Hello inzemo an all others,

Exactly the same issue I have been planning to bring up in the forum.

On almost all my rooted cuttings (5), flowering and non-flowering, I also have this nectar-like sweet-tasting (yes I did!!) fluid coming out of the joint where the leaf meets the stem.
Sometimes even running down the stem a few centimeters.
Sometimes it thickens, looking like honey, where the claws are.

Really hope that someone can tell us if this is stress?? or a quite normal plumie-phenomenon....????

Thank you all !!
Martina from Holland

Hi,
Plumeria healthy ones are full of sap. A bird can land on a stem or leaf, can make sap come out, bump it with you leg, or like me rubbed the leaf too hard, bird poo, it had sap all over the edges.
Martina, don't taste it again, not healthy for you, can be very irritating to the skin. Ok.. normal plumie-phenomenon. ha

My neighbor next door has a 20' plus tree, drips sap is nasty.
Karen B

Karen, they aren't talking about the white "sap" that flows inside the stem. This is clear, or sometimes a tad bit orange. I see it too on the tips of some of my Plumies.

Hello all,

Karen, thank you for your answer, but Iowajo is right...

We are talking about a clear fluid that really tastes sweet!! Only coming out somewhere at the top where the leaves grow and/or the claws are. It is not due to any sort of contact...
And indeed Iowajo, when it thickens it looks a bit orangy.

So now there are 3 of us.... but who has an answer???

is it normal ???
is it stress ???
if it is stress what kind of stress???

Please let us know...
Thanx,
Martina

I also have that clear sap like substance at the leaf joint. I've only had these two cuttings for about a month. I was wondering what the sap was and thought about asking here so I'm glad that someone asked. And wouldn't you know it, I just went outside to take a pic of it but at this moment, there is no sap. I'll try to take a pic also when I notice this again, if no one else had done so by then.
I can't tell you if this sap is sweet, I'm not too keen about tasting plant gooo. I'll take Martina's word for it. ;-)

Deb

hi ladies,
well you definately now have my curiousity up.. Will go out tomorrow to my plumie gardean and see if my plants have any orange odd goo..ha hmm.. Haven't looked for it, or noticed it. will get back to you tomorrow. Its suppose to be really hot tomorrow, so if sap is going to go, will.
Karen B..

hi ladies,
well you definately now have my curiousity up.. Will go out tomorrow to my plumie garden and see if my plants have any orange odd goo..ha hmm.. Haven't looked for it, or noticed it. will get back to you tomorrow. Its suppose to be really hot tomorrow, so if sap is going to go, will.
Karen B..

hi
sorry about double.. corrected spelling, apparently hit twice.
Karen

Hi,
went out this morning with my cup of coffe.. to check my plants. I could not find any clear sap or purple.. now the only thing I can figure out if at the leaf where it connects to the plant is a dark purple ricey mix. looks like a cryatalized residue, almost looks like bugs, but isn't. I have that on a lot of my plants not all.. doesn't seem to be a problem. Is that what you are seeing?
Karen

This is very normal, after awhile it will turn black. It is like a honey dew that plants give out.

Hope this helps you folks!

Hello Wanda,

Thank you for helping out!

What exactly do you mean bij turning black?? What I do see is a dark ring on the stem where the substance dried up. Is that what you mean?
You call it honey dew. Do you think it is to attract insects??? Because that is what I was hoping all along.. instead of it being a sign of plumie-stress.....

I am very satisfied with your answer Â(¿Â)Â

Thanx!! Martina

Is possible someone to upload some photos so that to understand for what we are speaking about ?, 1 picture is 1.000 words.

Hi Martina,
at Nederland are many people growing plumerias ?
you grow your plumerias in pots? I shall be very happy to have a contact via e mails for informations exchange about plumerias in Europe.
John
olma156@yahoo.gr
from Athens-Greece

Here is a not so good picture of what I am talking about. It's an orangish sticky substance right in the center. It does not turn black.

Looking at this close-up pic...do I have bugs all over that plant????

Hi,
are these the correct colors of your plant??? Is the lavender sun shadow? boy.. not sure what is there.
Karen B

I'm with Karen on your picture Iowajo! I have never seen an orangish subtance like yours nor the color of your plumeria.

