Plumeria trimming

[SubTropicRay]

Is there anyway to trim a Plumeria so that it does not later, take on a knobby and overpruned look?  In other words, is there any appropriate way to do this and not make the plant unsightly?  Is it best to do this in summer or winter when the sticks are bare?

Thanks in advance,

Ray

[Daryl]

Ray, be very careful which branches you trim off. Typically these are the lower branches, and also any central branches that have a possibility of 'crossing' as they grow and then rubbing, causing unsightly damage. Always try to keep good shape, and try to estimate the growth of new branches as well.

When you do trim the branches, cut them right back to the 'break' where the previous branching occurred. Eventually the scar will heal over. You will always get some 'lumpiness' near any prune due to the scar tissue.

As a severe prune you can just cut back to the stump and let the whole tree regrow.

Prune any time up to late Autumn. Pretty tough plants.

Daryl.

[gcolbert28303]

If your are going to trim it would you be willing to mail some of the trimmings, I would gladly pay your postage?

[Walter John]

(gcolbert28303 @ Jul. 11 2006,11:14)

QUOTE

If your are going to trim it would you be willing to mail some of the trimmings, I would gladly pay your postage?

I can't give mine away, nobody wants plumeria anymore around my suburb, and they are various colours as well.

[tikitiki]

Ray,

I lived in the tampa area for many years and I have bought many palms from you and I belive a hong kong orchid tree. If you prune them on a 45 degree angle they should split at the same configuration as they do when they bloom. A high nitrogen fertilizer will help them grow tall and fast. A high middle number of 50 or higher on water soluble or 25 with grandular will induce blooms and more splits. You will always have a nub where you cut but the 45 degree angle will disguise this some. Prune early in the active growth season when they are coming out of their dormancy. You want it to recover before it starts shutting down. I have over 100 trees now from seedlings to 8 footters in the ground and this has always worked for me.

[SubTropicRay]

Thanks Tom!

[Gonzer]

I have heard that excessive feeding of Plumeria results in a "waffling" effect of the leaves, an undulating texture on the leaf surface. A few growers tell me they grow their's 'hard' w/no fertilizer at all. Fact or fiction?

[Stan]

I switched to a high middle number low outer number fert.And,I'm getting big heads of bloom. Tastes great,less filling.

[tikitiki]

Nothing is totally fact or fiction when growing any plant.I can only speak from mine in the ground, and since I only live an hour and a half from Ray I imagine what works for me works for him. I have had this happen on one plant out of many. The other 99 are doing great. I do get streach marks on the trunk from to much nitrogen from the plants growing rapidly, but this is no big deal. In the growing season a high middle number weakly weekly gets alot of blooms and alot of blooms gets alot of branches.

[Kris]

Just bumping for the benefit of late commers... By the way nice topic !