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kevphol

I'm in deep...

kevphol
16 years ago

...cactus mix and vermiculite that is! I bought a few individual cuttings on ebay and then couldn't help myself and bought a whole box full, some with tips and some center cuts. I think I now have about 22 or 23 cuttings to root, not counting the 14 plants I have growing already. I plan to give some cuttings to my Mom and Dad after I get them rooted and growing, but it should still be an interesting storage situation this fall! Ha!

I also just got the Jim Little book and the Richard and Mary Helen Eggenberger book. Both are great and I can't wait to get into them more thoroughly. Just the history of cultivation of plumeria is fascinating and I am already wishing I had more of the real historical named varieties. Eventually I suppose I could...

Plumie addiction in all out binge mode!

Comments (14)

  • brighty
    16 years ago

    Congrats on the box full! Yea! How fun!

    Hope you get lots of nice colors!

    Brighty

  • kasiec
    16 years ago

    You too Kevin? Mine are doing great in the greenhouse. Every single one is showing the "claws".

    Kasie

  • tdogdad
    16 years ago

    37 plants as a start- Call Dr. Phil. Rehab is needed. Say "hi, my name is _______ and I am already a plumieaholic." Promise not to keep track of the money you will spend on your habit as it will become staggering. Try not to look at pictures of the 2,000 varieties that you do not yet have but that you need. Try to ignore that these are trees and you will eventually need a baseball stadium sized piece of land when they mature. Realize that you are doomed like the rest of us. Welcome to this insanity. Bill

  • kbauman
    16 years ago

    Hi,..
    to all of this AMEN. We have taught you well.
    HA.
    Karen B.

  • kevabear
    16 years ago

    And then there all the different types of smells they produce. Coconuty, spicey, lemony, goodness knows that list goes on an on and I need them all and I want them all, every single color, shape, smell, size.... And yes, my name is Lauri and I too am a Plumeriaholic!

  • kasiec
    16 years ago

    ...and after you've become successful rooting these sticks, you want to try growing from seeds and have something special...all your seeds sprouted...how cute...must move these growing seeds to gallon pots...oh no, it's getting bigger...oh no, no room...oh no, what am I doing...oh no, I'm NUTS!! Oh yes, love it, love it. You're doomed Kevin :)

    Kasie

  • kevphol
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Ahhh yes, the books, the pictures, the 2000 varieties, the cuttings, the seeds, the SMELLS! Yes, thank you all for all of your HELP!! LOL! I really forgot how captivating and heavenly the scents are.

    I had a couple of cuttings given to me several years ago in Waikiki by a nice lady that made fresh leis at a little booth in the International Market. Over the course of a few days there my wife and I visited her booth several times just enamored with her flowers and watching her make her leis. We bought some of her leis and she was kind enough to give us some cuttings. I got one of them rooted and even bloomed at one point but I eventually lost it somehow. I cringe to think about how beautiful it could be now if I had taken care of it correctly. It has been a few years now and the scents of the HD/Lowes yellows that are blooming really have refreshed my whole memory of that trip and my fondness for these beauties! I am hoping to plan a vacation to Hawaii next summer to take my kids (11 and 13) who have never been.

    Bill, when and IF I manage to get them to maturity, I will consider the problem of what to do with them a blessing! I do have a nice sized half acre lot, so I am already scheming about where I will be digging out sod to create fertile beds for my Plumeria "groves"!

  • tdogdad
    16 years ago

    Blessing??? Bah humbug. Do they make small backyard forklifts to move these giants around? I have to move two big pots today and my back already hurts. And then there is root pruning-how do you lift a 40 branch 7' plant out of a pot to prune the roots. Anyone got a crane I can borrow? It all starts so innocently and the lure of beautiful looking and smelling flowers leads you down the road until you wake up in a tree farm. Ok. I love it. but it will kill me. Bill

  • littlem_2007
    16 years ago

    you all have the best problems in the world. one thing you did not mention is the cost of all the ST, etc. I think I have every combination of fertilizer-- everytime, some one mentions one I have to have it too. now I am trying everything but i don't know what works.
    sue

  • kevphol
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    A blessing indeed! Haha! I will however, also reserve the right to complain (a male's prerogative) when the time comes. Hey Bill, I'll be glad to come help you move those big heavy trees any time if you let me have any branches that "accidently" get broken off in the process!

    Kevin

  • brighty
    16 years ago

    Can anyone tell me which variety smells like Coconut? Mmmm. Already thinking of my next purchase!

  • kevphol
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Here is a list of scents I found in a previous post that has been helpful to me.

    Kevin

    This is a list compiled by a lady named Clare Corrie. She states itÂs subjective, based on her experience and that of other growers.

