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kirilisa

Help! My frangipani is dying!!

20 years ago

I am very distressed because my frangipani seems to be dying. It is a small frangipani I got from a nursery last summer and planted in a pot. During the summer and most of this fall, it has done brilliantly well - growing lots of new green nice leaves. Just lately, however, it has taken a terrible downward turn and I'm afriad it's going to be dead within a week or two. The leaves have gone yellow, then brown, then withered and fallen. of course, I figured that it must be a watering problem, and indeed, the soil was very dry. I did not water it all summer and fall and it was growing quite happily: perhaps those few big rainstorms we had were enough for it? Anyway, I started watering it religiously but it is getting no better! the tray at the bottom of the pot has water in it, it should be able to suck that up, right? But the soil will never get beyond faintly moist. I know I cannot be overwatering it.

I have included a couple pictures. Should I obsessively water it like 5 times a day? Should I repot it in other soil? I can't understand why my soil doesn't seem to get very wet. Is there anything I can do to save my frangipani? Is it the chilly air? (Brisbane has been about 6 degrees at night for the past couple weeks but as it's no warmer inside than out I don't see what I can do about that).

Please give me advice. My heart is breaking: I love my frangipani so.

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Comments (21)

  • 20 years ago

    OK - I should know when I am being wound up, but can you please take a look at the following on Google:

    Plumeria Rubra deciduous

    It may well be that the tree was sold as an 'evergreen' Frangipani, but the majority in Rocky lose every single leaf in Winter.

    Happy trails,

    Artie

  • 20 years ago

    Frangipani in cold areas, especially during frost do this. It will grow new leaves in the spring when the weather warms up. Forget the water until the top 4 or 5 cm in the pot are dry!

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  • 20 years ago

    You're not talking about the Australian native frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum)here are you?
    If not, who cares.
    If you are, well then that's a different story.

  • 20 years ago

    Frangipani in hot climates do that too.

    Thats what they do this time of the year.

    They are going to sleep for a while, so just leave them in peace.

    And they will reward you in a few months after that rest .

    With lots of beautiful perfumed flowers.... Cheers...MM.

    PS Do not water too much as they it will go rotten..

  • 20 years ago

    Thank you all who have answered. I feel a bit better now.

    To roysta: I am not sure if it is an Australian native frangipani or not. I do not have (maybe never had) any card to go with this plant. I did think I purchased it from the Australian Natives section at my plant store, though, so I had assumed it was native. How does that make a difference?

  • 20 years ago

    Dont worry about Roy's comments - its clear from the photo that you have Plumeria Rubra. Hymenosporum Flavum has no relationship to the Plumeria, and its foliage and habit are quite dissimilar. Again, a quick check of Google Images will sort this one for you.

    Please be aware that we accept posts such as yours at face value, but I find it difficult to imagine that anyone with access to the Net would not have done their own research first. Happy to help, but not quite so happy if you are merely having a little fun at our expense.

    Artie

  • 20 years ago

    I don't really know how to respond to you, artiew. I'm sorry that you think that I should automatically know what there is to know about Frangipani plants. I am from the East Coast of the USA where it is very cold a good portion of the year and I have never had anything to do with a frangipani plant (or indeed most other plants) before. I just moved to Brisbane and bought it from the nursery because it was supposed to smell nice at some point. I had NO idea that leaves actually fall off trees in a warm place such as this is.

    Posting to this list *was* my method of doing 'internet research' -- I generally find that getting information from live people is more efficient than just doing searches. Therefore, the first thing I searched for was a forum where I could post my question.

    Why would I bother taking photos and posting a long post etc. just for a 'fun at your expense'? I have better things to do with my time. I am horrible with plants; every other plant I've ever owned has died, and I *was* very upset to see that my frangipani also appeared to be dying. My post was motivated by the fact that about 6 more leaves just fell off my plant yesterday. Excuse me if you find that ridiculous.

    If it bothers you that I should post such uneducated questions, then don't waste your time answering. I will certainly think twice before posting to this list again.

  • 20 years ago

    Remember to remove the tray from beneath your frangipani, as your plant will rot if it sits in water, esp. in winter. If it were my plant, I would let it dry out and not water it until new leaves start appearing in spring. Check out the web page below for lots of info about growing frangis.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plumeria 101

  • 20 years ago

    hi Kirilisa,

    your frangipani isnt a native of Australia so if in doubt it's best to post in the other forum so that you dont get prickly responses like roystas.

    if you go to the link below and bookmark it, and then if you have questions youll get a much more friendly response over there no matter what your question is about. most people here at the forums are very helpful and friendly so dont be put off.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening in Oz

  • 20 years ago

    Relax Kirilisa - my objection was based on an assumption which I am prepared to apologise for - as TG has indicated, this probably wasnt the best place to post your query. I have been gardening with Australian plants for several years, but still spend some time on Google before posting : it really does cut down on the potential flak. If you think you have been harshly treated, take a look at some of the recent posts in this forum - 50 plus replies and very little ground conceded by any of the protagonists ...

    By comparison, I am a creampuff.

