How soft? Some of mine will get semi soft and slightly wrinkled when needing water. Also could be stress depending on what the plant looks like. Anyou pics.

It sounds to me like dehydration.

You need to acclimate them.. They have been in a greenhouse and need to be brought Into the sun in a slow manner.. Adjustment period..

Good luck

Laura

How do I adjust them? It's kinda hard for me because I can either give them half sun or full day. Never had to adjust them before. Most of mine get 4+ hours of 90 degree+ temps. How should I go about doing that.

Josh,

To acclimate a tree is when you take it from one environment that it is used to to another..

Think of it this way. When the northerners come down to Florida or our beach to go swimming all day...They ( should) get a tan the right way and wear sunscreen In stead of staying outside all day without protection.. If they were smart, They would slowly adjust to the strong sun... Allowing them to be more comfortable and not burning and causing issues for not thinking properly!!

This is like your plant. It was raised under netting and shipped to Home Depot or where ever. It is not used to full sun. When we say " acclimate". It means to slowly introduce... By this , I would give it about 7- -14 days under dappled light and slowly bring it into full sun, so it won't burn. Plumeria need and love full sun.

Just watch your watering.. I have a funny feeling you are paying to much attention to them and checking for roots and pulling and prodding ? Yes? ;-)

Just give them time.. Rooting is another story. But rooted trees are really easy. Use the wet dry cycle and you should be fine..

Good luck!!

Laura

This post was edited by loveplants2 on Mon, Aug 18, 14 at 9:54

Is it okay that they get wrinkles and get soft? That's all they do when I bring them home. Some get better, others don't,

If they get wrinkles and get soft, its likely the roots have been compromised... perhaps they are not getting enough moisture - or they are getting too much and the roots are rotting. Really impossible for us to tell you.

Perhaps the roots were broken from all the jostling around at the store, in transit, etc. You never know what has happened to them in the store. Sometimes people pick them up by the stem and that can break roots too.

I'd keep it outdoors in dappled shade and maybe mist the thing once in a while until it gets acclimated and starts growing again.

You should have a good bit of growing season left for it to bounce back.

Josh - you received really great suggestions from everyone here. But before I put in my 2 cents, from which Home Depot did you get your Plumerias? Also, are these the Jungle Jacks or the ones that are in 4" and 5" pots?

~Kasie

I got the plumerias form the one in Eastvale Ca. They are not the jungle jack ones. They are the 4" and 5" pots. They are very wet it the soil. Should I remove the soil and replant them. I already did that to check the roots when I got them. Some have just one or two roots. Other have one large one with a few small side ones. Might be the wet soil.

Josh - I bought 4 from the Home Depot in Corona, off the 15 freeway not too long ago. One is blooming beautiful red with yellow center and fruity coconut scent. The 2nd one has an inflo and I can't wait to see what it will be. The other 2 is a nice size plant and am confident it's not Celedine. But at $8.49, I could not resist. The soil they use is very fast draining so you don't have to worry about over watering or root rot. If it appears wrinkled to you, it needs more water. And since I don't know how well it is rooted(unless I can see it through the drain holes), what I've been doing this season is to set my newly acquired plants (pot and all) in another pot that is 3/4 filled with potting soil and water as usual. The roots in the existing pot will continue to grow downward searching for water. In a short time the existing potted plumeria will be filled with roots. When I am comfortable with the root growth, then I will re-pot.

And do keep the pot away from block walls. Remember the Inland Empire heat is great for bringing out vivid colors in plumeria, but at the same time it can be very brutal...yikes!!

Also, not all Home Depots keep the same plumeria inventory. So don't dismiss what you see in the outside garden section as being just "common one". A Scott Pratt and Aztec Gold can be had out there.

So please, just because it's wrinkled, don't assume it's getting root rot and pull it out for inspection. Good luck to you Josh and happy growing.

~Kasie