Hi Hubbard,
Click on the link below and go to the section titled "problems and solutions." Hopefully your answer will be listed in there. He shows pictures of various problems.
I've heard of thrips, but don't know what their signs are.
Maybe there will be someone else here who knows more about this specific bug. Best of luck with your plumerias!

John

Here is a link that might be useful: plumeria 101 dot com

Hi Hubbard,

I live just up the hill from you in Yucca Valley. I'm sorry to hear about your leaf problem. I have found with our heat in mid summer, I was getting deformed leaves from lack of water. That may not be the problem this time of year so keep investigating. I'm relatively new at this so I can't give you a definitive answer unfortunately. Good luck and happy pluming!

Best wishes,
Jerri

hi hubbard. thrips may be a problem to your plumeria. they attack as or after new growth appears. they are tiny pests, and you dont see damage they do till after the fact. they are sucking insects, and suck the leaves dry when they are young. as the leaves grow, they will start to curl inwords. at this time, it is to late to solve the problem, as they are not around any more. as your plumeria comes out of dormancy, and about one quarter to one third of your tree is covered with leaves, use a product by "bayer". it is called rose fertilizer and insect control. you can get it at home depot. it comes in a blue jug by the rose chemical products. follow directions, as to the amount you may need to give, as to the size of your tree. it contains a systemic which will stay in the tree for about 45 days. this will control all your pest problems, including spider mites and aphids. hope this helps!

Don97:

Thanks for your input about Thrips, and the suggestion to try a systemic insecticide for those and other problems. Is the systemic by Bayer that you mentioned safe for Plumeria? Have you used it before? I am fighting a spider mite infestation that has resisted other efforts.

Shane

hi shane. yes it is safe. but read directions, and follow! if it is in a pot, you dont need a lot. depending on the size of the pot, maybe a tbls. for heavy infestation, you may hav to do some minor to severe pruning. use the bayer during growing season only. mites will not withstand the cold, so start with the bayer when your night temps avg 65 or higher. (or you have a quater to a third of your tree with leaves). this is a great product for all your plants! dont let the "rose" part fool you! i use it for everything except eddibles. good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Dear Plumeria Lovers,
Thanks for the thrip solutions. I did try a lot of different disease controls and insecticides. They worked for short periods and then the problem would start again. By the way I have yet to see any bug poison's that hurt any of my plumeria's. I have about 50 different plants. I'm wondering if the palms planted around them could be contributing to the thrip problem or the bouganvilla. There are some ficus benjamina's around them too. The nights are just getting cold enough that some of my plant's are getting a little yellow. I'll be able to try to get a hold of my thrip problem next spring.Thanks for all the suggestions.