Here is a link to Part 1:

Here is a link that might be useful: OT-Starting Plumeria Seeds in Styrofoam boats!

Pretty neat, Kathy. They look great. Do they require the coarse media or is that just until they get some size? Are you fertilizing yet? I haven't planted mine yet. I am going to wait until I open the greenhouse. Soon.
Bill

Thanks Bill. Karyn said that they don't need the coarse mix til later on, but I used it anyway. I haven't fertilized yet. Does anyone know when I should, and with what? I need to find the rest of my plumie seeds and get them sown while they're nice and fresh. I've been busy soaking and sowing the Brug seeds that you've mailed me, Bill. They all sound so wonderful! Bet you can't wait til your gh is open!

Kathy they are looking good. Did you start any of the P. stenophylla seeds? The seedlings look quite different then the P. rubras. I never bother with a super gritty mix for my rooted plumerias and seedlings, just a very well draining mix that has more large particles then a regular potting mix. When starting plumeria cuttings I use straight grit (pumice, coir croutons, perlite, crushed granite, etc). BTW those are going to outgrow the cell tray in a very short time. I usually go directly to a 3 or 4" pot. They'll likely be a foot or more tall in a year. You can begin using a dilute fertilizer. My first year seedlings rarely go dormant. I just keep them under lights over the winter. By the second year they've built up enough stores in their stems to carry them thru dormancy, though they don't always go dormant. I have mature non evergreen plumies that don't want to go dormant but because of space issues I force it on them. I just strip the foliage and decrease light & water. I water my dormant plumerias less then dormant brugs, almost nothing.

Karyn- Yes I started those P stenophylla seeds and 3 germinated. they are a bit smaller than the ones I posted pics of, but they're doing well. Thanks for all your info- I will be transplanting them shortly into 3 - 4 inch pots. Right now they are kept slightly moist, because I don't want them to rot from over watering. I'm a bit nervous about them, I've read that they are like a cactus in their water requirements. I am copying your info for my records/instructions. I was looking at buying more plumeria seeds. I like buying from Brads Buds and blooms- his seeds were very fresh and germinated right away. In regards to the color of blooms of the seedlings- does anyone know if they come pretty true to the parent tree? Of course if they're open pollinated I'm sure the results are variable. This is my first attempt at growing plumies. Thanks for all your input!

They sure are stocky little dudes. Neat.

Aren't they?

Will those bloom this year, Kathy?

Hi Bob-
I've been told that some Plumeria do bloom the first year, but I'm not sure about these. This is my very first attempt at growing plumeria!

There's only one person on the plumeria forum that has said they get blooms the first couple years. Don't know how they happen to do it, even with grow lights running 24/7. I wish I knew what they did. Even the expert growers don't get blooms sooner then 3 years and that's fast. 4 years is probably average, sometimes longer.

I got sick of waiting for my seed grown plumerias to bloom and gave away about 70. If you have the patience it would be great to see what the blooms look like. Even better, if you want to play around with grafting, seed grown plants are the perfect rootstock.

Looking good Kathy! Wishing you lots of patience with beautiful results in the end for your store.

Thanks Eloise! If I can't make room for them this winter, they will end up in my store!

I had the plumie bug years ago. Got plants from all over ,includeing Singapore,and started a boat load of seeds.In the end,I had in excess of 50 or so seedlings,but,after waiting 3 years for a bloom,and nothing happening,I got rid of all but the biggest and best looking one. I kept it to see how long it would take to bloom. Did everything I could think of to get it to bloom,and it finally did after 6 years. Needless to say,I no longer have any plumies in my possession. But,they bare still pretty plants.
Dan

Hi Dan-
As you can see, I've been bitten by the plumie bug and I haven't recovered yet. I'm just getting started, and can't break away yet!:)

By the way- if anyone has unwanted plumeria seed and wants to donate them to my little experiment, I will gladly trade some very fresh brug seed that I just harvested from Peaches and Cream brugmansia. They are still wet from the pod! email me at kathysuleski@yahoo.com

Kathy I want to see what you are saying after about 3 years. lol I think that's how long it took for me to part with about 70 seedlings. If I was still heating the big GH and had all that space I would have kept them. They just take up so much room. If you could cut them back like you do a brug during dormancy I certainly would have kept a lot more then I did. There's so many beautiful varieties and new ones are always being introduced. I'll probably get a few more named plants.

LOL! Karyn, I'm pretty compulsive about plants, especially ones with exceptional blooms. I know you're right, I won't be able to cut them back in winter like brugs, guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it! What is the lowest winter storage temps that they can withstand? Thanks!

While young, the first year, I would keep them warm, watered and under lights. They probably won't go dormant. After the second season I treat them like a mature plumie and let them go dormant. I wouldn't store a dormant plumeria below 45 F and make sure the soil is dry. I water mature plumies very little during dormancy, literally just enough to keep the roots from drying out completely. I think I only watered my dormant plumies 2 or 3 times over the winter this year. Cool damp soil will almost guarantee root/stem rot. I move them to a warm, well lit area several weeks before it's time to put them out. This will wake them up and you can begin watering and feeding. Some will wake up on their own without being moved. Most of mine woke up really early this year without my moving them. It's just been so mild. They've been stored in the back of the garage so they did get some light during the winter but I don't have a heater in there.