From my experience, what you are seeing is some of the latex coming out at the tip and then drying. It is common in spring when there is moisture in the air. It looks not so good but it is of no harm to the plant. As the air dries toward summer it seems to go away. It often shows after a rain and then is soon gone. If what you see is black, you have another problem that is explained in my answer to "what's happening to my plumeria," on forum answer Apr 6.

thanks for the info i do have a problem with some of the claws turning black and falling off would that be a fugus?

yes. This is a real danger. Black tip fungus, if sprayed with a fungicide can be held in check. If the entire tip is getting black, you need to cut until you see no brown or black on the inside. sometimes this can be several inches from the tip. I then spray the cut with fungicide and then cover over with common household spackle. You can use pruning spray but spackle is light colored, cheap and just as effective(pruning sprays are black and stand out more). New growth will start later this season or next and flowering for that tip is done for this year, If you let this fungus go, it can poison your entire plant or at least a major arm. I look carefully at the start of the season and when in doubt I spray fungicide on the tips. I note which plants are more prone to fungus and spray their tips next year. For me I had mild cases last year on Axtec gold, lei rainbow, puu kehea, marion B, mary moragne and kaulananani. This year I sprayed sooner and I have one small hole on an aztec gold (where i did not cleanly remove a leaf stem part) Early action pays off. hope this helps.

my plant does not have any black on the tip just the claws I am trying to figure out how to send a picture to get your advice i am not sure even the names of my plants

I put some pics in the gallery if you get chance please took a look. the pics are not very good i am not good at resizing

If it is just what looks like black little leaves, pick them off and spray. these usually are no problem but I do not leave them on the plant, They are usually found when you have hot then cool then hot with some rain tossed in. Just watch them closely. if the black moves to the stem, act quickly.

thanks alot can you recomend a spray?

I have had success with most systemic or common fungicides. Ortho and Bayer make rose fungicides. Schultz make a general spray. Almost any will do. The trick is to act quickly after rain. If you find little black holes on the side of your stem, take a pocket knife and scrape out the black, then spray. You can seal with spackle or just leave it and keep your eye on it.

Hi,
I have black tip fungus on the tips of my new cuttings. I am treating them with insecticide. On one branch, has 3, the entire tip is black. Did I read that I am to cut that totally off? Won't the spray kill the black fungus, will it return to green? I am in So. CA.
Karen

Black tip is a fungus which needs a fungicide. Insecticide kills insects and will do nothing against fungus. If the fungicide spray kills the fungus, the tip will probably not return to green. However, new branches will grow from the area. If the tip has considerable black, you need to cut back to green stem, seal after the latex dries, and wait for new growth. I sometimes break off the black and then seal. New growth usually starts soon.

Hi,
thanks for responding. I ment fungicide..bought schultz, sorry, on 4th day of spraying.
. Checked again, its the tips that are total black, and some black on the side of the one cane, new cutting.

so if new branches start, show grow, hope, there is still fungus then on the top, the black tips? How would then,I know if the fungus was gone, will the black go away? does the top callous?
Or am I not understanding? My first time with these plants.
Karen

If the tip stays hard, you are usually ok. New growth will grow right around this black area. If it gets squishy and moves downward, start cutting until you get clean and green. Some people cut off the black area, spray and seal. I just watch it. The black only goes away with the knife. If this is a new cutting, I would suspect frost or a flight in an unheated airplane compartment.

Hi,
thank you, appreciate the help. I was given the two cuttings, by my neighbor 7 weeks ago. She told me to just put it in the ground, no root tone, 5 weeks off and on of rain. Hers looked awful I paniced, found the plumeria forum, was advised to take them out of the ground..with instructions to plant. I had no softness like hers.

After they came out of the ground to re-dry, the black tips started. The other cutting, black tip is some am spraying. I cut off the total black tip this morning. other two arms are ok. Hope it roots, have never seen plumeria bloom.

Now hope for warm weather, I am obviously new to this.
thanks, Karen

Never seen plumerias bloom. Go to http://plumerias.com/ and then click on the more plumerias icon on the right side under the pictures. When the next page comes up, click on Bud Guillot's favorite plumeria pictures and see what some of the most beautiful and rare ones look like. There are literally thousands of varieties of colors, sizes, shapes and smells to collect. Just be aware, it can be quite an addiction. You live in So.Cal you may want to check on the posting about the So.Cal garden show the last weekend of this month in Costa Mesa. Many plumie cuttings and plants up on the second and third floors and many people who will help especially at the SCPS booth on the third floor.

