Hey B_, welcome to the club.
If you grow seedlings, they will grow stronger & possibly faster than cuttings due to their tap root! I think diging a trench is a great idea since you probably dont get frost. Just make sure you have a good soil mix, plumeria don't like wet feet! My last mix I used fox farm happy frog, ocean forrest, moss, & a ton of 1/8 & 3/4 lava rock. It seems to work great for me. A lot of people swear by their soilless mixes, but I prefer to keep some soil in my mix. Roots have a special relationship with the bacteria & fungus in the soil, & I want to work harmoniously with nature! Anyway, I wish you luck with your project!

Peace & happy growing
Jason

How deep do you think I should dig the trenches? And also did you mix the lava rock in with the soil or did you just layer it on the top?

If you live in Hawaii, for the most part you should already have excellent soil - they thrive there! You will get flowers much faster from cuttings. Your flea market has them very easy to get. Look through some of the posts or get advice from the locals there, you will have happy plants in no time!

This post was edited by elucas101 on Mon, Jul 15, 13 at 17:43

Well B_, Im not exactly sure how deep a plumeria tap root goes. It's a tree, so it probably goes pretty deep. Once the root gets down to a certain point, the tree will be able to pull nutrients & moisture from deep in the earth. If you grow cuttings you might not need to dig as deep, but either way, I kinda go crazy when it comes to these kind of things. Me personally, I'd probably dig down 3 - 4ft, but that's probably excessive, & a boat load of work!. We really only need to give the roots a good home until they're big enough to sink deep into the earth. I'd say 2 - 21/2 ft. is probably adequit. & make sure you put a lot, & I mean LOT of both 1/8 & 3/4 in lava rock. It's important to have BOTH sizes!

You want to mix the soil, peat moss, & lava rock together. Your trying to create a mix that is gritty. The soil holds the nutrients, bacteria, & fungus the plant needs to grow. The moss will hold some moisture, contains outstanding bacteria from peat bogs, & will decompose over time, enriching your soil. The lave rock helps your soil drain quickly, but also will hold some moisture. Be sure to take your time & mix the soil well, if you have kids......get them to do it. Hahaha

Please note, all this may not be necessary if your growing in "super rich" volcanic soil that drains quickly!

Good luck!
Jason

From all the cuttings and seedlings I've dug up and repotted or transplanted, the roots look like they're actually fairly shallow. Even the taproots on seedlings tend to disappear into a tangle of peripheral roots after a while so I'm not sure you'll need to go very far down with new soil.

You have the most important conditions for success even without any amendments: constant mild temps and winds, 300+ days of sunshine, and no-frost conditions that allow you to plant in-ground permanently. You're in paradise for these trees!

Hi!!

I agree you live in the best place to grow these beauties.. I would do a search into your area and see what others use. My guess is that you won't have to do to much to amend your soil . You can always root the cuttings that you purchase and then plant once they have rooted.. Some would even suggest in Hawaii, they just stick them in the soil.. stake them and leave them alone.. Voila!!! Plumeria Garden!!! Remember to leave some space between trees (cuttings) They grow quite large, especially in Hawaii!!! I would go with rooted cuttings and or rooted trees purchased locally. You could find some reasonably priced trees and they will take off in no time. I wouldn't use seedlings unless you want to start from the very beginning... It is your call, but since you have so many positives in your favor, I would buy rooted trees or root your own cuttings .. then plant them!!! See what your neighbors use and how they plant. That would be my direction that I would take.

You have so many places and wonderful growers there.. you are in Paradise!!!

Have fun.. I am sure you will see what you are looking for now that you are interested. Many will just tell you to take the trees and plant. Period!!! LOL!!

If you do get rooted trees, cuttings.. I would stake to keep them stable. Then let them get acclimated to your area and im sure they will amaze you!!! ;-) What a special place you have there!!!

Take care and please let us know how you' re doing with your new garden!

Take care,

Laura

This post was edited by loveplants2 on Mon, Jul 15, 13 at 22:47

Thank you guys for all your info I'm on tour playing music and am going back in August and that is when I want to start the garden. I was just thinking of digging the trench and dropping some bags of ocean forest soil in it.