Plumeria

Family. Apocynaceae.

Origin. Central and South America.

What it looks like. Plumerias are perennial, beautifully flowering evergreen shrubs.

The leaves are dark green, lanceolate, bent along the central vein, thick, 12 - 30 cm long.

Flowers up to 5 cm in diameter, with 5 elliptical petals of white, pink, yellow, red or orange, as well as any combination of these colors, have a pleasant sweetish aroma, reminiscent of almonds. The buds are collected in inflorescences on the tops of the stems.

In varietal plants, the diameter of the flowers can reach 10 cm.

Height. When grown indoors, the height is controlled by pruning and rarely exceeds 2.5 m. In one season, the stems can grow up to 40 cm in height.

Care at home

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Reproduction by seeds is possible, but this is a rather lengthy process. Seeds for planting must be fresh.

When propagating by seed, it is worth remembering that bushes obtained from seeds may not inherit all the varietal attractiveness of the mother plants. 

1. As a pre-planting preparation, the seeds are soaked for several hours in warm water with the addition of epin before sowing.
2. Before sowing, thoroughly moisten the soil using a fine spray bottle.
3. The container is filled with a peat-based substrate with the addition of up to a quarter of the volume of river sand. Large seeds can also be sown immediately in separate cups or small pots with a diameter of 6 - 8 cm to avoid diving in the future.
4. Sowing of seeds is carried out in the spring, using a plastic container with a lid and drainage holes at the bottom.
5. Planting material is placed vertically in the substrate - wings up.
6. Crops are covered with plastic film, glass or a transparent plastic cap to create a greenhouse effect and maintain high air humidity.
7. Seedlings are kept in a very warm and well-lit place, protected from sunlight.
8. Every day the crops are ventilated and any condensation that appears on it is removed from the shelter.

The first shoots will appear in the pot 1 - 3 weeks after sowing. The ventilation time is gradually increased and by the time the first pair of real leaf plates appears, the shelter can already be completely removed.

When each bush can boast 4 true leaves, you can dive into separate containers. The picking is carried out very carefully, trying to minimally disturb the root system of the sprouts.

The seedlings are first fed with nitrogen fertilizers 10-14 days after picking. Such nitrogen fertilizing will promote rapid growth of shoots and leaves. Before use, the fertilizers are diluted with 4 times more water than indicated in the recommendations on the package.

The first buds will adorn the bushes obtained from seeds at the age of five.

Plumeria is often propagated by cuttings 15 - 20 cm long. For propagation, semi-lignified apical cuttings taken during pruning are used. Interestingly, before planting, cuttings can be stored outdoors for several months - after this time they will also root successfully. 

1. Rooting occurs mainly in the last weeks of winter or spring.
2. The lower cut should be made at an acute angle, and the upper one at a right angle; the bases should be sprinkled with charcoal.
3. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, and the bases are washed with cold water to stop the secretion of milky juice. The protruding juice can be removed with a cotton swab.
4. The cut sites are dried for 7-10 days, then kept in warm water with the addition of phytohormones for 2-3 hours.
5. Immerse the cuttings in a damp mixture of sand and peat.
6. The seedlings are kept under cover made of glass or a transparent plastic cap. 

To avoid rotting during rooting, you can use coarse river sand, perlite or vermiculite instead of soil. The immersion depth in the substrate should be 5 - 8 cm.

Before planting, you can treat the bases of the cuttings with root-forming powders.

The seedlings are kept at a temperature of 22 - 27 ° C under conditions of limited watering.

Propagation by cuttings should be accompanied by the use of bottom heating - this will increase the percentage of successful rooting.

The formation of the first roots can be judged by the new growth that appears - young leaves can appear within 2-3 months. As new leaves appear, watering can be gradually increased.

The first flowering will occur 2 years after successful rooting, and the flowers will completely match the appearance of the buds of the mother bushes.

When it blooms 

The flowering period is long - from early summer to autumn. Plants bloom for the first time at the age of 4-5 years.

When kept indoors and properly cared for, representatives of the species are capable of forming individual buds at any time of the year.

For abundant flowering, it is necessary to properly care for the bushes and keep them in a warm, well-lit place, and in the winter - in a cool place.

