Plumeria

Potted plumeria plants need to be planted in a fast draining soil, one that does not hold much moisture.

Plumerias like a lot of water during their active growing season (spring and summer), but will not tolerate being overwatered.

If a plumeria plant is consistently overwatered, the stem will rot and it will kill the plant.

During the summer months, give your plumeria a really good drink of water, and then allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

If you tend to overwater plants, make sure to check the soil each time before you water your plumeria

To check the soil, stick your finger about an inch into the soil and if it is wet, do not water it.

You can use a soil moisture gauge to help maintain the right level of moisture.

You might also want to grow your plumeria in a terracotta pot, which will help the soil dry out faster.

Plumerias go dormant during the winter, so it is best not to water them at all during those months.

Plumerias will grow just fine in low light or shady conditions, but they need full sun in order to grow their best and also to bloom.

If you are growing your plumeria outside, keep it in a full sun location.

As part of my annual plumeria plant care routine, I put my potted plumeria outside during the summer in the full sun, and then bring it back indoors during the winter.

Be careful if you move it outside for the summer, because the plumeria leaves and stems can get sunburn when they are not used to being in the sun.

In order to avoid sunburn, put it in a shady spot for a few days, and gradually introduce it to a full sun location.

Plumerias are heavy feeders, and plumerias growing in pots will for sure need fertilizer to bloom.

Most of the time a potted plumeria will not bloom without it.

The trick is to fertilize them every 1-3 weeks during their active growing season (spring through summer).

So, fertilize them from spring through summer, stop in the fall, and don’t fertilize them at all during the winter when the plant is dormant.

The best plumeria fertilizer to use, you can buy organic plant fertilizer specifically made for plumerias and other tropical potted plants.

Plumerias also love it when you spray the liquid fertilizer solution on their leaves as part of your plumeria plant care routine, so don’t hold back

Just make sure to spray it on either in the morning or evening, because spraying plants in the hot sun could damage the leaves.

As your plumeria starts to go dormant, it will begin dropping leaves.

The leaves will turn yellow and then brown before finally dropping from the plant.

This is totally normal, so do not panic.

Your plant might not drop all of it is leaves though, and that is ok too.

If you moved your plumeria outside during the summer, make sure to bring it back inside before the temperature gets below 40F.

Then you can simply store your plumeria in a room that does not get much light through the winter.

There is no need to try growing plumeria indoors, or worrying about fussing with grow lights.

It is best to let your plant go dormant, and ignore it until spring.