Plumeria Plants – How To Plant Plumeria Cuttings

One of the quickest ways to enjoy plumeria flowers is to plant plumeria cuttings. 

It cannot be emphasized enough to purchase plumeria cuttings only from reputable retailers to get good quality. Prices vary, and prices do not always translate into quality. Higher prices though often reflect well known plumeria varieties. 

One of the big advantages of propagating plumeria plants from cuttings is that the buyer is able to choose very specifically the plant he/she wants, based on the color, growth habit, fragrance or a number of other desirable traits that are present in a particular plumeria variety.

Plumeria 'Celadine' flowering in Chicago

Cuttings should be at least 12 inches in length and taken from mature wood. Immature cuttings taken from green wood are very hard to root even though it can be done.

Certain varieties of Plumeria obtusa and some red colored plumerias are harder to root and may take longer to develop their root system.

Discuss with the plumeria retailer the shipping arrangements that will guarantee that your quality plumeria cutting will arrive in good condition particularly during the colder months of the year. 

 

While awaiting the arrival of your newly ordered cutting take the time to get all the necessary equipment to properly plant the plumeria cutting. 

 

Before planting the cutting it is recommended to have all necessary items prepared, including the pot, plant stake, rooting hormone which contains a fungicide, tie-ups, and premixed potting medium ready and available.

Based on the size of the plumeria cutting one ordered, one needs to have a container large enough to accommodate the cutting as well as allowing room for the roots to develop and grow. A proper size container is also needed for the stability of the cutting.

The potting medium has to be premixed to provide excellent drainage. Otherwise, the cutting may rot if the medium retains too much moisture.

After the pot has been filled with the premixed potting medium, water it thoroughly and make sure all the water has drained prior to planting the cutting.

Now it is time to plant the cutting. It is important not to plant the cutting too deep for a variety of reasons. Plumeria cuttings develop roots only at the very bottom of the cutting.

The next step is to wet the bottom of the cutting with lukewarm water, shake off any excess water, insert the cutting in the rooting hormone, and insert it into the potting medium. Add the plant stake next to the plumeria cutting and tie the cutting to the plant stake with tie-ups.

The first step in the rooting process is the development of callus tissue through which the roots emerge. It is crucial at this time of the rooting process not to water the cutting to avoid stem rot.

Plumeria 'Kimo' flowering in Chicago

Plumeria cuttings have such a strong life force in them that they start to develop leaves and inflorescenses without even having started the rooting process. 

One can find out if any roots have developed by giving the cutting a light tug to test for resistance. Any resistance indicates some root development.

During this time instead of watering the cutting, mist the cutting daily to prevent it from dehydrating.

Plumeria cuttings may root within weeks or may take several months to develop roots depending on the particular plumeria variety. Following tried and tested methods is the best insurance for one’s own success in rooting plumeria cuttings, even the difficult ones. Enjoy the fruits of your labors, and enjoy the beauty and fragrance of your newly grown plumeria plant for years to come!

Copyright © Bob Walsh 2011 
www.HowToGrowPlumeriaFrangipani.com 

How To Grow Plumeria Plants From Seeds

Plumeria plants are easily started from seeds. It is a fun and inexpensive way to increase one's collection of plumerias. It is important to find reputable retailers to purchase seeds from in order to guarantee quality.

Generally, it takes anywhere from three to four years for plumeria plants started from seeds to produce flowers. There are reports that flowers developed after just ten months. This is a very rare occurrence.

Each plumeria plant has a large number of chromosomes, some suggest as many as 54, which is the reason each planted plumeria seed produces seedlings each with its own unique characteristics, including flowers, fragrance and growth habit.

Before planting plumeria seeds determine which seeds are viable to increase your success rate. When choosing a container, it is important that the container is the proper size to allow the rapid growth process of plumeria seedlings. There are several successful planting methods. Learn which methods work the best resulting in a high germination rate for quality planted seeds.

Choosing and preparing the container with the just right pre-mixed potting medium is essential for proper healthy growth of the seedlings. Planting the seeds correctly in the container can prevent disease and other harmful effects that can lead to the death of plumeria seedlings.

