Plumeria is a tropical flowering plant that is loved for its fragrance and unique colors. You may have heard of the other names of plumeria such as frangipani, Hawaiian lei tree, etc. This plant is native to tropical America, Mexico, Brazil, and the Caribbean. Plumeria flowers are so aesthetically pleasing that even growing the plant in your garden or your home can be a delightful experience.
But to grow the beautiful plant on your own in a healthy way through different propagation, you need to know the plumeria growth stages first. It will help you to understand what to expect before even starting the process of growing a plumeria tree. In this article, I am going to explain the growth stages of plumeria and how you can grow the plumeria tree effortlessly.
Key Takeaways
- There are 6 growth stages of growing a plumeria plant such as germination, seedling, vegetative, budding, flowering, and dormancy.
- You can grow plumeria trees by either seed propagation or branch-cutting.
- For growing plumeria from cutting, you need to follow some specific procedures while cutting and planting the tree for propagation.
- Plumeria plants have very easy maintenance which you can do without giving any extra effort.
6 Growth Stages of Plumeria
There is a different growth stage for every plant. We should know the growth stages of individual plants to set our expectations and understand our plants better. The growth stages for plumeria are:
1. Germination stage
After the plumeria flowers are pollinated by winds, bees, or the winds, they form seeds. For growing a beautiful plumeria plant out of these seeds (you can also buy these from stores), the first stage the plant goes through is the germination stage. The seeds of the plumeria will sprout first if they can have enough moisture, oxygen, and warm temperature. A favorable environment is necessary for the seeds to create healthy sprouts for the strong roots of the plumeria plant. This germination of the plumeria can take 3 days to 2 weeks to grow small sprouts in the seeds.
2. Seedling stage
After the seeds have germinated and sprouted, comes the seedling stage. In this stage, the sprout becomes more mature and goes towards developing roots out of them. Just within 8 weeks of germination, the sprouts grow about 6 inches, and within 1 year, the sprouts grow around 1 foot. To finally grow a plumeria from the seeds, can even take 3 years or more to bloom. Sometimes, you will be surprised to see the newly grown plumeria plant since the seedlings do not always represent the mother plant.
3. Vegetative stage
In the vegetative stage, the plant will grow new stems and foliage. To be a healthy plant, this stage is crucial. It needs enough sunlight, nutrients (nitrogen), and water to produce food for itself and get stronger. The stems will get harder day by day to support the plant. If you are growing your plumeria plant, make sure to give it nutritious soil, leave it in the sunlight for at least 6 hours, and water the plants regularly. The vegetative stage can take 3-5 years to grow the plant along with the seedling phase. Although it takes a lot of time and patience, during this stage, your plumeria will start to look like a shrub or a small tree rather than a small plant.
4. Budding stage
The next growth stage is the budding of the Plumeria plant. In this stage, the plumeria plant will start to grow flower buds. These flower buds will turn into beautiful flowers within no time. After your plant passes the seedling stage and grows into a plant, the budding can take 3 years from that. if your plant gets enough nutrients, water, and sunlight, you can see the budding happening at the beginning of the summer.
5. Flowering stage
Plumeria is a plant that is mostly known and cultivated for its gorgeous flowers. This long patience of growing this plant is for nothing else than the flowers. The flowers of plumeria come in diverse colors such as, white, yellow, pink, red, purple, and blue as well. You can also see multiple colors in the same flowers as well. The flowers also have a soothing fragrance. Once the plant is fully grown, you will see the flowers bloom every summer. The flowers will continue to bloom until the fall starts. Do not forget to keep them under the sun with enough warm temperatures.
6. Dormancy stage
This is the final stage of plumeria growth. Dormancy is the stage when your plant stops growing for a period. It is a natural process of the plumeria to conserve energy and protect itself. This is also known as the resting phase of the plumeria where they take preparation for the next budding season. During the dormancy stage, you need to reduce the fertilization and water your plant less.
These different stages of plumeria will help you to understand your plants better, their natural process of growing, and cultivate them successfully without being impatient. However, if you want to skip the timeframe of the whole germination process, you can also grow plumeria from cutting.
