TEN COMMON PLUMERIA GROWING MISTAKES

By Paula Furtwangler Plumeria Society Of America Past President

1. Unless you have a greenhouse, don’t try to grow plumerias indoors. The only time they like to be indoors in during dormancy to protect them from freeze. They prefer at least 6 hours of full sun for proper bloom production.

2. Do not just snap off a piece and “stick it into the dirt”, like the Hawaiians will tell you. Use a fine tooth pull saw when making cuttings in old, gray wood at least 12″ long. Sterilize cutting tools between cuts with alcohol.

3. Overwatering is bad. No leaves=no water. Wait for dormancy to break before watering.

4. When no leaves are present, protect the trunk from sunburn; wrap Tin Foil around the exposed branch, shiny side out. If the main trunk is not vertical, wrap exposed area with foil.

5. If you accidentally break a branch you can graft it right back onto the plant if you act quickly, especially if the branch is still hanging by the outer layer of skin. Align the branch back into place. Wipe away any excess latex and wrap tightly with grafting tape. Then cover the grafting tape with green stretchy tape to keep out sun and moisture.

6. Do not put pea gravel on the surface of the soil in pots. Many people think it helps to stabilize a plant but it can cause sunburn and/or rot.

7. Do not use a saucer under the pot. Let the water run out by putting a few pavers under the pots to allow water to run out. Make sure you have enough drain holes, too.

8. Don’t crowd the plants. Space your plumeria far apart to allow a breeze to flow through the leaves to cut down on the spread of rust. Do not think a seedling will look like the mother plant. They are genetically different.

9. Go easy on Nitrogen, which causes tall and rangy plants. Use fertilizer with lower Nitrogen content.