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not going dormant
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Posted by korryzn5a (My Page) on Thu, Jan 21, 10 at 8:33
| any one know why my plants are not going dormant? they drop their leaves and then they start to leaf out again. this is the 4th summer I will have them. they look healthy but still have not flowered. switching location to my backyard this summer. sun all day. but I am worried that they will get too much rain.. anyone?
korry |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: not going dormant
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So does your plumeria go outside in the summer? If it doesnt than thats the reason why you arent getting a flower. They need warmth, sun, and long daylight hours to bloom which is why they cant bloom indoors under average care.
Once they go outside, give it some fertilizer with a high last number (out of those 3 numbers on the bottle). The 3rd number is Phosphorus and that enhances blooming. It takes around a month to start working. That, as well as lots of sun and keeping it moist should really help get it to flower. Plumerias will never be too moist as long as its not a continuous rain for days, and it has good drainage.
Last June by me it rained every day of the month, all day, except for literally 3 days. We got around 13 inches of rain. All my plumerias were outside, and even though they grew a little slower, they didnt rot or anything like that.
The leaves do sometimes get black spots in really humid climates or frowm watering overhead, but they arent desert plants, and love the rain. Florida gets over 7 inches of rain per month in some areas during the summer and Plumerias grow great there, so the rain will be no problem. How tall is it? That might give you an idea of how long it has before its first flower (mine bloomed for the first time at about 2 1/2 feet to 3 feet. Good luck! |
RE: not going dormant
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| Giving your plant epsoms salts or sulpomag several times in the early spring gives the plant magnesium and sulphur which helps it process fertilizers and increases flowers. Often I have friends who have plants that have not flowered or weakly flower and they ask me how I get so many blooms. I give them some magnesium/sulphur and have them sprinkle around the plant once a month. Later I get the "OMG my plants went nuts with blooms." Also, there are many opinions on fertilizers and most will work (I dont recommend fertilizers with high uric acids like Miracle Grow for plumerias-they work great first but after years your plant suffers unless you change the soil.) Bill |
RE: not going dormant (more)
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| tropicalzone7- if you would e-mail me at plumeriabill@yahoo.com I have information to share with you. Bill |
RE: not going dormant
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| Tropicalzone7- I would have preferred to give this info to you to correct yourself but the data on fertilizers is completely wrong. Fertilizers list their macronutriants by the order of NPK (N=nitrogen, P=phosphorus, K=Potassium). High phosphorus fertilizers have a higher middle number. High potassium fertilizers have a high last number. Also quality fertlizers begin working on a plant with days not months. Water soluables are very quick compared to pellets and are processed by the plant as quickly as water. In addition, use of high phosphorus fertilizers can be very damaging to soil microbes like micorryzae when used over a long period of time. There are many opinions over decades on use of certain fertilizers for plumerias. |
RE: not going dormant
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| As long as my plumies have a good root system, are in well draining soil and the temps are warm I don't have a problem with rot from excessive rain. BTW I've followed Bill's (tdogdad) advice over the years and my plants have done well. |
RE: not going dormant
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Sorry I didnt see your post about emailing you tdogdad. Thanks for the information on that. My mistake, you do need a high last number for blooms, but that is definitely potassium, not phosphorus.
I used the pellet fertilizers last year which is why my plants took a while to respond, Ill probably use liquid fertilizer this year because in the past it does make the plants bigger, faster. Ive heard good things about using espom salt, so ill probably use that this year for my plumerias. Thanks again tdogdad for correcting me, I dont want to give anyone bad info! Good luck, spring is finally on its way soon! |
RE: not going dormant
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| So someone else doesn't jump in here I want to say I agree with you on using a high potassium fertilizer but most books and the PSA will say go by a high middle number or a high phosphorus fertilizer to get blooms. After a decade, I read Jack Morgan's papers on the errors of high phosphorus and it made sense so I switched to a high potassium with added magnesium and calcium. I have been very pleased with my results and the potassium should strengthen my plants that have to stay outside all winter. However, I know the general opinion out there is still recommending high phosphorus. I also think if you can find Dr. Earth #8 which does have a higher middle number but is an organic fertilizer and is one of the best I have used of a high P and is much less work because it is once every 6 weeks from March to August. As I said, there are many opinions on this subjects- do what works for your area. |
RE: not going dormant
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I didnt now that! Thats pretty interesting, the only definite answer I have for blooms is nice warmth/sun and fertilzers that dont have too much nitrogen (which increase leaf growth). Your plumerias are always blooming nice, so dr earth #8 must be a great fertilizer. Ill try to look for that too.