The buds that have appeared do not yet guarantee flowering - they may simply not open if the plumeria is in too cold a place.

An interesting feature is that the lateral branches appear not as a result of pruning, but during or immediately after flowering.

Diseases and pests

• The plant will not bloom if there is insufficient light or lack of a cool dormant period.
• Flowering will not occur if kept too cold.
• If the flower is kept in too damp and cool conditions, it may rot, especially during the first winter.
• Too much deepening during transplantation leads to a lack of flowering and the appearance of rot.
• Excessive nitrogen content in the soil leads to an abundant growth of green mass and lack of flowering.
• If there is not enough light, the bushes become weak and stretch out.
• In the autumn months, individual specimens may shed their leaves - this is normal; it is mainly the lower leaf blades that fall off.

Spider mites can appear on leaves and branches - they are extremely harmful. To prevent spider mites, it is important to promptly remove old and damaged leaves and ventilate the room well. Mealybugs suck the juice and nutrients from the shoots and are usually the main reason for slow growth. However, they can be easily removed with a strong stream of water. Scale insects can also be seen on the leaves.

Soil 

For cultivation, a very porous, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH is required. It is advisable to use coarse river sand, perlite or vermiculite as a drainage material.

The plant develops well even on substrates with a low nutrient content.

You can prepare a growing mixture yourself from components such as peat, light leaf or turf soil, humus.

Transplant 

The trees are planted in fairly large pots, as they have a branched root system.

Young plumerias will have to be replanted every year, as they are actively developing and their root system requires more and more space. For planting, each time a pot is selected that is 2-4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one.

You should not immediately offer the flower a large pot - excess substrate, not absorbed by the root system, will accumulate moisture and cause root rot.

When grown in too large a container, the bush develops too quickly and turns into a large tree, but does not bloom or the appearance of buds will be too sparse. Also, too large a container leads to a lack of flowering - buds will form only when the root system fills the entire space of the pot.

The growing container should have large drainage holes.

Since adult specimens are impressive in size and can tip over under their own weight, a wide and stable pot is selected for planting, or a brick or stone is placed on the bottom to ensure stability.

In a cramped pot, the bush slows down its growth and blooms reluctantly with small flowers.

Adult plumerias need to be replanted every 2-3 years, and for large bushes it is enough to change the top layer of soil for fresh soil in the spring.

Do not replant flowering or diseased specimens - wait until flowering ends.

When replanting, you can trim the roots that are too long by 5 cm. This will limit growth, force the bush to form lateral shoots, and will also promote the formation of a large number of small suction roots.

You should not replant bushes that have just been purchased from a flower shop - give them a couple of weeks to get used to new living conditions.

The best time for replanting is spring, with the beginning of new growth.

If the plant looks healthy and has no signs of disease, then transshipment is used instead of replanting. The flower is replanted into a new pot together with the old lump of earth, without destroying it.

At the first signs of rotting of the root system, the tree must be replanted with a complete replacement of the soil, carefully inspecting and cutting off the rotten ends of the roots during replanting.

1. A drainage layer should be placed on the bottom of the container. Materials such as expanded clay, fragments of clay pots or broken bricks, and river pebbles can act as drainage.
2. A fresh substrate is poured onto the drainage layer in a heap and the root system is placed on it.
3. Fresh soil mixture is poured around the trunk and lightly compacted to remove air pockets.
4. After transplanting, the soil is watered and, if necessary, more soil is added if the soil has settled significantly after watering.
5. It is necessary to observe the planting depth - place the bushes at the same level at which they were in the previous pot.

The plant will tolerate transplanting more easily if it is not exposed to direct sunlight for 7-10 days after it.

The first feeding is carried out after 3-4 weeks - all this time the flower will have enough of the nutrients that are already in the soil.

Maintenance, pruning 

Representatives of this species easily adapt to most types of soil, but require cool maintenance during the dormant period and a sunny location.

After flowering, long shoots are cut to give the crown a compact shape - formative pruning is carried out.

During sanitary pruning, all weak and diseased shoots are removed, as well as stems that thicken the crown. Plumeria tolerates pruning well, easily and quickly recovers after it.

For pruning, use only sharpened and sterilized tools.

After pruning, do not spray the leaves for 1-2 days - drops of moisture that get into the cuts can cause rotting.