Hi,
I am sure I could get hooked very easily, think I am. ha. Now I only have 4 plumies, a friend gave me a white one to root yesterday..am excited. I have 3 cuttings and bought a year old bright pink rooted one from a nursery, want to see blooms hopefully this summer even leaves!!

I would love to go to that show..butttt. My husband would have to drive me, is a ways from where I live. I don't drive freeways in Los Angeles heavy traffic. If closer, absolutely. Some day hope to see one I can smell. Watch the plants daily for growth!!! Its great fun. I put the rooted one in the ground, transplanted it to a 3 gallon can, want to see if this works, in my humingbird garden. I read a lot of all the problems, trying my best.

Karen..

karen let me say this, the problems of plumerias are very minimal compared to many other tropicals. around here, protect them from frost or cold in the dead of winter, and otherwise, do not overwater. Make sure your soil drains well and does not stay too wet, Plumies have very few pests and very few diseases. They like it hot and sunny. Whites are generally very hardy. About the show. You might reconsider as traffic is not too bad on Saturdays, the show is free and occupies three floors of the shopping mall, the varieties of plants are fantastic (i bought some insanely spectacular Hibiscus two years ago), and the crowd of people are upbeat, happy, and enthusiatic. It is a fun event. Anyway, good luck.

Hi,
thanks for your help, will do my best to go to the show..sounds great.
Karen

Hi,
you mentioned hibiscus, know wrong forum. But with all this rain, I have 4 beautiful bushes, with every plant disease on them. On the leaves, black spots, covered with white dots, webby appearance, underneath, black along the stem..whew. I am starting to spray with fungicide..delt with individual plant problems but these have them all. Too much rain, suppose to rain again. ARe these worth saving? would hate to dig them up. losing my cactus with read spots..gads.
Karen

Hibiscus are connected to Plumerias because both can have problems with white flies. It is a good idea to aggressively attack your white flies on the hibiscus so they do not move to your plumies or fruit trees. I buy a top grade worm castings and spread about a pint around mature plants. When absorbed into the plant it must taste bad. It is basically worm poop so it is a healthy addition to plants. I put some on my plumies in April. You also want to remove leaves that are yellow and have white fuzzy stuff under the leaves. Put up sticky yellow white fly traps which will catch adults. It takes an agressive action, but you can win. Your fungicide should take care of the rest which is usually seasonal an goes away with the warmth. Also, do not freak out when your plants get yellow leaves at this time of the year. New growth is coming. If the white fly moves to your plumies, it will be under the leaves and can be wiped away. A watchful eye is a key.

Hi,
white fly..really, ok will copy paste your message and see what I can do..do have cats around and squirrels, hope that can work..boy that is a new one. The hibiscus are planted in the front of my house side yard, plumies in back yard...yellow leaves, some, The third plant, close to losing all the leaves, its rather ill looking. Suppose to warm up thursday. ok..thanks.
Karen

Whiteflies are very small white insects that feed on the juices of plants. They have no connection to cats or squirrels. If you have a white fuzzy silky mess under any leaves, look carefully and you can see small white, moth like insects that fly when you brush the leaves. Whitefly nests usually spawn a black fungus that feeds on the honeydew emitted by the whitefly, Since whiteflies are sapsuckers, they weaken you plant. They are very prolific and can get out of control quickly. Insecticidal soaps will work, but you need a long term battle. Once you win, the worm castings (available at most good garden shops) will keep it under control. Google whitefly if you want to learn more.

Hi,
no, I don't have any white flys, no flys that fly when leaves are brushed, checked. the under leaves are clean. No what is on the top of the leaves is pin specks of white, that do not brush off, and some black spot. The pin spots are all over every leaf of all the plants. One plant is totally losing its leaves, they are drying up, turning yellow and falling off...thats different. It could be a form of mildew too, no leaf is pure white, have had that on gourds leaves. I am spraying with a fungicide spray, after 10 days of spraying..will see then what they look like. if not clean, then don't know what to do. We may have more rain coming again, just too much rain for tropical plants.
karen

Now that I have a better description, I think you have a bacterial leaf spot caused by the excessive moisture. It usually goes away after the air dries up. Yellow leaves are normal for Hibiscus at this time of the year, but all leaves falling off is not common (unless you have a plant that goes dormant). All I can suggest is to keep the plant healthy, feed it with a good organic (like Dr.Earth) and I really like to add a kelp extract and use the worm castings. And pray that we get some dry before the June gloom. Good luck and don't give up ,

Hi,
thanks so much, will take your advise, that sounds like thats it. Yes, will feed, pray for sunshine, rain forcasted tonight and tomorrow. Oh dear June gloom. ha thanks.
Karen