Plumeria care.

[Chavy87]

I have a plumeria that's I purchased from Lowe's in spring. I've brought it inside for the fall/winter, it's under a grow light. I'm trying to keep it from going dormant. I've struggled with these plants for several years, I seem to over water them. Looking for some advice. Thank you.

[Silas_Sancona]

16 minutes ago, Chavy87 said:

I have a plumeria that's I purchased from Lowe's in spring. I've brought it inside for the fall/winter, it's under a grow light. I'm trying to keep it from going dormant. I've struggled with these plants for several years, I seem to over water them. Looking for some advice. Thank you.

How does the stem feel, particularly closer to the base?.. Looks like it could use a light drink ( water along the inside edge of the pot. Don't soak the entire rootball )

Unless you can keep it warm enough / provide the 8-12 hours of light / humidity that stimulates growth,  it will drop remaining leaves / go completely dormant.  Providing both does not guarantee it won't drop it's leaves either..   A winter nap Is natural for all Plumeria rubra cultivars < what you have > .  All mine have another ..3-5 weeks or so before i'll start stripping any plants that try to hold onto their leaves to force them to take a nap..

Favorite Plumeria grower's nursery in Feb. '23.  Located in Homestead ( Note the Coconuts peeking above the nekked Plumerias, ..below and to the left of the taller Royals   )



Same grower's nursery in May.



While dormant / asleep,  apply only enough water to keep the stem firm when they start to look really thirsty, and only apply along the inside edge. I might water any plants i bring indoors thru the " coldest " part of our winter once every 6 weeks ( once or twice before they go back outside in late Feb / early March here ).  1st year seedlings  are the only size plants you'd want to water a touch more this time of year.  After their first year,  they should be treated like regular plants ( Allowed to go dormant / watered very lightly -if at all- while taking a winter nap )


From the looks of the soil mix in the pot, curious if this may be a JJ ( JJ =  Jungle Jack's ) Cultivar.. Soil mix seems to be particular to their plants.  At least here,  Plumeria offered by our local Lowes / HDs that come from other growers like V&P Nursery are grown in a different looking soil mix ( Usually really  heavy in Peat ).

Regardless, aside from this time of year / grower they came from,  i'll remove them from / rinse away the majority of  the " growers " mix since it often contains too much Peat Moss, and repot into a " sharper " / better draining soil mix i make myself, ...that amounts to a total of 70-80%  in in-organic soil components  ...like Pumice ( avoid Perlite like the plague myself ), Turface MVP,  Small Lava Cinders, ..and / or  sifted-to-size Granite Grit i collect from local washes.

Only " organic " soil ingredient /  component i add to my mixes is Cocopeat ...and maybe a handful or two of crushed up dried out leaves.  I may experiment w/ adding some chunkier Coconut husk to my soil mix for a couple new additions next year to see if it helps retain moisture just a touch longer.

I may have to water a touch more than if i used a " heavier " soil mix,  thirsty Plumeria cultivars, and during the worst portion of our summers esp.  but i've yet to have any significant issues w/ stem / root rot since going really chunky / gritty soil mix wise. Chunky soil mixes breathe and typically don't stay waterlogged, unless heavy in fine sand ( which can retain a ton of moisture ).

Absolutely NO fertilizer this time of year..  Greatly slowed down / Dormant plants won't utilize any nutrients applied anyway.


Main focus this time of year = Keep an eye on the stems,  but,  Let em rest.

Once it is warm enough to put back outdoors, then it is time for a light application of fert as they start showing signs of waking up. 

  Is the only time i apply a dose of -any- Phosphorus to potted specimens. In-ground  plants don't need any.  Remember too that for healthy Plumeria,  you'll apply 10+% K or Sul-Po-Mag 3 or 4 X's /yr.  ..In pots,  or in the ground.

[metalfan]

I have seen Plumeria in the dry tropics that underwent dormancy. Its natural for plumeria to have a period of dormancy.

