i'll go out on a limb and GUESS that it took too long to develope and just ran out of steam.
the closest experience i know of was a friend with a cutting that set it's first inflo in late fall. she was anxious to see what she had, and asked me what i thought about moving it in and out til it bloomed. i told her no, she said this is how we learn.
she put it out on warm days and put it in front of a window with good light other times. she also cut way back on water.
wound up with barbados showgirl flowers for christmas.
for a tree the size of yours, i don't think one inflo will divert noticable energy.
i'd leave it on just to see what happens.

I have no idea. I often get inflos late because I have a shorter growing season. I sometimes try keeping plumies with inflos inside under HID lights but most end up aborting and the ones that do bloom aren't nearly as nice as the inflos that bloom outside during the growing season.

Happens all the time depending on the variety. For example, my red with white stripe (psycho) bloomed into late February and so it still has over a dozen old inflos that have not fallen off. Most of these will bloom again this year but some start to have flowers but when new inflos start on the new split branches, the old inflo will cease and then fall off. I also notice if we get some cooler or foggy weather, many of these inflos and some of the new ones will get black tip and be rejected. The best is when the old inflo flowers in the late spring and then the new inflos on the new branches flower in summer. Unless I see black tip, I just leave the inflos and every few weeks wiggle them. If they are ready, they pop off. On some plants where I want branch growth, I will snap off the old inflo or cut with an exacto knife. They usually become slightly discolored when they are ready to go. I do not think leaving them has any negative effect on the plant. Bill

For most plants, flowering requires extra energy and plant resources. A plant entering dormancy or not receiving the proper conditions will not be able to sustain flower bud development.

Plumerias entering winter dormancy would fall into this category, and unless the dormant period is very short-lived my thinking is that the meristematic flower cells simply don't get the nutrition they need and fail to continue cellular growth.

Keep in mind also that as days shorten, winter-dormant plants tend to shunt carbohydrates away from top growth and towards the roots for storage. Then, in the spring when growth resumes, the sap flows back to the leaves and flowers.

Plumeria are tricky in that although they are tropical, they have a strong tendency to go dormant even if the conditions seem suitable for winter growth. When I was in Aruba one October a few years back, it surprised me that all the landscaped Plumeria at the hotel were leafless despite temps in the 90's every day with hot nights. The shorter daylength must influence Plumies very predictably.

Hope this helps.

x

So right X!

The plumerias on my property in the Carribean are bare for the winter months, then leaf out by this time of the year..

I always thought that there was always 12 hours of sunlight down there..I wonder if by nature, they are just programed to grow, flower, and drop leaves no matter what?

I wonder if it is stressful for a plant to be forced to not avoid dormancy by many?

Mike..:-)

Ok, now that my brain works today, let us try again.

I wonder if it stressful for a plumeria be forced to avoid dormancy?

Ps...Thanks again Bill for everything!!

Mike..:-)

dormancy was not to avoid cold but to adjust to the dry season when leaves and flowers would suck the moisture from the stem and wrinkle the plant. We associate it with temperate trees that drop leaves to avoid the stress of wind and snow, but in the case of plumeria trees it is another reason: the dry season. I would imagine that temperature changes at night and less light help to trigger dormancy, but it is programed into the plant to prepare for dry. A few plants have a longer program and a few are evergreen perhaps because they mutated in areas that had year around water available. This is also probably why the onset of cold and or wet during the dormant period stimulates rot and fungus in many plants.

Well, you hit that on the nose..Because when I come to think of it, it is very dry during winter down there..

Thanks for the info Bill!

Mike

funnie about climate differ
tony leaves his trees outdoors to go dormant naturally
we bring ours inside to force dormancy
tony brings his indoors to force wake-up
we take ours outside to wake-up naturally
do whacha gotta do

Actually damifino that is one difference between Texas and California. Tony is just slightly colder in the valley than I am near coastal. I leave mine outside all year especially the 30 in the ground and just let nature do what it does. This year we had days in the eighties in February. Texas has hot springtime while California has hot fall. Location changes what you do.

Hey friends,
Thanks for the input. I decided to leave the 2009 inflo just to see what happens. It has lost buds, but still has some. The 2010 inflos are starting to divide now, so I'm guessing my first flowers will be in 3-4 weeks.

I suppose that when I brought the plumie inside, the heat was enough to activate the 2009 inflo to grow, but due to lack of true sun and/or the fact that I had to kick it outside before it would have come out of dormancy naturally, wasn't conducive to flowering...therefore possible damage to the buds, or like damifino said it just ran out of steam.

I'll keep you posted.

Tony

Hey Tony, Bill and All,
As for late season inflo's, personally I have had them blow up with blooms come early June. But as a whole because of MITES and even fungus the inflos can shrivel and drop. I know people in the Inland Empire who have very similar weather to you Tony and they tell me their inflos that survive the winter always bloom for them. My patch is near the coast and every spring (right now) I end up with a ton of Mites and even fungus/BT, I think from the fluctuating temps and sunlight. So as long as I spray with Forbid, Avid or Floramite to control the pests the inflos do bloom as long as i have enough heat and sun.