How to Grow Plumeria from Cuttings?
There are two main methods with which you can do your plumeria propagation. The two methods are-
- Seed propagation
- Propagation through cutting.
We have already learned about the growth stages of propagation through the seeds of the plumeria plant. Now I am going to explain how you can propagate and grow your plumeria from cuttings. The procedure of growing plumeria from cutting is very simple and effortless.
Plumeria cutting – how to cut and store
Consider these factors while cutting the branch of your plumeria tree to keep your existing tree healthy and keep the cuttings safe:
- Cut a small branch from your plumeria tree. You can take the cuttings from where the stems or the branch will look healthy.
- The size of the stem does not really matter while you are propagating with the cuttings. However, the cutting should be more than 3-4” and can go anywhere between 12” to 18” long.
- To cut the branch, you can use a sharp pair of pruners. You need to disinfect the tools before cutting the branch to avoid any risk of infestation and disease of your plumeria tree.
- The tip of the Plumeria plants is very prone to rot. They rot easily if water settles on the cut or the wound. so, make your cut on a downward angle so that any water can fall down instantly.
- Remove all the leaves from the cutting. This will help the cutting to use all of its energy in producing new roots.
- Give the cutting some time to cure its wound and dry out completely. It may take 1 to 2 weeks but if the wounds are not hardened off, the cutting more likely will rot. You need to give them time to callus to encourage the growth of the new root.
- Store the cutting in a cool and dark place with enough ventilation. After the cuttings are dried out, they are ready to be planted.
Planting the Plumeria Cuttings
After you are done with the plumeria cutting and getting, the next step is to plant them. While planting your plumeria cutting follow the following methods:
- To plant your plumeria cutting, prepare the soil mix first. You can take 1/3 potting soil and 2/3 perlite to make the soil mix and fill in a medium-sized pot. You can also add coarse sand, or just use a commercial mix instead. For the warmer environment, you can also plant the cutting directly on the ground by loosening the soil with a shovel.
- You can dip the area that was cut from the parent tree in a rooting hormone if you want. You can also plant the cutting directly in the soil if you do not have any.
- Sink the cutting halfway through the ground and tie that up to support it to stand in the upright position.
- Water the cutting right after you plant them, but avoid watering for the next few weeks. You can only mist the cutting with a sprayer every once in a while since too much water can hamper the cutting to form roots or make them rotten.
Factors That Affect The Plumeria Growth
To grow your plumeria plant effectively, there are several factors that you should consider that can affect the growth rate of the plumeria.
Soil and nutrition
The soil mix is very important for having healthy plumeria plants which will also grow quickly and faster. You can have a mix of sand, peat moss, and perlite to create a soil mix for the plant. Make sure that the soil is filled with nutrients. You can fertilize your plumeria plant once every 2-3 weeks in the growing season. But beware of over-fertilizing your plant. It can lead to salt build up which can kill your plant as well. Regular fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is necessary for them to have healthy growth.
Watering and drainage
Watering in the correct way is very crucial in order to give healthy growth to your plumeria plants. Do not over-water your plumeria plants. Soggy soils are not great for your plumeria plant to bloom. Give your plant some drying time between watering. After the soils are dried, water the plants. On the contrary, extreme dryness is also something you should avoid. Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole to let the excess water fall off, otherwise, it can even make the sprouts rot.
Provide enough space
The soil should not be too heavy or too pressed down. It will create a barrier in the germination and seedling process and the sprouting can take a lot more time. You can take a small pot for the seedling, but after the seedling, you need to transfer it to a larger pot to have more space to grow.
Environmental condition
You should keep them in warm and sunny weather and you should keep them under the sun for at least 6 hours every day. Plumerias are best if they are kept in a warm and sheltered room away from cold temperatures. In cold or winter, they cannot grow to their full potential. Plumerias are tropical plants and are sensitive to frost. So, keep them indoors in a warm temperature if you live in very cold weather where the temperature can go down to 40℉.
Maintenance and pruning
Regular pruning is necessary to maintain and shape your plumeria. The plumeria trees can grow unevenly in a scattered away. Regular pruning will help them to maintain their shape and remove any dead or diseased parts. This shaping also encourages them to grow more branches and promote airflow between them. So regular pruning can also affect the growth of your plumeria.