[Josue Diaz]

If it is from Lowes, it likely came from Jungle Jacks, which is pretty notorious for sending poorly rooted, or recently rooted plants (sometimes the cuttings are unrooted in the pot!) The fact that the stem on yours is wrinkled tells me the plant is dehydrated, and possibly poorly rooted or very recently rooted. Contrary to what many people believe, plumeria LOVE water in the growing season, so long as they have good drainage.  Mine in ground and in pots get watered daily in summer. They do like to be on the dry side when dormant, so that's going to be your biggest concern as you enter into the dormant season with an already dehydrated plant.  I suspect that if you have them under lights, and in a warm environment, you may be able to trick your plants from going into dormancy, but you will also need to provide them with a good drink given that the stems show they're very dehydrated. If your plant begin to go dormant (drop their leaves), I would advise against watering at all since that could lead to rot, so take advantage of the stage their in now to give them a good drink - and keep an eye on rot. It will creep up fast and can take down an otherwise healthy plumeria in a matter of days.

 

[mnorell]

I will "third" the opinion on the Jungle Jack's plants, I don't know why on earth they put everything into that peaty mix. Growing Plumeria in such a mix, especially through the cool/cold seasons, requires very controlled conditions in regards to watering (i.e., in a greenhouse with very sophisticated moisture metering; or just no water at all of course if they are defoliated). I can only assume they want everyone to "come back for more" next year. Similar to the way growers present Adeniums to the world in what invariably will become a soggy, peaty mess...the cure being exactly what Nathan says above, carefully hose off their peaty mix, and re-set the plant into a very chunky/gravelly mix of pumice/perlite, sand, LECA, coconut-coir chunks (not fines) or similar. I have lost quite a number of JJ plumerias and I assumed it was because of their bad mix but could also be because of what Josue notes above in terms of inadequate rooting. That is very, very frustrating for a premium-priced plant.

[happypalms]

Plumeria would have to be one of the easiest plants to grow. It sounds like you’re overwatering them and over loving them don’t fuss over exotic plants there just the same as common ones. I thought that about many exotics thinking it’s rare or exspensive I have to baby it and fuss over it you do t have to do that. Yes there are certain plants that require certain cultural techniques, I have some plants i cannot grow killing them but each time I learn from that mistake and next time change what iam doing something completely different thinking differently. You just have to think outside of the box. I just simply break a piece of the tree and push into the ground to propagate them you can let the stem dry out for a month then plant them in some good well draining soil mix. They are incredibly tough dry tolerant cold tolerant temperatures as low as 2 degrees Celsius in my garden possibly colder freezing temperatures are not there friend. But so tough you cannot kill them but well worth the flowers.

[Silas_Sancona]

As far as growers,  Lets just get it out there that   none  are perfect.   Having purchased 6... cultivars from them -so far- ..2 from Lowes, 4 directly,  have to say not a single JJ plant i've picked up / had sent to me was un-roted ..or " barely "  rooted .   Crowded / over- rooted?   nope. not run into that either.   Every one of the 6 plants picked up from them had just the right amount of roots for a 1 or 3 gal plant when it is ready to step up or drop directly in the ground..

Even one that could have rooted just a touch longer had more root mass on it than some of the have-to-be bare -rooted plants i've purchased from out of state. 

Not quite perfect root mass in a pot has never been an issue for me anyway because i just prop it up and let it finish rooting out more before repotting / planting out.

As far as plants offered by Lowes, regardless of the grower, ( ..though i single out JJ's offerings seen first, when seen,  ..partially because of the perceived issues w/ them at times ) Happily admit  i'm the DH who won't hesitate to go through each plant of interest on a table giving it a little nudge, ...and / or picking up each plant to see if any roots are peeking out of the holes / how loose the plant might be in the pot.. 
...
Actually do this w/ pretty much any plant of interest seen in any nursery.   Very rare that i've come across JJ Plumeria that shouldn't have been sent out. But, when you offer the amount of plants they do,  S*** is bound to happen sometimes..

