N. H. Plumeria Season ...Twenty Twenty Five..

[Silas_Sancona]

Starting this year's Plumeria Season thread early for a couple reasons.. already seeings signs of early movement..  and for those who have plants that may have been exposed to recent cold spells..


Before getting to the " signs of spring " showing up in some of the collection, a tip for those who have plants that might have been experienced sub 32F cold..

While 99% of my own plants, inc those in pots out back, on the porch, and in the ground in both areas seemed to have escaped -any- damage after about 8 days of morning lows at / below 32F this year,  i did have a couple losses..

Mexi Pink:   This was planted in an area out back that sees no direct sun all winter due to the sun angle this time of year.. Had been fine but noticed that the base of the stem wasn't looking right / felt kind of soft after the cold mornings here.  Could also see that the terminal end / growth point was showing signs of Black Tip, ...which can lead to stem rot..

After a couple days, and scraping the ?-able section of the stem / not seeing any latex bleed from the scrape = pulled it and opened her up fro a look..

While it was only 2 days between when i'd noticed something wasn't looking right, and when i yanked it, can see that stem rot was already well established throughout all but the top most portion of the plant.  On a specimen as young as this, very tough to try and re-root either of the green stems up top..  More often than not on a lot of Plumeria cultivars, tender green stems = shrivel ..and/or rot outright...  before rooting successfully..  

Simply put, Stem Rot travels FAST once it effects a plant, esp. one this young.    Keep a close eye on any specimens if they were exposed to more than a morning or two at / below 32F/ check to be sure they're bleeding latex until they resume growth...

No worries about it getting zapped, Mexi Pink is easy to find..







Can also see the obvious sign of " Black Tipping " here.   While it hadn't yet worked deeper into the sub surface tissue, it probably would have..  If the Black Tipping only destroys the tissue of the tip, rather than an entire branch / young plant,  the effected tip can " seal over "  meaning it won't continue growing, forcing new growth to emerge from dormant buds where the leaf scars are located further down on a stem / branch.







While the cold could have been the cause, more than likely, i applied wayy too much water back in Dec.  shortly before it decided to get chilly, which, combined with the cold spell, caused the stem rot..  Is supposed to be one of the easiest / hardiest P. rubra cultivars, so i'm a little surprised it got nailed.

Courtade Pink, the other Plumeria dropped in the ground last fall in another spot out back ..at the same time last fall.. = perfectly fine. Stem / tip bleeds latex when nicked..

** Not pictured ** 

Luc's Gold Cup:  Purchased back in October, suffered " Collar rot / Dry rot " near the base of it's stem, just above the root zone.. Not sure if keeping it too dry was the cause, and / or the cold.. Was placed up under the patio w/ the Mardi Gras purchased from the same grower, at the same time  ..Mardi Gras is fine..  Weird ..but, ...un- damaged top portion of it was cut and is currently sitting in the hot pocket out back, hopefully deciding on re rooting.  We'll see..

When yanked, roots were completely dry / brittle ..but not rotting..




Signs of awakening, already??

Samoan Fluff  = Obvious movement over the last few days..  Awaiting to see if it might try to throw an inflo. later. those grungy leaf stubs will be shed as healthier growth below pushes them off.  Note the drop of latex = plant is fine, despite how it might look atm.




Slaughter Pink = tip with the " wet " look = a classic hint it may be responding to recent warmth / is gearing up to start moving again. 





Tips on the rest of the Plumeria currently hanging out out back are still tight / don't have that wet / high gloss look to them yet..


Potted / in ground specimens out front:  Note that this time of year, most of the Plumeria out front only see sun / bright indirect light ( those under the front porch ) in the morning / till about 12:30 - 1PM.  No damage to any of them, even the seedlings.

E 15 < shot #1 > , JJ Xanadu < #2 > : Same wet / glossy look to the growth point..







San Pedro Du Lac X seedling = a little gloss to the tips atm....  Almost certain at least 2 of the 3 branches will push an inflo this year..



Pink Dwf Singapore:  = Still has it's leaves, and may be close to resuming growth.. 

[Rivera]

I have wondered if 'San Pedro Du Lac' Plumeria would tolerate the cool but mild San Francisco climate due to its high altitude Mesoamerican origins. 

But perhaps its cool-tolerance is more wishful thinking than reality? 

[Silas_Sancona]

54 minutes ago, Rivera said:

I have wondered if 'San Pedro Du Lac' Plumeria would tolerate the cool but mild San Francisco climate due to its high altitude Mesoamerican origins. 

But perhaps its cool-tolerance is more wishful thinking than reality? 

That's a good question...  Imagine that even that far south, at 8K ft in elevation, climate would be a bit cooler than closer to sea level, and cloudier / wetter throughout the year..   So, there's at least a chance it could be more adaptable.

If i lived up that way and had a warm pocket in my yard / could create a bed w/ chunky soil that would drain well in such a spot, i'd probably try it   ..and / or a few other fairly adaptable / easy to obtain cultivars like Celadine, Aztec Gold,  *Ken's White,  *Blizzard, *CA. Sunset, and *Divine, ( All * are Jungle Jack's cultivars ), ....and Samoan Fluff,   as well as a couple other more obscure White - flowered cultivars that originated in S. Cal ( IE: Pasadena Sally, Palomar )

CA Sunset, and Divine are supposedly semi- dwarf / compact- sized cultivars, so they can fit into smaller spots as well.

[Tracy]

I had to check if I still had any open flowers on my San Diego Sunset but no luck.   There were still blooms on it as recently as a couple of weeks ago.  It will probably be the first to bloom in my garden too.

[Rivera]

14 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That's a good question...  Imagine that even that far south, at 8K ft in elevation, climate would be a bit cooler than closer to sea level, and cloudier / wetter throughout the year..   So, there's at least a chance it could be more adaptable.

If i lived up that way and had a warm pocket in my yard / could create a bed w/ chunky soil that would drain well in such a spot, i'd probably try it   ..and / or a few other fairly adaptable / easy to obtain cultivars like Celadine, Aztec Gold,  *Ken's White,  *Blizzard, *CA. Sunset, and *Divine, ( All * are Jungle Jack's cultivars ), ....and Samoan Fluff,   as well as a couple other more obscure White - flowered cultivars that originated in S. Cal ( IE: Pasadena Sally, Palomar )

CA Sunset, and Divine are supposedly semi- dwarf / compact- sized cultivars, so they can fit into smaller spots as well.

👍 Thanks for the other recommendations as well

[Silas_Sancona]

April check in:


Divine... Well on her way..  3 out of 4 branches w/ developing inflos this year?  Not bad..










Watching x JJ " Queen Amber " closely..  Was not expecting to see ..any.. hints of inflo development on this one this year.  🤞
it is a legit attempt..


Very interested to see how flowers on this cultivar look with my own eyes..

[Silas_Sancona]

JJ " Queen Amber " ..on the way..





Another unexpected surprise?  JJ " Xanadu "  Should know if this will be a nub or successful inflo. in a week or two.





That is 3 out of the 5 JJ cultivars flowering this year. Not bad.. 

Rest of the older plants look like they'll need another season to catch up.  ...That or i could see flowers later on on at least a couple of them.