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Originally Posted by penJ.
Hey guys... i need an advice what to do with my plumeria. She is going to be four years soon (from seed), the problem is that she gained almost 1m of stem and no sign of branching... i was thinking maybe i should cut it in 3-4 parts and root them or something, but idono when is the best time to do that and is it a smart thing to do. Any advice is welcome. Cheears  |
Hi PenJ, I experimented with 40 plumeria seedlings about 8 years ago. I had five or so bloom for the first time at three years old, but about half of them bloomed at around five years old. The ones that hadn't bloomed by seven years old were used as root stock.
Seedlings do get quite large before they bloom because they have that nice tap root compared to plumeria trees that were started from rooted cuttings. They also routinely take five years to bloom from seed if you live anywhere other than tropical regions.
Their first attempt at blooming does create branching, but often puts out a "nub" rather than an infloresence. Seedlings can actually do this many times before blooming for the first time. When the seedling does finally bloom, it can look like anything, and it could even be what is considered an inferior bloom that should be destroyed. I finally gave up working with seedlings because they take up too much room and require too much water, fertilizer, and transplanting. They also require lots and lots of patience, and sometimes the bloom turns out to be ugly or not ideal to say the least.
There are hybridizers sowing thousands of plumeria seedlings on acres and acres of land in Thailand, and they choose the best of the best and destroy the rest. This is where the best cultivars come from, and Thailand has the land and the rain and the warm weather to bring plumeria seedlings to flower rather quickly.
I would recommend that anyone waiting for a plumeria seedling to bloom to buy a grafted plumeria with an inflo from
Florida Colors Nursery. Luc and Carol have made many trips to Thailand and brought back some beauties to the United States. I've gotten many of my plumerias from them, and then you can be sure to enjoy blooms now while you are waiting a very long time for that seedling to bloom.
Since you and Sanatic1234 and others have seedlings that you are trying to bring to flower, the best thing that you can do is make sure your seedling has full sun outside between to the two frost dates, give the seedling plenty of water and fertilizer on a regular basis, and repot frequently to a bigger pot at least once per season. A 25-gallon pot is appropriate for a seedling that is four years old. If the seedling is kept in a pot that is smaller than this, it will likely be stunted in its growth and not flower as readily. If you keep the seedling growing with grow lights and heat inside a greenhouse for the winter, it is also more likely to flower sooner. Of course, if you live in an area that doesn't freeze, a seedling will do best when planted in the ground.