Good luck! |
RE: not going dormant
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Okay, Guess I should have read this before I posted the same question about the epsom salts. I bought 8-14-10 plumeria blend from Stoke's tropicals and am going to use it on my Nebel's Gold as soon as I wake it up. I live in zone 5 and only had blossoms once about 2 years ago. By the time they came out the temps all ready started dropping and they never opened. Should I wake it up now, if I can give it good light? Also, is there a certain form of epsom salts only used for plants? I bought a dwarf singapore pink last november hoping to get blooms and nothing yet but I am sure now it is because of the lighting. i am going to put Nebel's Gold and dwarf singapore in the best lit window. I just need to know what kind of epsom salts to use and I should be all set.
Thank you,
Andrew |
RE: not going dormant
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| Hi korryzn, To address your question, I was wondering what state you live in? Since you live in zone5a, which I also do, I am going to assume you get a very cold winter, right? I ask, because the only thing I can think of is this, your plumerias are in a location that is still giving them too much light. Maybe if next time, you almost give them complete darnkess, they will sleep as you wish. They are still resting though, even though you are getting a leaf here or there. In fact, I have some on my property in the Carribean that push leaves out all winter, although to the native people, they are still in rest mode. They are not actively growing. They are ugly, and just bare with a few leaves on top. Yet, even after leafing out a bit all winter, they still grow georgous flowers come spring time. Many here grow their plumies all winter, and yet get inflo's come spring. Be very careful that you do not let them dry out to severe, since they are still active, because if you do, they will dehydrate past the point of bringing them back, once givin a drink. I did that to two of mine already. Actually, I forgot about them and they havn't had a drink for a month. Once I watered, it didn't matter,they were already hollowed out! The ones that I have watered are still fine, even though they are resting. I was also curious as to where you would normally summer them? Are they kept outdoors? Indoors? Out doors they will be fine, as long as they are in a fast draining soil with all the rain you fear. The location, and Bills suggestions about fertilizer, might just to the trick, even if they have been leafing out for you to flower.. Mike |
RE: not going dormant
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| I live in Upper Michigan, right next to Lake Michigan. We do have cold winters, so I over winter them in my bedroom. In the summer I put them on my front porch. It gets really hot, and they did grow a lot since I have been doing that. the trouble is I don't think they get enough direct sunlight. I will be putting them in my backyard this summer because the house behind me was torn down. My plants look healthy, I just never got any flowers. Can I start to fertilize now?? |
RE: not going dormant
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| Andrew-I buy epsoms salts or sulpo mag at a decent nursery. Just follow the directions on the box or bag. |
RE: not going dormant
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I have one plumeria that has never bloomed and it's about five years old now. Every winter I take it inside and it drops it's leaves and leafs out very pretty when I take it back outside.
But this year, it didn't drop it's leaves. I got a bigger pot and I'm ready to move it. I have pictures, but need to figure out how to post them...
Can I repot it when it's not really dormant? It's getting warmer here and I know I can move it slowly to the porch and then in the sunshine.
It also is only one stem. I don't know how to make it branch out.. and it's about 2-1/2 feet tall? (not at the doorknob level yet) If you can help me, I would appreciate it. |
RE: not going dormant
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| Yes you can pot it now just give it some b-1 or superthrive upon transplant. I would give it some epsoms salts or sulpomag about two weeks after transplant and then some decent fertilizer. Your plant might have a magnesium deficiency. |
RE: not going dormant
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| Quick note on where to buy epsom salts. I bought a 2lb. bag at Rite-Aid drug store for a few bucks with dosage recommendations for fertilizing. Bob |
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