I know old timers like Rick Stone and Eva grow their plumies in a greenhouse with lights and heaters and they grow and bloom all winter for them. Rick Stone use to have a website where he had pictures of all his plumies blooming in the Greenhouse and snow on the exterior...was very cool.

I also found a great spray Bayer Advance 3 in 1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control. The active ingredient is spiromesifen which is also the active ingredient in Forbid by Bayer Crop Science. Forbid sells for about 275.00 and is for professional use, where as the 3 in 1 can be purchased from most nurseries and is under 30.00 and will take care of Insects, Mites and Diseases (fungus). The other thing I love about the 3 in 1 is that it does not really smell.

So Tony try spraying your plant and inflos as it maybe Mites or Fungus that maybe effecting the inlfos.

Good Luck and Happy Growing season :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer Advance 3 in 1

good to hear from you, James. Hope all is well. Bill

Hey James,

Thanks for the info. Interestingly enough, that very same Plumeria did have spider mites, but it was only on the leaves of one of the branches...and it WASN'T on the branch with last seasons inflo. hmmmmm... unless I couldn't see them. At any rate, those mites have disappeared now that our weather has improved.

All of my 2010 inflos look AMAZING!!

Tony

Hey Tony,

A lot of times you can not see the mites but trust me if you see them on other areas of your plant they are probably all over the plant as the baby mites are not as easily seen. One way you can also tell there are mites sucking on your plant and inflos is to look at the tip and see all the new shiny growth, a lot of times you will see that the duller area below the new growth will look sand blasted or dull and sandy or powdery. That is where the mites during winter where feeding and on your inflos. So check out all your tips and look at last years growth area just below the new shiny skinned growth from the past 2 months.
I would spray the plant just to be sure as mites will spread to the rest of your plants..

Here is a pic of mite damage last May, you can see the sandy look below the shiny skinned new growth on the tip and the black dried up inflo.

Question for Bill or F4P or anyone who has any advise!!!

I have looked at the pictures above that F4P posted about his mite problem....my question is how do I know if I have the same problem? I don't have the black tip...but I do have on some of my plants and cuttings, that sandblasted lite sand look. Could that be spider mite damage? I really have looked all over my trees and cuttings and found only a few with an even darker area on the stem. I contributed this to the hot sunburn effect on the trees. The temps have been really hitting the mid 90's last week and having them placed in their black pots on the concrete around the pool,the temps have been pretty smoking hot!!! Is this because they need to acclamate themselves to the hot direct sun? I did introduce them slowly to the sun, but the heat switch was turned on pretty quickly. I went ahead and sprayed them off lightly with the 3-1 advanced that F4P talked about...I figured it would only help if I did have some form of mite or even fungus. My gut feeling is that it has something to do with the sun and sun damage. I turn them around so they don;t stay in the same direct line from the sun...any advise? They all seem to be doing very well except for the patches of brown/dark spots on some of the stems...Thanks for your help!!!

The storm that we had last night knocked over my Aztec Gold so of course it broke off the 3 inch inflo... : (

Kind of bummmmed about that but not all was lost!!!

Have a great day everyone!!!

Laura in VB

A sunburn looks similar with a tan butn on an exposed stem or branch. You can protect further damage by putting a cardboard center tube from a paper towel roll or toilet paper roll split lengthwise and then snapped around the plant until leaves grow and block the sun.

Thanks Bill,

Do you agree that it might only be sun damage instead of mite damage? I will use the paper towel or toilet paper holder on them..Thanks again!!!

Laura in VB

Loveplants2,

In my case I can tell it's mites because of the leaves growing in twisted and deformed, the BT type damage and the sand paper look at the base of the old and new growth. Where my patch is it is in the low to mid 70's so I know it's not sun damage as I have seen sun damage during the hottest month's during the growing season,especially if I have sprayed.

Your sandy looking texture might have been on the cutting before you got it. You also need to look for the other signs like the way the leaves are coming up and growing, any type of BT damage and buds and inflos that turn drop or turn black. If you only have the sandy skin than you may not currently have mites. Either way I think it is good to spray to be proactive.

Thanks F4P,

Thanks for the information on the mites/sunburn damage.

I really think that it is caused by the direct sun and the heat wave that we are having. This week, the temps have finally adjusted back down from the 90's to the high 70's low 80's...so hopefully my trees will adjust to normal temps!!

The new leaves are growing normally and I don't see any signs of mites. But I did spray all of them with the 3 and 1 that you like to use. Very easy to use and no smell!!
I will continue to rotate the plants that are having the brown spots and also using paper towel rolls to protect from the sun.

Thanks for the info...

Laura in VB