    Cheers,

    Artie

  • 20 years ago

    Hi Kirilisa,
    Don't worry about the responses that offended you. Native Frangipani is called that because the flowers vaguely resemble
    your frangipani and it has a strong perfume which I, personally, find overpowering. Your potting mix should be damp not soggy. Many people are one-eyed when it comes to growing
    Australian native plants. Others have found ways to incorporate both into their gardens and they grow amicably together.

  • 20 years ago

    Further to Mallee's response, I would suggest that Plumeria would be even happier if the soil / potting mix was not damp at all, but dead dry for the whole of winter.
    And it is fun to take cuttings. Just break off a branch of any size, at any time of the year. Leave it in the corner of the garage for six weeks or so, then plant.(If it's in leaf, then they will all fall off.) Water a few times, then ignore it for the rest of its life. Frost and damp soil are the only things, so far as I know, that will kill one.
    We gardeners find it hard to drop the habit of watering plants, and waste incredible quantities of the precious stuff on things which grow just as well without.
    The Plumerias' white sap, by the way, is dangerous to your eyes. Some people prefer not to plant them in gardens used by children.
    Oh, and the Native Frangipani, Hymenosporum flavum, is a superb little shade tree for suburban gardens. It grows fast, and needs no watering once established in a place like Brisbane. It's not deciduous, either, so doesn't have that long period of looking ugly. Worth a try, Kirilisa?
    Trish

  • 20 years ago

    Thank you all very much for all this information. I appreciate it. I am encouraged about my bald frangipani and perhaps I will even try to make cuttings of it sometime. It's nice to think that there is a plant which perhaps I cannot kill.

    I apologize for posting in the wrong section. I selected this forum because I was under the impression that this plant was a Native as I had gotten it from the 'Native Plants' section at my gardening store. I will not make the same mistake again.

  • 20 years ago

    Hello Kirilisa

    I have no problem with you posting any question at all here. We are all gardeners and we love answering any questions about plants. We all learn from this.

    I think its wonderful that you are so concerned about your plant, you obviously love it and I think that is very sweet. Its wonderful that you where so worried in the beginning and now you can be happy !

    You can post any question you like here, we love you.

    You would not be able to grow franjipanis on the East coast of the US, (I think thats where you said you come from), so enjoy your plant and much happiness to you in your garden.

    Popi

  • 20 years ago

    kirilisa,
    Please don't be put off posting to the garden forum because of a few terse remarks.
    You obviously thought that the plant was an Australian native...so go for it and give it your best shot.
    Looking forward to hearing how your plant goes.
    Welcome to Australia.
    Cheers
    Jimmy

  • 20 years ago

    I bought a plant which looks exactly like yours. I live in warm malaysia (abt 32c-35c). Two days after I brought my frangipani home, the leaves started to turn brown and my plant looks as if it was going to die. I watered it when i brought it home. Although your leaves look brown, they still look healthy. Mine look as if it was cooked, although I moved it away from direct sunlight on the second day. I think my frangipani is really dying.

  • 20 years ago

    I am so glad to see that the majority of posts were in support of you Kirilisa. I am so tired of the native plant police who think we shouldn't grow anything but Australian natives and are critical of anyone who has ideas that differ. Most Australians gardeners welcome questions and can gently point out corrections without attacking!
    Good luck with your frangapani - they're beautiful! And welcome to Australia. But be careful, frangapani can be addictive and there are lots of different colours and scents.

  • 20 years ago

    OK - as a 'native plant policeman', I'd like to make the following observation : a large number of the posters who have suddenly appeared to support Kirilisa dont contribute to this forum on anything remotely resembling a 'regular basis' (if at all). If the welcome brigade actually took the time to read a lot of the posts in the 'Australian Native Plants' forum , they might realise that it contains some of the most thoughtful and detailed advice to be found anywhere on the Net. Even the 'zealots' dispense reams of valuable advice to those who havve a question regarding Australiian plants, and most of us have 'agreed to disagree' when it comes to the natives vs exotics debate.

    As someone who tries to advocate a middle ground, I often find myself caught in the crossfire in any such debate, but I'll give the 'natives only' folk this : they know their plants, their soil and their climate. I'd be williing to wager that my fellow 'police' could give Kirilisa more information on her Plumeria than 80% of the welcome committee.

    I accept that my initial responses to Kirilisa were uncalled for, and I believe that she is genuine, but somewhere in the mix we need to dispense actual advice - I believe that Kirilisa received sufficient advice within the first few posts to have her postpone any 'early retirement' plans for the Frangipani, so I expect that the rest of us can just go back to our rose catalogues and leave this forum to the native police.

  • 20 years ago

    Look, I'm sorry to get up the snout of all you protesters, but this post was about a plant that is NOT, I repeat, NOT, an Australian native.
    Do you have trouble understanding what this site is?
    I refer to my original post.

    Roy

  • 20 years ago

    Newbies tend to not realise that the internet has culture that is there for a reason. In the same way that walking into a knitting club and talking loudly over everyone else about your garden would be considered very rude, walking into a room full of people discussing growing native plants and talking about something else is also rude.

    However, a lot of people are new to this internets thing and don't know the rules. For them I'm willing to cut a little slack. But then the topic should die.

    This forum has dropped to basically worthless, as we have nothing left to talk about, except those things we aren't willing to discuss. Perhaps it is time for everyone to move on?

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