The clear substance that I am talking about is on a leaf where it connects to the stem (not a claw).

Martina, I have seen ants attracted to it, so it must be sweet. After it dries right in the crease of the leaf you will see like black dirt.

I'm not sure what lavender you are seeing, unless it's the half dead leaf on the right which is turning black. I have many plants that have this orange stuff in the middle, so I am guessing it is normal.

Hello guys and girls,
Here is what I think you guys are talking about. ItÂs on all of my plumeria the clear liquid is not abundant and doesnÂt last long here as it is extremely hot but it does leave this "black dirt" in the crevice of all the leaves. Sugar ants can be found chewing at this dirt all day everyday so I took some photos. Also got a good picture of an assassin nymph. The "dew" is normal and not a sign of stress as my plumies are doing great and have always had it one em. At least that is my opinion and defiantly not my expertise! Enjoy life everyone and happy growing!
Sean

You can see the black in the crevice at the base of all the leaves (also a roaming sugar ant)
{{gwi:1211505}}

A sugar ant chewing on the dirt
{{gwi:1211506}}

Assissin nymph
{{gwi:1211508}}

Sea Of Green
{{gwi:1211511}}

Thank you Sean for your pictures! There is nothing better than visual instead of trying to explain.

hello, Iowajo, looking closing at your picture, there appears to be aphids on your plant. I would use a magnifying glass to be sure.
when my orchids are in bloom, especially, the cymbidiums, there is alot of this sticky clear substance and i have been told that it is sweet. I have also been told that the plant oozes it to attract polinators. I wonder if it is the same idea with plumies. this prompted me to check my plumies and I don't have any oozes; not even on the one with an inflo.
good luck - hope it is nothing serious.
sue

Hello all,

Well well, I'm confused now.... is or is it not normal??? Looks likes opinions and experiences differ on this question.

Sean, on your first photo you can see the dark spots on each leaf where the substance mainly oozes out when the leaves are young (or claws even).
This is exactly the spot on your second photo where the ant is! I shall post a picture in a few days of one of my plumies where you can see these spots. I've been wondering what purpose they serve... I hope that you are right and that it isn't stress!! Maybe someone can tell...

However, I am having a spider mite [HELP !! am misting a lot extra now, is that okay??] problem at the moment... on the other hand, I've been having the sugary stuff all summer, but not the mites?? Could they be the cause of it?

to be continued I hope......
Martina

Hi Guys,
The clear stuff is normal. I have everything from honey ants as Sean stated to anoles (lizards)licking it. It must be tasty as the lizards hardly notice I'm there. No need to worry.
Happy Growing!
Randy in Savannah

Thank you guys ,glad to hear the clear sticky substance is normal!

A little tip when it comes to spider mites:
I was told NEEM OIL can help:
dilute 8ml neemoil + 8ml regular liquid dishsoap in 1 liter of water ...shake well and spray on all the leaves (top and bottom)...best done in the evening as the sun stresses the leaves after having applied that solution!
It doesn't kill the eggs but kills the living mites...so procedure must be repeated so that hatched eggs can be killed...I'd say once (max. twice) a week is fine and won't hurt the plant...also the eggs can be crushed with your fingers...the way to tell where they are is by the spots they create on the leaf...just rub leaf gently between forefinger and thumb and that should crush the eggs ...

Hope this helps !

Thank you Inzemo... for bringing up this subject!

and thank you for the anti-mite tip!
Will try to find some oil of this Wonder tree!

You say; spray on the leaves. Are the mites ONLY on the leaves?? not on the stem? Spraying the stem wouldn't hurt, would it??

i use neem oil spray all the time: I find that in order to manage an infestation, all the leaves, stems and the soil have to be sprayed. after my prev. observation of not having any clear substance on my plumies, after they have been in the house for a while, i also have found the clear sticky goo on the joint between the leaf and stem. I see no bugs though. and it is good to know that it is normal. thanks for bring this up.
sue

It's normal, all my plumies who are growing good at the tips are putting out the clear sap and the orangish colored sap.

Jennifer

All my plumies are indoors and don't get aphids.