Ongoing care of planted plumeria seeds is equally essential for a good success rate by providing correct lighting and a regulated watering process and technique for the seedlings. Labeling the container with the seed variety is helpful in identifying the seedling later, especially if you plant plumeria seeds of different varieties.

Fresh plumeria seeds generally germinate within days. A few seeds may take longer to germinate.

As the seeds develop and their initial growth appears, a sheath encloses their tops. Many times the seedlings push the sheath off themselves.

Don’t be confused by the first appearance of the initial green leaves. These are not true leaves. Proper treatment and care at this seed to seedling stage can make the difference between success and failure.

The seedlings need to be transplanted into a fast draining potting mix. The right type of fertilizer with a defined routine fertilizing schedule results in an increased rapid healthy growth. Foliar feeding young plumeria plants regularly benefits their growth dramatically.

By following tested and proven methods plumeria seeds can grow into beautiful, fragrant plumeria plants which one can enjoy year after year.

For more information on growing plumerias and for your FREE tropical plants guide, Grow Your Own Tropical Garden, visit How To Grow Plumeria Plants.

California Bud's Sally seedlings - 7 weeks after seeds were planted

Copyright Bob Walsh 2011
www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com 

Care of Cattleya Orchids

The genus Cattleya is comprised of over
100 species of orchids.  

Cattleya orchids have large flowers which are made up

of three narrow petals and three wider petals.

Two of the three wider petals look about the same

whereas the third one, called lip, looks quite different.

Cattleya orchids are sympodial orchids.

Each flower stalk originates from a pseudobulb.

The number of flowers on one flower stalk varies. 

There may be just one or two, or there may be several

flowers, up to ten.

Cattleya orchids have been hybridized within the genus

and with related genera for more than 100 years.

The most popular hybrids include....

• Brassolaeliocattleya  (Blc)
• Sophrolaeliocattleya  (Slc) 

Cattleya orchids like bright light, including full sunshine.

But they should be protected from direct sun during the

summer months. They won't flower without being

exposed to bright light.

Under the correct light conditions the leaves are apple

green in color. Dark green leaves indicate that they

received too little light. Yellowish or brown leaves indicate
too much direct sunlight.

  
During the growing season Cattleya orchids are watered
heavily, but one has to make sure that the pots never
sit in water. Watering should be cut back when the
flowers start to emerge from their sheaths.
The pseudobulb of a well-watered Cattleya is hard
to the touch without any signs of shriveling.
 
During their growing season fertilize once a week at
1/4 strength of the recommended dose.
 
Re-potting should only be done when absolutely
necessary. Cattleya orchids need one growing season
to recover.

When re-potting make sure you use a pot large enough
to allow for the development of at least three pseudobulbs.
 
In closing  I want to remind everybody that there
is still time to enter our FREE Giveaway where
one lucky winner will receive one FREE plumeria
cutting 'Jeannie Moragne'.

Visit How To Grow Plumerias for further
details.

 
Copyright © Bob Walsh Enterprises 2011 
www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com 

Video: Care of Phalaenopsis Orchids – Moth Orchids

Phalaenopsis is an orchid genus which consists of about 60 species, including Phalaenopsis amabilis, Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Phalaenopsis deliciosa, Phalaenopsis equestris, and Phalaenopsis sumatrana. It is one of the most popular orchids grown thanks to its easy culture.

Most Phalaenopsis orchids are epiphytic orchids. This means that they derive the necessary moisture and nutrients for their survival from the air and the rain found in the local environment.
A few Moth orchids are lithophytes meaning they grow in and around rocks. When growing in the wild lithophytic orchids get their moisture and nutrients from moss, rain water, litter, and their own dead tissue.

Moth orchids exhibit monopodial growth which means they grow upward from one single point. Additional growth comes from that point as it grows taller each year. As Moth orchids are monopodial, they do not have pseudobulbs to store water.

Phalaenopsis orchids, like most tropical plants, can be successfully grown when one follows proven and tested guidelines rewarding gardeners year after year with their exquisite, colorful, long lasting flowers.

For your FREE tropical plants guide, Grow Your Own Tropical Garden, visit How To Grow Plumerias. 

