Hello the_first_kms2 :)

Many thanks for your reply...

The container "should" be free draining as I put 2 shovels of sand in with the potting mix at the start and when I water is does run out the bottom as I know they don't like wet feet.

I have never sprayed it with anything so a 3 in 1 product is a good idea, and yes no fertiliser when getting cooler and I don't even water it once all the leaves fall of for the winter.

Leach the container yes I'll be doing that in a few minutes also I got a Ph testing kit yesterday to check that wasn't a problem and 7 being neutral mine was 6 leaning a bit toward the acid side. I have no idea what a Plumeria prefers.

It's position is North facing so it does get that sun ;) speaking of sun ours is intense too, we are the Sister City to Austin Texas - Adelaide South Australia.

Thanks again and yes I will let you know my findings...

Mag107

Soil pH of 6 is reportedly a great place to be and the old pic shows it has dark green leaves when it's healthy. Is it possible your soil lacks iron and the plant is experiencing s/s of iron chlorosis?

I can't find a product label online for your fertilizer and it's not available here, it may not have enough iron...I see that seasol makes one for flowering and fruit trees that has chelated iron in it.

Iron is more available as pH drops, so if your feed doesn't have iron it may be an easier fix than changing the pH. If the veins on the leaves are the last parts to turn yellow from green, it may be the cause...I'm guessing you've already ruled out insects and pests.

Good luck!

phalanx_viridis Thanks for the reply :)

It did start out very healthy indeed, I like your thoughts on experiencing s/s of iron chlorosis which lead me to research on the subject. I thought that looked just like it but the new leaves are affected first, all my new growth is dark green.

Which leads to lack of nitrogen being the possible cause as it shows first in older leaves just like mine.

So far what I've found out - the Ph test kit said to test at surface and lower down in the root ball so I dug down the side of the container 1st thing I found was I did not like the mix I was digging out as it had no texture, no structure and just was very fine powdery rubbish!!

Next came the 2nd Ph test and at the bottom it was 4.5 "Acidic" and I even re-tested with the same result.

I have gone for drastic measures and removed my plant from it's container and scrubbed it clean and let it soak full of clean water and then (I know you should not) remove the mix from the roots but 1 it was to high in Acidity and no way where the roots getting any oxygen and 2 it was hard packed and took me hours washing it out with the hose.

The container has 3 big drainage holes in it and sits on 2 house bricks and now if full of Osmocote® Professional - Multi Purpose Potting Mix :)

All I can do now I guess is see what happens!

Here's a link to something I found - hope people find it useful. www.paliplumies.com/vitaminNutrientDeficiencySymptoms.html

Also Seasol and PowerFeed

More likely potassium deficiency than nitrogen deficiency.

azdoctor Thanks and yes that does seem to "hit" the nail on the head and I do like your diagnosis.

Hi, just an update to say it doesn't have many leaves left but there are many new one's growing. I don't know if much will happen now as we are in Autumn/Fall, I guess they will fall off. I will report back with pics and comments when there is something to show..

Hi Mag! I like what you did to help remedy the situation, I think you did the right thing by replanting in new soil. I look forward to seeing your progress! I'm not familiar with the Osmocote soil but I'm familiar with the Osmocote fertilizer and in fact used some of it last year - I use a Miracle Grow soil and since it has a very high peat content I mix it with a lot of perlite to aerate it, so if you find your soil is still a bit heavy that's an option. Keep us posted on your progress!

Hello ...
Glad you think I did the right thing too!
I'm not sure what caused the problem but I'm guessing it was the "no" name brand of soil mix I brought awhile back..
Not sure weather it's the same as here but my sister used the Miracle Grow soil when re-potting my mums plants and their going great..Thanks for your comment + info :)

Here's a link if you wish to have a look at what I used...Osmocote Australia

Hello guys n girls...

Well I did say I'd be back when I have something to show or say, I'm glad to say I did not kill my Plumeria!

After a long and colder than usual winter gone and now in spring weather I have some pictures to show "New Growth" woo hoo...

And something off topic a soon to flower cactus

im glad you were able to remedy the situation. It seems the soil compacted and sludged out to the point of not allowing any O2 into the equation (anaerobic). The plant was suffering from a nutrient deficiency, but not because there weren't nutrients available...more because the roots were going necrotic and not working anymore.

When the soil compacted it likely had anaerobic activity with the microflora increase, which leads to an increase in lactic acid, an acidic byproduct in the metabolic pathway of bacteria. The acidic, anaerobic environment will kill the roots and eventually the plant. Great job on diagnosing and changing out the soil. Soil compaction is an ongoing battle we wage in container growing so finding a soil mix that resists this to a degree is an ideal strategy.

-stephen

Thank you for your comments and technical information, I'll post some pics of the flowers when I get some lol..