Did you buy it as an already rooted plant or as a cutting that you had to root yourself?

it was a rooted cutting i bought 4 seasons ago. the person i bought it from grows tons of these and is considered reliable. (unfortunately, he is no longer available). i am flustered with this plant...i dont normally have trouble getting plants to bloom but this and my adenium obesum have been very stubborn. am approaching the end of the proverbial rope. any help appreciated. jo

I think that there is still hope for blooms this year. I've had many plummies develop leaves before inflos at the beginning of the season.
How tall is the plant and what size pot do you have it in? It may require a larger pot at this point.
I also try to fertilize with a high middle number fertilize like a bloom booster. Spray n Grow is also a great product for plummies.

Plgl is correct. Many plants grow in the limbs and then when they are ready to split they start an inflo. If you have no inflo by August, it probably won't happen (unless it is a San Germain). If it was a seedling, it could take awhile to bloom (Moragne had one take 18 years). Cuttings rarely take longer than 5 years, Some plants just take their time. If they do not get enough light, if they do not get enough phosphorus, or if they are generally too wet and cool, they might resist flowering. Make sure you are not giving it too much nitrogen (first number in fertilizer) as this encourages stem and leaf growth rather than flowers. I also mist with spray n grow and a bloom water soluable high phosphorus fertilizer (Bill's perfect or Growmore) to stimulate flowering. Plants in the wild flower as they dry so watch the watering. As far as lopping off the plant, it can be done anytime. It doesn't always flower the next year but it can. I do not know why some do and some do not. I just called Bud Guillot who lops off most of his plants. He said if you cut now you need 8 inches of stem. It will grow new limbs from 1 to 7 but will not flower until the next season. If you cut in the late summer or fall, you may not get any flowers for two seasons. He also said that you could have a cutting from a seedling which is a worst case situation. You also need to consider the time you need to root the cut parts, Hope this helps.

the plant is one single stalk 27 inches tall w/15 leaves in varying stages of growth. it is in a 12" clay pot. i have been using miracle gro bloom booster, half-strength, once a week. i also use liquified seaweed, worm castings and molasses. it is in full sun...i worry that is too much (we hit mid-90's in Feb - the sun here can be brutal). i water it just like all my succulents - drench and let dry (but not completely).
it has been so long that i am having a hard time remembering the particulars of this purchase. if memory serves, i was told that plants from seedlings couldnt be id'ed until they bloom so i chose to purchase one that i knew the color of (tho it has been so long now that i have forgotten anyway).
at a local nursery i saw a plumeria that was too tall/too top heavy and would not stand on its own. while shopping i passed it and stood it back up 3x. i dont want my plant to get like that, this is why i am considering beheading it - in hopes that it will thicken the main stalk and also begin to branch.
i really dont know what else to do with this plant; am about ready to toss it in the compost heap and avoid the urge to purchase another! lol. appreciate any help.
jo

jo,

If it were me, I'd give the plant one more chance at blooming this season before you chop. I would repot it into a larger container with good professional potting soil, perhaps mixed with a bit of perlite to enhance drainage. I would then hold back on any more fertilizer...as you may be overfertilizing it. You might want to place the plant where it gets some shading at the hottest time of the day? I know how hot that Texas sun can be! I lived in Dallas a few years.

I had a plumeria that I was about ready to give up on too. Finally, at 4.5 feet it bloomed a double inflo after I repotted it in a larger pot.

{{gwi:1168709}}

dave - you lil dickens, posting that grand pic! how jealous am i? yesterday i did move it where it gets some afternoon shade. it still will get full sun from sunrise til about 3pm but bright shade from 3-9pm or whenever sunset hits.
"you may be overfertilizing it." i've been told not to consider liquified seaweed a fertilizer, but more like vitamins. as for the molasses and worm castings these are just soil amendments, no? should i consider them part of my fertilization? perhaps i should use MG bloom booster at half-strength every *two* weeks instead of once a wk? would like your thoughts on this.
i've been considering repotting it into a larger plastic pot...i was told that clay was not optimal for plumeria as their roots will attach to the clay. have you found this to be so? TIA
jo

plastic pots are much better. why not plant it in the ground?

you don't have to have an inflo before you see leaves to get a bloom.

i put my 6 in the ground several weeks ago. one of them is about to explode with flowers. i use green light and miracle grow bloom booster. also put a layer of last years horse manure on top.

try a little shot of epsom salts, they like that too.

mist the leaves with fertilizer once a week. check out plumeria101.com for more help.

good luck!

miracle grow is a problem for many professional growers. check these
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/AdeniumsofHawaii/miracle.html
http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2307/

is this an issue with green light super bloom?

Try Medina Hasta Grow Plus 6-12-6, it can be used as a foliar feed or a soil drench.

The numbers on Hasta Grow sound much better to me. Outrageously high phosphorus numbers are harmful and create a great deal of stress on all plants. Personally, I think organic is the way to go for overall soil health and if you like to supplement with a fast-acting chemical, then do so by foliar feeding.

Jo, it sounds like you are basically doing everything right. As has been recommended, maybe repot to a larger size or plant in the ground. Your plant isn't too tall. If you cut it back, you will definitely not see flowers this year. Ease up on the Miracle-Gro, but continue with a mixture of Fish emulsion and Seaweed. Spray n'Grow is an excellent product and the website also offers an extraordinary fertilizer called "Bill's perfect fertilizer".

