My Plumeria needs help.

9 years ago

Hi everyone. I grew this odd looking Plumeria tree from a seed I planted about 10 years ago. For the first few years of its life, it was kept in a pot that was probably too small, yet it continued to grow nice and tall with a good bunch of leaves at the top. After some time, I transplanted it into a larger pot, and the growth continued but there were never any inflos or branching. A few years later, I moved it to an even larger pot (maybe it's still too small), and it kept reaching for the sky, but was always too thin and never grew a lot of leaves. It has spent its entire life indoors.

Today, the tree is nearly 5 feet tall but with a very thin stem. Lately, I noticed tiny little bugs on the leaves, and the leaves began to shrivel and fall. New leaves grew very small in size and then dropped. Today, there's just one tiny leaf left. Upon closer examination, I noticed that the lower portion of the stem is hard and hollow, then it's solid again moving up, and then there's another very soft hollow brown area, and then the upper section is still fully green and plump. Looks like the dead portion is moving upwards.

I have been very neglectful, and probably could have stopped this a long time ago. Clearly, I need to cut what's left off the top and hope that I can save it. I have no idea how to properly cut a plumeria and best ensure that it survives.

I live in Phoenix, if that helps. Any advice?

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Comments (5)

PRO
the_first_kms2
9 years ago
Not 100% on what you are calling the dead portion as it could be maturing of the wood from green to greyish. but the last picture is somewhat concerning. Can you use a pin or thumb tack to lightly scratch or prick the dark area? If you draw white sap then we can discuss some other things like more sunlight, fertilizer, etc.

it probably has spider mites as well. you can use an oil soap, neem oil, or a 3in1 type of product.
D Sutton
Original Author
9 years ago
it was actually rotted and hollow. I ended up cutting the good top portion off at about 2 inches above the rotted portion. I saw a green circumference with white center, but no sap at all. Does this mean the plant is no longer viable?
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elucas101
9 years ago
I would wrap saran wrap around the bottom and secure with some scotch tape. Let it try to callous for a few days & keep an eye on it - if it's shriveling back you may need to try and re-cut but if it's staying solid an callousing you may have a chance. Ideally you don't want to have to re-cut because it loses moisture each time you do but sometimes it is necessary. The lack of sap is most likely indicating dehydration has set in at some point because the plant was not able to properly absorb moisture due to the bottom rot.

If it is able to form a callous then you will try to root it. We will help you do that once you get to that point if you need it.

I hope this helps, please keep us updated on your progress.
D Sutton
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you. Unfortunately, I had to leave town for the holiday, so it's sitting on the countertop without saran wrap. We'll see how it looks when I get home. Hope I can root it, but if not, time to plant some more seeds!
PRO
the_first_kms2
9 years ago
Good call on cutting it. Sorry to hear that it was rotting. I agree with Emily on seeing what happens next with the cutting that you were able to salvage. Since you are having to start it over be sure to remove all the remaining leaves and give it a good cleaning to get rid of spider mites.