Gardening Question from Kila:

I have a potted that i’ve had for many many years and have yet to see it bloom. I’ve tried several fertilizers and even pruned and planted the cuttings. It gets plenty of sun but i’ve also moved it to more sunny parts of the yard. Any advice?

Answer from Pat:

Sometimes a plumeria takes several years to bloom. The main reasons that a plumeria won’t bloom are as follows: First and most commonly, people may think they are giving a plant full sun but it may be only an hour or two a day. That is not enough for plumeria. Plumerias need full sun, meaning six hours of sunlight a day. A hot spot such as a south-facing tile patio, which bakes in sun from morning to night is ideal. Many old gardens are far more shady than people realize. Also some places are cold or have a cold wind. Cold nights can be a problem and might prevent bloom.

Next, the best way to plant a plumeria is from a cutting and the cutting must come from a tip that blooms, not from lower on the plant. A seed-grown plant may take many years to grow to maturity and then bloom. It is best for seed-grown plants as well as those from cuttings to pot them on into larger containers. Then eventually they will bloom. Some people say in three or four years. But sometimes seed-grown plants can take up to 12 years to bloom.

It is said that damaging (by whipping) the trunk of a tree that will not bloom can force it to bloom, but I have not heard that will work with a plumeria. Whipping the trunk damages the bark which makes the tree think it will die. That sometimes makes it bloom.That worked with a 12-year-old magnolia in Encinitas California. The gardener got so fed up with that tree that he lost his temper and beat its trunk with the garden hose and it bloomed its head off after that. My daughter had a ficus tree in her front yard that was just a skinny little thing. The next door neighbor child was having a temper tantrum one day and beat it hard with his toy sword and cut and damaged the trunk. My daughter came home in her car and said to the strange child “My goodness, what on earth are you doing to my tree!” But far from his actions having hurt the tree, it took off like a rocket and soon was the biggest tree in the neighborhood, outstripping all the other ficus trees planted at the same time on their cul de sac.

A plumeria tree grown from a cutting must have good drainage, rich soil, and regular feedings with a fertilizer high in phosphorus. A high-nitrogen fertilizer will create growth but not bloom. Try a high phosphorus fertilizer such as Peters 20-20-20 or any fertilizer with a high middle number which means the percentage of phosphorus it contains. Begin fertilizing in early spring and feed your plant every two weeks with liquid fertilizer and see if that doesn’t result in bloom next summer.