** For all the overly critical critics,  Try doing what they do, at their level,  lets see how you'd measure up..

Obviously, considering how many plants they produce / sell -each-  year, not unexpected to see a few miss- labeled / missing a tag ..and / or not quite as ready as they could be, ( esp in the mind(s) of really persnickety  folks ) or a bit loose in the pot. AFAIC, IMB,  thus far,  the quality of their stock is at least an A-  ....Until i see obvious reason(s) to consider re-evaluating.

That said, there are some cultivars ..Queen Amber for instance,  that i myself might hold onto / allow to fatten up a tad longer before sending out to where they are offered  -or selling myself.  ..Not because mine wasn't root well for instance, but because it seems 1 gal plants can be a bit skinny and will require a little extra tlc to get it off the ground when repotted -at that size-

This isn't necessarily an issue one can speculate is the sole result of intentional bad practice by JJ / any other growers,  some cultivars are just skinny, ..or slow / slow-er to root / take off as they're rooting, or whatever.

Have been told by a grower i trust that some cultivars seem to have a " prime " window for rooting ..Take Jeanie Moragne..  She can be slow to root to start with.  In some cases, cuttings started in say April can root reasonably easily, while a new batch of cuttings started say 4-6 weeks later might shrivel / rot ...or sit for a much longer period of time before rooting  -No matter the overall experience level of the grower-  ..That's in an ideal part of the country too...

OTOH, other cultivars root easily -and quickly,  pretty much all season, ..if not a little longer-,  While a handful or so can take MONTHS to start rooting -at all..  ..If they don't shrivel up / rot out  first.


Overall, once the plants -any plant- is out of the grower's hands, how it is cared for is in the hands of whomever works at ..say Lowes, or HD. Don't know a thing about Plumeria < or plants really >? ..they're not going to know how to care for them while in their sight, let alone things to look for when inspecting the plants -Something that should be done each day, -if it isn't, AFAIC. 

Soil wise, compared to what i've seen from some other growers, JJ's mix isn't as good as i might like, ..but it isn't horrible either.  I can place a 1gal plant in a tray and it will soak up water in the tray w/ out issue..

..At least it isn't this:  ..Aside from dropping these in a thick layer of ..wood compost??, wayyy high up the trunk, can see that these plants from this grower were started in  ..Clay..  Odd, to say the least  Need to look for more of their plants to see if this is a standard practice, or something one off that occurred w/ this particular batch.  Mix is wayy too Peat / Organics- heavy overall.

Washed most of it off and dunked in the ground, at the correct height...  No worries.


..


The one thing i do keep an eye out for - from any Plumeria grower-  is plants being sold that have obvious issues ..Such as PMV / FMV. Any grower offering plants w/ signs of either should be called out /  plants from them w/ obvious signs of... should be pulled from a store's shelves and destroyed / sent back.  None of my JJ plants have shown any signs of either virus.. Have one w/ PMV / FMV from a different grower though, and have seen infected plants from another bigger regional Plumeria grower in a couple big boxes a few times..

Unlike the occasionally imperfectly rooted / labeled at times plant, offering sick Plumeria is intentional since the grower / grower's staff should be well versed on what to look for ..before  any cuttings are taken of an infected plant.  If it were me, my stock plants would be tested for / certified free of both viruses / any other major viruses, bi -yearly, ...at no added expense to who i sell to either...

Instant any stock plant is noted as showing signs of/ either, it is tagged / isolated until it produces seed, then yanked once i have seedlings started off of it.  A note is immediately posted to my online catalog noting why that cultivar is currently out of stock / may no be longer offered.

Either way, just like any purchase anyone makes, it is up the client to have the knowledge on how to care for these / what to look out for when purchasing..  As with any plant,  Plumeria growers sole responsibility ( ies ) = Healthy plants ..at a fair price.  That's it.


Turning back to an ideal soil mix, here's how a couple of my cuttings look when stepped up after a year, in my stringent " chunky "  mix:








In most cases, Roots fill in just enough to hold 95% of the rootball in place..  Lots of air gets in there, and the roots never stay too wet for too long..

Even if some of the soil falls away when i repot / drop in the ground . .No worries.. plants seem to shrug it off and resume growing.