    Lemon/Citrus/Fruity Scent:
    Apricot Delight - lemon
    Aztec Gold - peach
    Bill Moragne - grape koolaid
    Celadine - citrus, classic plumeria
    Cool Aid - grape koolaid
    Duke - fruit punch
    Dwarf Deciduous - lemon, strong citrus
    Intense Rainbow - mild peach
    Keane - lemon
    Kimo - lime
    Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon
    Lemon Drop - lemon scent
    Nebel's Rainbow - faint peach
    Penang Peach - peach
    Pink Kiss - Apricots, Sweet Olive
    Pink Pansy - grape koolaid
    Singapore - lemon, bitter lemon
    Texas Aggie - grape
    Thornton Lemon Drop - lemon scent
    Wave Rage - strong, sweet, and fruity

    Classic Plumeria Scent:
    Celadine
    Emerson's Pink Nova - very mild
    Pacific Pearl
    Singapore
    Slaughter Pink

    Gardenia Scent:
    Charlotte Ebert
    Dieudonne - mild
    Gardenia
    King Kalakaua - mild
    Tahitian Sunset - mild
    Tomlinson Pink - Gardenia/Magnolia
    Treasure Isle - mild

    Floral Scent:
    Aloha
    Bali Hai Gold - wisteria
    Dean Conklin - carnation
    Gold Coast Peachy
    Just Peachy
    Magnum Opus
    Marion B.
    Nassau
    Nellie's White - strong honey scent
    Ruby Gold
    San Germain - honeysuckle
    Tahitian Sunset
    Teresa Wilder
    Venezuelan Snowball - strong honeysuckle
    Blush Pink - strong
    Rose Scent:
    Brittney
    Charlotte Ebert
    Guillot's Sunset
    Jeannie Moragne
    Miami Rose
    Pink Parfait
    Rose Red
    Vanda Ruffles
    Vera Cruz Rose, stronger than Guillot's Sunset

    Coconut Scent:
    Barry's Orange Pink
    Charlotte Ebert
    Hurricane
    Kauka Wilder
    Key West Pink
    Nellie's White - jasmine to coconut
    Scott Pratt - spicy coconut

    Spicy Scent:
    Angus Selection #3
    Bail Hai Gold
    Cancun Dreams - mild
    Cancun Pink - cinnamon
    Carmen
    Grove Farm - nutmeg
    India - nutmeg
    Kauka Wilder
    Kimo - fresh ginger
    Negril - cloves
    Pink Widow
    Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
    Sundance - strong sweet cinnamon Dentyne Gum

    Strong Unique Scent:
    Bali Hai Gold
    Bali Whirl
    Gold Coast Peachy
    Grove Farm
    Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon
    Mele Pa Bowman
    Pink Widow
    Ruby Gold
    San Germain - honeysuckle
    Venezuelan Snowball - strong honeysuckle
    Wave Rage
    White

    No scent or very little scent:
    Fiesta Rainbow
    Pudica
    Puu Kahea
    Spidery Yellow

    Most desirable plumerias for fragrance:
    Angus Selection #3
    Aztec Gold
    Bali Hai Gold
    Bali Whirl
    Celadine
    Charlotte Ebert
    Daisy Wilcox
    Espinda
    Gold Coast Peachy
    Grove Farm
    Key West Pink
    Loretta
    Mele Pa Bowman
    Miami Rose
    Nassau
    Pacific Pearl
    Pink Pansy
    Samoan Fluff
    Singapore (evergreen)

  • brighty
    16 years ago

    Wow! That is extremely helpful. I will print that out for future reference. Thanks so much!

    Brighty

  • startin_from_scratch
    16 years ago

    Tdogdad said earlier:

    Blessing??? Bah humbug. Do they make small backyard forklifts to move these giants around? I have to move two big pots today and my back already hurts. And then there is root pruning-how do you lift a 40 branch 7' plant out of a pot to prune the roots. Anyone got a crane I can borrow? It all starts so innocently and the lure of beautiful looking and smelling flowers leads you down the road until you wake up in a tree farm. Ok. I love it. but it will kill me. Bill

    Bill can I offer a suggestion on at least the lifting part. Find a local welder. Get 3 lengths of 1.5" pipe and a few couplings have him weld you up a tripod that will stand about 10-12' tall. Cut the bottoms of the pipes so they will sit flat and then weld on a piece of flat stock so you have feet. The top couplings will be welded to make the angles for the legs. Drop a 1/2" eyebolt thru the center of the couplings and have him weld that in there too. Next go to Harbor Freight (they are on the web) and buy a 1/2 ton chainfall and a cloth choker about 4' or so long. Ya see where I am going with this?? Put the choker on the main trunk, (may need one or 2 more chokers to help balance the lift by attaching to some of the branching) Crank the puppy up out of the pot, do what you have to do and then lower it back in. The beauty of this is that it breaks down for storage into the 3 legs, and the spider at the top which can stay attached to one of the legs. Or if you have the floorspace for storage just get an engine hoist (real pain in the butt).

    Just thought I would throw this out for consideration.

    Roger
    South of Chicago

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