Best of luck and keep us posted,
Tony

i used the medina stuff last year and it worked great. it looks like manure tea.

medina products are highly recommended by our local organics guru...i get all my other organic goodies from him yet have never tried this. i usually use compost tea once a week for the first 4-6 wks of spring but didnt this year, opting for worm castings and molasses instead. i have some hostas that have never been fertilized. believe i will kill two birds with one stone and give the medina a try.

the reason i started this post is because i was told that if i didnt get an info before the leaves, i would get no flowers ths season...is it the general consensus of this forum that was i misinformed?
thank you all so much for your input.
jo

"is it the general consensus of this forum that was i misinformed? "

YES! at least its my own experience-I have inflos forming now on plants that have already started leafing out.

Repot and keep doing what you are doing! Best of luck.

Karen

Jo,
They can come at any time in the growing season. Don't give up!

thank you thank you thank you.
i was prepared to wait 2-3, maybe 4, years for blooms - that is what i was told it would be when i bought the cutting....the plant has always looked so healthy, i had been biding my time. but when i was told it would have to have inflos *first*, i got very disappointed.
i'm going for the medina this weekend...and finally fertilize those hostas too, they are covered in buds! i'll repot the plummie into a larger plastic pot while i am about it. i've got plenty of soil, perlite and ammendments for the job.
king - i've used epsoms salts on my plants in the past, but not this year. i've been told that this stimulates green growth but not blooming. is that your experience?

THANKS TO ALL!
jo

Epsom salt is a very good addition to fertilizing, especially for Plumeria. The magnesium and sulpher help the plant to make Chlorophyll which makes the leaves green and healthy and aids in photosynthesis. It also helps the plant to take up all the other nutrients (not just nitrogen). I use 1 teaspoon per gallon when I fertilize.

Once again, the wonderful members of the GardenWeb come through for me! Thanks to all who answered the original question here. I usually post on the Florida Forum but came to the plummie forum tonight because I have a few lovely plants that I thought would bloom this spring. Nothing. Some I started from seed 2 and 3 years ago and they look big enough this year. A couple others are from cuttings and bloomed nicely last year. I was so discouraged! But now I know to give them a good feeding and keep hoping! Even though they already have leaves, all is not over.
Thanks!!!

A general rule to remember is that the plumeria grows a branch, then it flowers, and then it spits into more branches. Each plant is unusual but generally the plant wants to grow about a foot or more a year. This means if it has not grown much when it goes dormant, it often will grow first and then start an inflo when it is about two thirds into its desired length. I have kept a bloom log for 5 years and notice that some plants are always first and others are always late. This year I notice that the blooms are about 18 days behind schedule because of the foggy spring in Cal. I think it is very helpful to log the length of growth and the time of first flowers and the last flowers each year. You get a good feel for your plants and when to expect flowers.

No expert here. I have clutivated plumaria for 8 or 9 years, and until this season, every single year, the buds began pushing up with the first leaves of spring, and I never got a inflow late in the season. So, based on my minor experience, I don't think you got BAD advice, but it seems a good bet that your ODDS of achieving a flowering plant late in the season decrease quite a bit.

Now, here I am, summer and my stocks show 4 to 6" of growth, and some leaves are already 14" long. On one plant, suddenly, I have 10 inflows, on top of five inches of growth. I notice that the stalks that have inflows are a bit retarded; the length of the longest leaf is about 10". Still, this is very unusual for this particular plant, which is my largest and inground, has seventeen separate branches, and is about four foot tall. Seems happy and well balanced?

If it were me, I'd cut your plant in half. Not much to lose, at this point, if you ask me? The chances of it blooming this year are not real good.....but possible? If it does branch at that length, being described as spindly, and top heavy, at some time in the near future, instead of a victory, it could easily snap in the wind. Four years of patience and Nature has had a chance. Time to prune it down to size, which should force a split next spring. Again, no expert, but what have you got to lose? LB

Hmmm..
Not sure about some of the advice given here but to each his own..
I don't use MG it can burn your plant..
In fact no professional grower of any kind of exotic plant down here in south florida uses MG..
I use Peters 20-20-20 and Peters Super Bloom which is much better because it has the right kind of Nitrogen and it has many minors with it...
Be careful with the other fertilizers peeps in here said they use..
With all the foliar sprays and soil amendments you will build up high levels of salt content in the soil..
Lay off the nitrogen she doesn't need to be leggy..
Leggy plants don't have the energy in the stalks to flower much..
Leggy plants tend to get fungus,disease,and rot compare to other plumies..
I have never use epson salt, plumies don't need it they are not palms and again you are adding to the salt levels..
I have plumies in my yard that are so big you can build a tree house in them..
Plumies want phosphorus because when they bloom they will grow more branches..
If at anytime you see any roots on top of the soil or thru the drain holes repot into a bigger pot..
Plumies want their roots to spread out and not be contain in a pot..
More roots like the fine hair ones will make your plumie bloom..
I will also cut it back to promote a fatter trunk...
Plumies store all their energy in the stalks this is why we can grow them from cuttings so easily and for this very reason you need her to have a bigger stalk..
The idea of putting her in the shade is a bad idea..
Plumies will tell you if it gets too much sun aka black burnt spots on top leaves..
Lol i never heard of a plumie getting too much sun unless you live in the desert but as long as you water them they will take it..
I live in south florida and all of mine are in full sun..
Our heat index and UV index are the highest in the country so if i can have them out there all day then so can you..
Plumies are native to south florida and some of the oldest trees are here so what does that tell you..
Our soil is pure Alkaline with very little acid at least where i am at so watch what you add in the soil..
Put her in the ground she will reward you big time..
Remember all plants need the sun to produce flowers and plumies really really need as much as possible..
Once every 2 weeks i would water them really good with bottle water you get from your local grocery..
That water is dead water meaning it has nothing in it
which is good because you want to flush the roots every now and then to reduce the salt content and chemical build-up..
Plumies thrive in HOT-HUMID wheather give them lots of sun and heat and i good drink of water and she will be fine..