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Guitars and Fragrant Blooms!

20 years ago

I have an interesting story...

I am in a band that does a lot of corporate work. In a wonderful twist of fate, we were offered a show for a certain company's reward program... in Hawaii!... 6 days... 2 shows... lots of freetime! WooHoo!

I myself am a starving artist so when the company said they would pay for everything I was delighted to go. At the end of the trip I was still overwhelmed by the beauty of the place... and sad I couldn't bring souveniers home (poor!) On my last afternoon, I was strolling through the open courtyard of the Fairmont Orchid and once again hoping the gardners weren't so thorough as to pick up every stray little yellow flower that fell from these glorious trees, when to my surprise a wonderful fellow asked me to follow him. He walked to my favorite of these fragrant trees, (he had seen me staring at the branches willing a bloom to magically let go and fall to my hand) hopped up on a ladder and cut a stem from a branch. It was full of leaves and flowers and I was delighted!

Then came the big news.

It's called a Plumeria...and... I can plant this? You're kidding right?

But NO! I can and I did! In INDIANA... of all places!

Ignoring the snickers of my friends as they watched me smile at a brown stick in a little pot of dirt, I sent all my best wishes towards it's developing roots and refrained from watering as I was instructed. I had almost succumbed to my belief in my black thumb when lo and behold foliage popped out! I was so happy! No longer a stick in the dirt... now I have a bonefied plant!

Here comes the scary part... I was just sort of testing it to see if it would actually do something... now I need to take care of it.

The first thing I did was decide the pot was too small so I repotted it in a different variety of cactus soil since that seemed to work just fine, then I fertalized it with a bloom booster (read it somewhere). I was feeling pretty good about it until this morning. Five of my eleven leaves are suddenly lighter green and beginning to ripple on the sides... (scary)... I looked at the soil and it doesn't seem to be draining nearly as fast as before...

Are Cactus soils not created equal? Is my glazed pot not allowing drainage? did I repot too soon? Do I repot again and get a better non-glazed-many-holed-clay pot? Am I being silly because this little plant will never bloom in a pot on an apartment patio in Indiana? When I move to Utah in November will my heart break as I see it wilt at a higher elevation? AAAAHHHHHhhhhh!

I love my little plant and it's potential to be something so beautiful. As you can see I am not very good with these things... please help me to not kill this little green stem. It is my living gift from a place I should never have been able to go to... my piece of paradise.

Comments (5)

  • 20 years ago

    Did you give it B-1 when you repotted it. Plants have transplant shock and B-1 is the cure. Did you water it too much? Plumerias like to be dry and somewhat neglected. Did you mix pumice and/or perlite with your cactus mix (some are way too moist and organic for me.)? The good news is that even transplant shock often does not kill Plumies. They are very hardy. But do not do too many new things at once, Where is wildcat when you need him. He had a 7 foot plumeria grown near Chicago and had a wealth of how to survive the winter info. I think there are some successful members who grow in Denver, so all is not lost. You did transplant too soon. I wait at least one year. A 2-3 foot stalk can do fine in a one gallon pot for a year. Pray and believe that your plant will pull through. Seek info on how to overwinter a dormant plant which will drop all its leaves and go to sleep (No water needed or just a cup a month until March) Then you can watch it rise from the dead.

  • 20 years ago

    I didn't do any of that... what should I do now? Should I add the B-1? Should I leave it be? do you need to see photos?

    Thank you so much for your response.

  • 20 years ago

    Stick your finger deep along the side into the soil and determine how moist it is. If not too wet, a dose of B-1 would help. If moist, let it dry. If very wet, dig the soil along the outside of the pot out and replace with faster draining soil. use a large spoon.

  • 20 years ago

    it seems to be drying out better now... There are suddenly two new leaf sprouts. I fertilized it when i repotted it. What is B-1? will it react with the fertilizer poorly?

    I very much appreciate your help!

  • 20 years ago

    Wow, What a great story of how you discovered the Plumeria. Brought tears to my eyes. I have recently gotten quite hooked on them myself and have asked a number of questions on this forum. My most recent was about fertilizer, and I got a great response from someone. I'm going to put it here for you. Good luck with that Plumeria of yours. They do seem to be pretty hardy, and the fact that you have new leaves sounds pretty darn promising.
    Here is the response I got about fertilizer. Hope it helps
    Lauri

    A lot of people (including myself)use a "super bloom" fertilizer that has a ratio of somewhere around 10-50-10...A high middle number is key...Different people use different brands, and I've learned that fertilizer in liquid form is the best since it is completely dissolved (verses powder form or extended release) I feed my plumies once every two weeks, and I ALWAYS water my plants first, before feeding them the fertilizer. If you feed them with the soil dry, you can burn the plants/roots...A lot of people also spray their plants with the fertilizer, but I've found that feeding them at soil level works just as good for me... Once September/October rolls around, I'll stop feeding them the super bloom so they can prepare for dormancy.

    I also read on here that they shouldn't be watered through dormancy, maybe just a cup a month.

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