I have recently noticed this on 2 of my Plumeria sticks - the first time I thought nothing of it, then I noticed it again this morning on another one. Then I started to wonder what this could be. Now I'm curious if both of these will maybe flower this year. Its all a learning experience & I am only in the start of my journey. I will update later if this proves to be true.

Hi all, I am new to this site and have found the comments very helpful. Last Week I noticed a grasshopper on my plumeria. The next day I noticed that he had eaten a big hole on one of the leaves. The next day, I see that another younger lead had smaller holes. Is there a way to get rid of grasshoppers from wanting my plumeria?

Now I am noticing that I have tiny white dit’s on the leaves. I have been rubbing them off and using rubbing alcohol on all the leaves. I also found couple white sacks(?) that I rubbed off and smushed. A white milky substance was inside. I don’t Want to hurt the plant with alcohol rubbings. It was a gift from my Hawaiian friend and it means the world to me. I have done this for the last two days. I have started to mist the topside and bottomside of the leaves.

Also, I saw that the underside of a leaf is seeping out a milky substance like it was bleeding From just one spot. But I din’t See a hole. Can anyone please help? What can I do to restore great health to my plumeria?

Mahalo, Janice

Janice, the first thing to try is neem oil which can be found at just about any big box store. Spray according to the directions with one caveat...if you live a hot place then you want to spray in early evening and if you can move the plant to a shady spot for a day or so. The oil can burn the leaves in a very hot or full sun situation.

Thank you. I will get some today. But the discharge is a white milky substance. Is this the same?

Directions for using Neem oil or soap spray both recommend not using products when the temperature is over 85 degrees. Suggestions on what to do now? I sprayed off all the white dots I could find this evening and about an hour later, couple leaves had a few more. HELP ☹️

Try spraying it in the evening and then wash the tops of the leaves off in the morning before the heat of the day. You might have to do it several times to be effective but it will be safer in the long run.

Will give your suggestion a try. Once again, thank you.

And thank you for staying with me.

I get this on 1 out of 7 of my potted plumys The plant is still healthy, I don't appear to see any mites or bugs. I live in by a semi dusty (fine dust) road and it could be the dust sticking to sap if that is indeed what it is? I have gone as far as using a dental tool to scrape some of it out thinking it was insect eggs. Anyone? Anyone?

Can you wash it off with a hose?

I have the same problem. It doesn’t come off spraying it with hose. I’ve tried with my finger nail still doesn’t want to come off.
I noticed the surrounding new leaves have white little spots which I think may be eggs. Sticky substance which looks like white powdered flecks oozing from tips.
Leaves not so bad only at base.
It’s very odd.

Many thanks for all the information shared!

its secrets excess sugar it's normal. it taste sweet.

I’m having the same issue with the clear sticky sap at the tips. New growth seems to get stuck in it before it can actually grow. The new “claws“ end up drying out and falling off before the can form into actual leaves. My plants are coming out of dormancy right now, so I was thinking that had something to do with it?

If you are not seeing any insect activity sometimes that's just how they get started. I like to rinse off and lightly clean the branches to remove any possible insects and dead claws. Warm and sunny will help it push through.

I have the same problem. What insect activity might I be looking for?

Mine is white sap secreting on new
Tip growth.

Jennie Roth. Same with mine. Hope it is normal.

Extrafloral Nectaries if it’s those strange looking nubs at the base of the stem that look like little bumps. They secret a sweet nectar like substance in which will attract ants and bees... some used to think they needed to clean them and or remove them. etc. I did some research with the help of Dr Kukait and a friend ( David K) and I made this for others to see.. hope this helps!!

Laura 🦋

So is this normal?

So is this normal?

i added the picture so you could see the clear sticky sap.

i dont see ang bugs?

the plant seems healthy.

is my girl okay or should i be worried??

i am in Utah growing a tropical plant from hawaii😅 its been 3 years of growing and ive never gotten a flower. i try to give her the best care possible while living in a dry climate with super cold winters.

Am i doing something wrong? is there more to be done?

ive read the comments on this thread that started 15 years ago😳 and i still am not sure if this is okay not.

any tips are much appreciated

As to my comment years ago, this is normal. This is a gland and it produces a nectar like secretion substance . These are called Extrafloral Nectaries and will attract ants as well..

All normal!!

Hope this helps!! Have a wonderful day!!

Laura