6 Tips to Take Care of The Plumeria Plant
You do not need to go over the board to take care of your plumeria tree. To give plumeria trees proper care and maintenance, you can follow these simple tips on a daily basis.
- Plumeria can thrive if you put them under direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day. So, provide ample lighting for the plant.
- Keep your plumeria in a warm temperature. Make sure you have an indoor or outdoor temperature where you have planted the plumeria that is more than 70. Bring the plant inside if the temperature is less than 40.
- Water in an appropriate way, keep a balance between not too wet and not too dry. water after the soil is completely dried.
- Fertilize once in a while to give them proper nutrients, but avoid using pesticides on them which can make the beneficial moths, bees and butterflies go away which can help with the pollination process.
- If your plumeria is already bloomed and pollinated, then you can see the seedpods in the trees. collect the seedpods after they are completely dried out for further harvesting.
- To collect the seed pods, you can cover them with a mesh bag.
Common Problems With Plumeria
Like any other plant out there, plumeria also comes with some problems that can severely affect the plant and can even make the plants die. The most common problems with plumeria are:
Rot and infections
Plumeria are very prone to fungal infections which can lead the plants to rot very quickly. The most common fungal infection of plumerias face is stem rot, rust, and powdery mildew. Stem rot attacks the stems and roots of the plant which even can make your entire plant die out. If the leaves of the trees turn out yellow and orange, then most probably your plant is infected by the rust. As soon as you see any signs of infections in your plant, cut off the affected part and use fungicide to treat them.
Plumeria not rooting
There can be multiple reasons why your plumeria seeds or cuttings are not rooting. The main reason for this type of problem is either over-watering or underwatering. The soil needs to be loose and kept on the drier side. You have to keep a perfect balance while watering your plants. The roots need to have a temperature above 75. If the weather is colder than that, then it will take more time to root. And if the plant faces frost damage for keeping outside, it can potentially die. You can buy a heat mat to place under the pot where you planted the seeds or the cuttings to accelerate the process.
Pest infestation
Plumerias can be infested by spider mites, thrips, scale, white flies, mealybugs, snails, slugs, etc. which can damage the leaves and flowers of your plant. If these insects the plant severely, and the plant remains untreated for a longer time, there is hardly any chance that your plants will survive. To keep these pests out of your plumeria plant, you can use rubbing alcohol, neem oil, insecticidal soap, etc avoid using pesticides as they can harm your plant as well.
FAQs
It is possible to root plumeria cutting in water after the cutting is dried. However, the water method will not be as effective as the soil rooting. The roots that the plumeria is going to get in the water will not be as strong as the roots in the soil.
No, you should wait for the branch to dry out completely. The area with the cuts can easily rot if that is immediately placed in the soil since plumeria is very prone to rot. Let the wounds heal and the branch dried out completely before planting that in the soil.
How long the plumeria cutting takes to root depends on the favorable environment. In the right condition, it can take 2-3 weeks to root. But if the soil is too wet or too dry and the weather is cold, it can take longer to root.
If stored properly, your plumeria cutting can last for several months. Once the cutting is dried properly, you can store that in a cool and dark place where there is enough air circulation. You can wait in the winter but plant it as soon as spring comes since spring is the best time for planting your plumeria.
You should not plant your plumeria plant in winter since the temperature will not allow your plant to grow to its full potential. Winter keeps the entire growth process of plumeria stopped. If you already have cuttings of the plumeria, store them and wait for the summer to plant.
Final Thoughts
To grow your plumeria trees in a healthy way so that they can reach their full potential, knowing and understanding the growth stages are very crucial. The entire process of growing the plumeria tree might take a lot of time and patience, but the results of the beautiful fragrant blooming flowers will make you forget all of these. Once the growth is done of the plumeria plants, very little effort is needed to take care of them. The propagation process through cutting is also a very easy and effortless way to make more plumeria. Give it a try to make more amazing trees and flowers to give your home and garden an aesthetic appearance.