In the warm season, take the plumeria out into the fresh air. The bushes are gradually acclimatized to new conditions, taking them outside during the daytime and gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air. When kept outdoors, the flower is placed in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight and protected from strong gusts of wind and rain.

Do not forget to bring the bush indoors when the air temperature at night drops below 10 degrees Celsius.

Do not place the flower pot near heating systems in the winter months, and do not place it under the cold air from the air conditioner.

The plant does not like "cold feet", so if the flower is on a cool windowsill in the winter months, it is worth putting a small sheet of any insulation under the pot.

Fertilizing

When growing, it is worth using fertilizers with a high phosphorus content, feeding the tree every 2 weeks in spring and summer.

Plants respond well to feeding and delight their owners with a healthy appearance and abundant flowering.

During the dormant period, feeding is stopped and the introduction of a nutrient solution is resumed in the spring - with the appearance of young leaves and shoots.

Fertilizers are applied only after watering - if the nutrient solution gets on the roots in dry soil, it can cause a chemical burn.

A positive reaction is observed when using foliar feeding - when the nutrient solution is applied directly to the leaves from a spray bottle.

Temperature

Choose a place with room temperature for keeping the bush during the period of active growth. Plumerias easily tolerate the most intense summer heat, provided that the air humidity and frequency of watering are adequately increased.

During the period of growth and budding, the optimal temperature regime will be 22 - 27 ° C. In winter, the content is cooler - at a temperature of 18 - 20 ° C.

The dormant period begins immediately after flowering and, depending on the variety and age, can last from 3 to 6 weeks. A cool winter allows you to rest and lay new buds for subsequent flowering.

The plant should not be exposed to temperatures below 17 ° C - the bushes will get sick and may even die. 

Watering 

The frequency of watering depends on the temperature.

In spring and summer, water abundantly and regularly, but dry the soil to 1/3 of the depth between waterings. When watering, the water should completely wet the root ball. Be sure to drain excess moisture from the tray.

In autumn, the frequency of watering is gradually reduced, facilitating the transition to a dormant state.

In the winter months, if the flower is in a cool place, the frequency of watering is reduced to a minimum, simply protecting the root ball from drying out completely. With the arrival of spring, watering is gradually increased, encouraging the bush to wake up.

For watering, use settled or filtered bottled water at room temperature.

Lighting

Representatives of the species require a lot of sunlight for proper development and abundant flowering. In poorly lit places, the stems become thin and produce fewer flowers.

Direct sun during daylight hours in spring and summer can burn the foliage. Plumeria can bask in the sun in the morning and evening in spring and summer.

In autumn and winter, you can choose the most illuminated place for keeping. For abundant flowering, the plant should receive 5-6 hours a day of direct sunlight.

The most suitable for growing are window sills facing southeast or southwest. When keeping on southern windows, it is worth shading or placing the pot a little in the back of the room.

If there is a lack of natural light, you can successfully use artificial lighting using phytolamps or fluorescent lamps.

Rotate the pot around its axis by a quarter of a turn every week so that the shoots do not reach for the light source and the plant is symmetrical.

The flower does not like sudden changes in lighting conditions - adapt it to changes gradually, over the course of a week.

Spraying

Indoor plumeria can be sprayed in spring and summer with water at room temperature, but droplets of moisture should not fall on the flowers - they will lose their attractive appearance. It is important to spray in the morning so that the moisture has time to evaporate from the foliage before darkness falls.

For spraying, use only softened - settled or filtered water at room temperature.

Do not spray in rainy or cloudy weather.

You can place the pot on a tray with wet pebbles or use a room humidifier. When placing on a tray with wet pebbles, make sure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the surface of the water in the tray.

Any container with water placed next to the bushes humidifies the air well for a long time.

The flower loves well-ventilated rooms with good air circulation, but does not tolerate cold drafts.

Purpose

Quite often used for bonsai. 

Note

Be very careful with plumeria - its juice contains poisonous substances. Keep the bush away from pets and children. All work with the tree should be carried out only with protective gloves - the juice that gets on the skin causes severe irritation.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after pruning or transplanting shrubs.

With proper care, plumeria lives indoors for many years.

It is believed that the plant is able to clean the air in the room where it is located from harmful impurities.