Understanding seed propagation

It won’t be long before those who grow Plumeria and Adenium will be scurrying to buy their first seeds of the new season, I know I have already made a couple of small purchases from two of my favorite suppliers last week. The listings on our favorite web sites are so inviting, the colors of the flowers, the shape of the petals. They are all so appealing to the eye. Sometimes I feel like a big kid in a botanical candy store, and most of the time I want at least a dozen of each. When you make a purchase regardless of what it is ,you expect to get what you see. Well if your buying Adenium or Plumeria seed you may be surprised when your Japanese Lantern seedling is more of a pink than the customary red that we all know it to be. Adenium and Plumeria, as well as many plants are not always true to form from seed. That is to say, seed from a plant known to produce red flowers might actually produce a flower that is another color than red. The deciding factors of what is produced is determined by the genetic DNA of both of the plants involved in the breeding. Just like with humans the offspring will be some combination of the parents. The chances of getting something new are very good. This doesn’t seem to bother those who insist on growing from seed, that is actually the fun of doing it, to get something new and unique. It’s exciting to initiate life from a seed, then nurture it and watch it develop over a period of time. Then if you supply it with all the care it needs to reach its fullest potential, it rewards you with a special gift in the form of a flower.

Here they come back from the twilight zone

I was downstairs in the Growroom tending to the Adenium and I noticed some activity with my plumeria. I get so excited when this process begins, this is such an incredible process. Plumeria are unlike any plant I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They are like an incredibly majestic creature that goes into a state of hibernation, then after the weather breaks they come back to life. But they don’t just break bud, they act as if they are groggy and and slowly become active. I can see them figuratively stretching and yawning and slowly getting back to life as they know it. How cool is that? A plant that has style and personality, is quite refined and glamorous.

This is the best response that I have ever had from any plumeria I have overwintered. In previous years I have tried the garage, and various places within my house. I’ve tried no water, some water, and combinations of frequency of watering. I’ve killed my fair share of plants, but for each loss I have been able to refine my abilities.

I have found that during this period of time it’s important to be patient and observe what’s going on with your plants. What do I mean you say? Well you need to be patient and allow your Plumeria take its time and roar back to life. If you just start pouring on the water and start pumping fertilizer into the media you can cause yourself some issues. Black tip fungus can show itself if you provide the right conditions with moisture. You must remember that there are quite a few weeks before they can go outside and it’s difficult to regulate media moisture. Then you must think about the fertilizers. We still have four weeks in March and April, then a week or two in May before it’s safe for plumeria to go outside full time. If you pump fertilizer into your plant that can become a problem with leggy growth due to improper light. You can attract thrips and aphids from over fertilizing. I have even lead a rooted plant down the road that leads to rot because I was too anxious with the water.

Here is what I will do as my Plumeria come out of dormancy. First I will allow the first leaves to push out and develop. Once this happens I will soak them once and allow them to completely dry out. I suggest learning what a dry pot feels like and what a wet pot feels like. This will go a long way for you. Be sure to allow the media to completely dry out before each watering. Sometime in mid to late March I will give them a 25% strength of fertilizer with low nitrogen and a high Phosphorus, say somewhere between 30-50. Then as we get closer to May I will increase the strength. Depending on how our Spring is developing I want to be full strength by the second or third week of May. Now this will vary according to your climate, so you have to adjust this according to your environmental conditions. So far my Plumeria can coming along real well. I’ll try to post updates of how they are progressing.
~ Michael