Copyright © Bob Walsh Enterprises 2011

Plumeria Care – Plumeria Rust

Over the last twenty-five years more and more international travelers are discovering plumerias, frangipani. Many travelers to Hawaii and Tahiti, for example, are greeted upon their arrival with a traditional island lei. These leis are a necklace of stringed plumeria flowers that have an intoxicating fragrance. So overwhelming is the impression these flowers make on visitors to these tropical destinations that they often leave wearing a lei or bringing one back home as a gift for a loved one.

Even more dramatically, these visitors bring home a dream of growing plumerias in their own homes and yards, and creating a small tropical garden of paradise with plumeria flowers as the main attraction.

This dream requires some education about plumeria care outside their natural habitat of subtropical and tropical growing zones. Many of these new plumeria aficionados are very excited to learn that it is possible to create such a garden of paradise indoors and outdoors with proper plumeria care.

The overall aesthetic beauty of the plumeria plant involves caring for the leaves as well as the flowers. The leaves not only provide protection for the flowers from the winds, but they complete its overall tropical appearance.

One of the most common worldwide threats to plumeria plants is a fungus disease known as plumeria rust, Coleosporium domingese. An airborne pathogen causes the plumeria rust to spread rapidly from one plumeria plant to another.

Plumeria rust was first recorded on Plumeria alba on the Caribbean West Indies island of Guadeloupe in 1902. It later spread to and throughout Central America. Today it is found in many countries where plumeria plants are grown. The one important piece of good news is that plumeria rust does not affect the plant’s growth and flowering.

Some plumerias are more resistant to rust than others, including Plumeria obtusa ‘Singapore’ and ‘Mele Pa Bowman’ which are very resistant to rust.

The majority of infections are caused by airborne urediniospores that stick to leaves under wet or humid conditions. Urediniospores are thin-walled spores. These spores look like a balloon pinched in the middle, or an un-separated eight. As these spores germinate, the nuclei undergo karyogami, reproduction in fungi, and thereafter meiosis, cell division. They penetrate the leaf surface infecting the cells of leaves.

The symptoms of the disease start on the undersides of leaves that begin to show numerous tiny, raised, yellow-orange, powdery rust pustules. These pustules may emerge sparsely on the upper surface of heavily infected leaves. Even though the spores can be rubbed or wiped off the leaves, it doesn’t eliminate the infection.

Yellow spots become visible on the upper leaf surface, opposite to the infected sites on the lower surface. As lesions age, enlarge, and coalesce, these yellow areas develop into sunken, angular and grayish to brown spots. When leaves are severely diseased, they may dry, curl, become distorted, and fall off. Premature defoliation can at times result in complete loss of leaves. 

 

To control plumeria rust one needs to act promptly at the first indications of rust spots. In treating infected leaves it is important to treat both sides of the leaves with a fungicide. It is helpful to add a surfactant to the fungicide solution to prevent the solution from running off the leaves. It is important to remove any and all infected leaves. Remove all fallen leaves as well as the pathogen can continue to survive on these leaves and become a source of new infections. 

 

Further preventive steps include regulating the airflow around plumeria plants. It is an invitation for diseases and insects if plumeria plants are planted too close together.

To avoid this unsightly disease of plumeria rust, one should get good solid information from experienced and knowledgeable plumeria gardeners who have years of experience in growing frangipani. Their guidance can save you time, energy, and grief over the loss of a beautiful plumeria garden that has been overridden by plumeria rust or other harmful diseases. All of this can be prevented if one receives the voice of tried and tested information on how to successfully grow and properly care for frangipani.

For your FREE tropical plants guide, Grow Your Own Tropical Garden, which includes many useful tips on how to grow tropical plants indoors and outdoors, and to be entered into our Special Giveaway of one FREE plumeria cutting 'Jeannie Moragne' visit Plumeria Care.

Plumeria 'Daisy Wilcox'

Copyright Bob Walsh
www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com 

Care of Dendrobium Orchids

 

Dendrobium is a genus of orchids comprised of over

1,000 species.  They are easy to cultivate, and produce

abundant delicate, exotic, colorful flowers.

The name Dendrobium comes from the Greek language

with dendron meaning tree and bios meaning life.

These orchids have adapted to a wide range of climates. 

