, spectacular, stupendous.

My brugsmania are blooming now. They are sooo beautiful and the fragrance is heavenly. The plumeria guy had several blooming. I really recommend this to everybody.

 

[Rajah]

I gave up and went hunting to see what a "Plumeria" is.

WOW!!!!

Okay, are these things hard to grow?

 

[marlasmom]

They are not hard at all. They need sun, heat and good drainage. They cannot take freeze, but they can be brought in during the winter. They will go dormant and come alive in the spring. I have 4 I have been rooting since February. 2 have rooted - 2 show no signs of rooting yet. They need good drainage. I put mine in 1/3 potting soil and 2/3 perlite. That seems to be the best mixture.

 

[mommytotwo]

Don't over water them. We have been trying to grow some in the ground, and they always seem to die because of the rain.

 

[Rajah]

That would be my problem with them. We get some *heavy* rain down here at this time of year, and I'm wondering if one would survive. I know it wouldn't survive indoors because of the cats. I'm thinking potting one to start with might be the better option. Assuming I can find one, of course.

 

[marlasmom]

Buy one from plumeriaguy on e-bay. He has buy-it-now so it's easy. Put it in a large pot; with 1/3 potting soil and 2/3 perlite. His are already rooted so you're there. Nothing to it.

 

[Rajah]

I'll keep an eye on his auctions.

 

[Rajah]

Wow, guess what!! DH brought me a couple of seeds/sticks from Hawaii when he was there last June. I'd forgotten about them until this thread. One of them was a plumeria cutting (a stick) and it was *still green*! It's a little wrinkled, but still green and soft, not mushy, and the top still looks healthy.

So, for the heck of it, I've planted it in a pot and we'll see if it will root and grow! At best, I'll have a pink plumeria. At worst, I'll have a dead stick in a pot. LOL!

 

[Tulirose]

What a great hubby you have. He got you the plant you wanted before you even knew you wanted it!

..........At best, I'll have a pink plumeria. At worst, I'll have a dead stick in a pot. LOL!

 

[Snowwark]

The Plumeria man sounds like a great guy, and very generous!

If you have 20, and other people have several hundred, they sound as if their addiction is pretty serious!!

Was your sister able to go? Did she have a good time?

You only took 3, eh? It sounds like you enjoyed yourself!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have gotten plumerias two years in a row at The Land in Epcot. The one lst year didn't grow, but the one I got in January is doing great and has flower buds on it already! I can hardly wait! They told me the mistake I made with the first one wa putting it in a clay pot. They told me to put this one in a plastic pot, and that seems to work better. You only fertilize once a month with epsom salts or osmocote. I never had any luck with the ones I brought back from Hawaii.

 

[Rajah]

Don't put it in a clay pot? Why not put it in a clay pot? (I just put mine in a clay pot)

 

[dianeschlicht]

Not sure, but they said it would hold moisture too much. I always thought clay would breath. They also said to put it in a bigger pot than I thought it should go in. I was also told to plant it in cactus mix and to mist it daily.

 

[marlasmom]

I have a couple in clay pots. Cactus mix is expensive. They tell you that so you will have a good draining soil. 1/3 potting soil and 2/3 perlite is what the "experts" on GW use.

Yes my sister went to the party and we had a great time. The people on that forum are as nice as the people here.

 

[Tulirose]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
.......I was also told to plant it in cactus mix and to mist it daily.

Mist Daily!? MIST DAILY??!!

My instructions say plant three inches deep in plastic pot with cactus mix and do nothing for two weeks. Well, it doesn't actually say "do nothing". It says give light and heat but no water (after having lightly misted the cactus mix before planting).

After two weeks then it says to mist tip and sides of cutting once a week!

To tell the truth, this thing looks dead, dead, dead.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Tullirose, mine looked dead for about a month too. BTW, I didn't start misting daily until after the leaves appeared. Before that it was weekly. I also didn't water it until after the leaves were 2 inches long.

 

[Rajah]

Okay, what do plumeria look like when they start to sprout from a cutting, and how long should it take?

That plumeria stalk/cutting/stick/whatever that I planted just what, 2 days ago?, has some purple and black moist-looking stuff on the very tip that looks like it *could* be sprouting, but that seems really fast. ??

---

Huh. Went to Plumeria 101 and found something about black tip fungus. This doesn't look like that. So I did a search on black tip fungus and found a question posted on gardenweb with a picture that looks exactly like what I'm seeing, and apparently it *IS* sprouting this fast???? I'll have to see how it develops over the next few days.

 

[marlasmom]

Sometimes plumes put out leaves and even flowers before they are rooted, because the "stuff" was in the stick when it was cut. Ii have 2 that are doing that now.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I just bought another one on Ebay. Thanks for the headsup Marlasmom!