They are found growing high up in the Himalayas in

northern India, in tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia

on the islands of New Guinea where new species are

still being discovered, and in the very dry climate of the

Australian Desert. The Dendrobium orchid is the floral 

emblem of Queensland, Australia.

Dendrobium orchids exhibit a sympodial growth habit.

Sympodial means "with conjoined feet".

These orchids have pseudobulbs which store water

and nutrients for the plant. The pseudobulbs grow

vertically. The plant sends out new growth horizontally

between the pseudobulbs.

They are called pseudo-"bulbs" because bulbs

generally are planted beneath the surface of the soil.

But these pseudo-"bulbs" are above the surface of

the potting medium.

The growth starts at the base of the pseudobulb

and is called a "lead". The shoot and roots grow

from this lead. 

The pseudobulb continues to nourish the plant even

without leaves which also provide nourishment to

the plant. The leaves on Dendrobium orchids can last

for years. Eventually the leaves will turn brown and die.

 

Dendrobium orchids are not the only orchids with

sympodial growth habit. Following is a list of some

other orchids that exhibit a sympodial growth habit:

Brassavola, Cattleya, Cymbidium, Miltonia,
Odontoglossum, Oncidium, and Paphiopedilum.

 

Dendrobium orchids are relatively easy to grow

when certain guidelines are followed.

Good care of Dendrobium orchids includes.... 

The ideal temperature during the day is 75-85 °F/

24-29 °C, and during the night 60-65 °F/16-18 °C.

Dendrobium orchids enjoy morning sun, but need

to be protected from hot afternoon sun. They also

grow very well indoors under grow lights.

These orchids store water in their pseudobulbs.

Therefore they don't need to be watered as often

as monopodial orchids. It is best to let the potting

medium dry out before watering.

Dendrobium orchids enjoy fertilizers which are

high in Nitrogen.

 

Repotting of Dendrobium orchids is best done

every other year after their flowering period.

 

Happy Growing,

Bob Walsh

www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com 

Plumeria Care Guide – Free ‘Jeannie Moragne’ Plumeria Cutting Giveaway

Bob Walsh Enterprises announces their latest Giveaway, Free ‘Jeannie Moragne’ Plumeria Cutting Giveaway. 

One lucky person’s name will be drawn from all those who purchase a copy of ‘How To Grow Plumeria – Frangipani Anytime Anywhere’, the recently released Plumeria Care Guide from their website, http://www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com, between now through February 8, 2011. The drawing will take place on February 9, 2011.

‘How To Grow Plumeria – Frangipani Anytime Anywhere’ is an easy to follow Plumeria Care Guide for tropical plant lovers around the world who wish to grow these beautiful exotic fragrant flowers, but live outside the subtropical and tropical regions of the world, the natural habitat of plumerias, also called frangipani. 

This guide highlights the newest successful plumeria rooting method with a step by step process documenting it with pictures and explanations. This process is encouraging to all plumeria gardeners as it accelerates the growing process and shortens the time it takes in rooting these very popular tropical plants which may allow for future year-round indoor plumeria planting.

The lucky winner receives one single FREE Plumeria cutting, ‘Jeannie Moragne’, one of the plumerias that was created by Bill M. Moragne, Sr.  Mr. Moragne was a pioneer plumeria grower who was the first person to successfully develop the hand-pollination process of plumerias in 1953.  

Mr. Moragne created two hundred-eighty plus seedlings through controlled hand pollination. He kept only 35 of the most vibrant and fragrant plumeria trees which were first given numbers instead of names. He later named the brightest colored plumerias in the group after the women in his family. ‘Jeannie Moragne’ is one of them.

Other plumeria cultivars Mr. Bill Moragne Sr. named after women in his family include Cindy Moragne, Edi Moragne, Katie Moragne, Kelly Moragne, and Sally Moragne.

To learn more about plumeria care for indoors and outdoor gardening and to be entered in Bob Walsh Enterprise’s “Free ‘Jeannie Moragne’ Plumeria Cutting Giveaway” visit http://www.howtogrowplumeriafrangipani.com. 

Jeannie Moragne

Copyright © Bob Walsh Enterprises 2011