In their rude habitat in their autochthonic Mexico , Central America , South America , and the Caribbean , Plumeriaspecies are deciduous shrub or Tree with succulent branches and headily fragrant pinkish , red , white , yellow , orange , or multi - colour blossoms .
They grow in area with strong , humid climates , and are hardy in zone 9 to 11 .
I first saw plumeria , aka frangipani , when I took a tripper to Hawaii in my teens , and after one look at the delicious , sweet flowers , I have a go at it I had to estimate out how to make plumeria a part of my liveliness .
Since I did n’t live anywhere remotely ardent enough to cultivate it in the landscape , growing plumeria indoors was the answer .
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Because they grow large and prefer a tropic surroundings , plumeria plants can be a challenge to keep indoors .
But we are n’t afraid of a challenge , correct ?
In this guidebook , we ’re move to talk about how to develop plumeria indoors so you may enjoy the tropic vibration without the airfare !
Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Choosing a Container
Planting
How to produce
Cultivars to take
Maintenance
Pests and Disease
Before we blab about how to grow plumeria indoors , a word of warning : This genus is a member of the dogbane or Apocynaceae family , and all part of the plant are toxic .
The stems and foliage exude sap that can be extremely annoy to the skin and poisonous if consumed .
If you have little children or curious pets , this may not be an ideal specimen for originate as a houseplant .
bet on the cultivar or crossbreed , Plumeria can grow pretty orotund .
There are a wide variety of different character , and you ’ll need to be aware of the expected mature size of it of the plumeria before choosing your container .
Many nurseries and online vendors merely list the plant life generically as “ plumeria ” so be certain to pay attention to the size of it so you know how great it will finally grow .
As a formula of thumb , a plumeria that has an anticipate mature sizing of five to 10 foot does well in a three- to five - gallon Mary Jane , depending on the eld of the specimen .
lawful dwarf types like ‘ Dwarf Pink Singapore ’ can be grown in a one - gallon container .
irrespective of the size of it of container you choose , it absolutely must have good drain .
If you desire to use a decorative pot without drainage holes , that ’s fine , but put the plant in a container with drain holes inside of the ornamental one and take the inner pot to a place where it can drain freely when you irrigate .
unspoilt drainage is dead essential if you are to be successful with plumeria houseplants .
The material it ’s made from does n’t really count , either . Terra cotta tends to dry out out more rapidly than plastic or sealed remains , so keep that in mind .
If you have a habit of overwatering , terra cotta might be a fresh choice . If you tend to forget about your plant , maybe plastic is effective .
To pot up your Plumiera , check that your prefer container is clean by commit it a right rinse in hot soapy water or wiping it out with a 10 per centum bleach and pee mixture ( one part whitener to nine part body of water ) .
If you ’d like to put a concealment over the drainage holes , feel devoid to do so now .
Just have a go at it that you will take to check the screen regularly to ensure that it is n’t becoming clogged and preventing water from draining freely .
Plumerias arise best in light , well - draining ground . you may find oneself pot soil formulated for palms or cacti and succulents , and either will forge well .
I use Tank’s - professional Cactus and Succulent Mix which is the perfect combo of pumice , coconut coir , and compost .
Tank’s - Pro Cactus and Succulent Mix
you may pick some up at Arbico Organicsin one and a half three-dimensional foot pocketbook .
Remove the plumeria from its growing container and gently loosen up the roots .
Hold the plant in the newfangled pot and find out whether you need to put a bed of dirt in the bottom so that the Plumiera will be ride at the same height it was in the existing container .
Place the soil in the stem , if necessary , and go under the plant in the pot . take in around the roots with your potting mix .
irrigate the soil well and add more potting metier if it settles .
Plumerias grown in less - than - idealistic condition will in all probability fail to blossom , and since that ’s the point of raise frangipani , we want to give the industrial plant what it demand to produce the colorful show .
So , what is ideal ? Plumeria take at least four but preferably six or more hour of sun per mean solar day .
If you have an unobstructed southward - face window , you might have enough unmediated sun for your plant .
Otherwise , you’re able to supply subsidiary lighting in the form of grow lights to ensure it receives enough sunniness to produce blossoms .
If you desire to get really expert , you ’ll ask about 38 lux for 15 to 16 hours per day to bring forth flower . You canread about how to use a clear meter in our guide .
Avoid uncover the plumeria to temperatures below 65 ° F , though it will survive down to 55 ° F . likewise , attempt to keep temperatures below 80 ° F , but up to 95 ° F is all right . Luckily , most of us keep our house somewhere between 65 and 80 ° F .
Indoors , you will credibly need to irrigate less often than you would if the flora was growing outside as it wo n’t be exposed to dry out winds and strong sunshine .
Allow the soil to dry out out wholly between lachrymation and then soak the grime well . Do n’t water on the leaf as this can lead to fungal issues – be sure to water at the soil level .
humidness should ideally be above 50 percent . Since indoor atmosphere tends to be wry than outside , consider using a humidifier , group your plant , or keeping your specimen in the kitchen or bath to raise the humidness around the flora .
In the summer months , you may take your plant outside and like for it as discussed inour guide to growing plumeria , before bringing it back indoors in the winter .
This plane section would be enormous if we were peach about cultivars to choose for growing out in the landscape painting .
But inside , the leaning flinch , as not all Plumiera thrive as houseplants . Some simply raise too large for most interiors , but many just simply do n’t do well in the dry , low - tripping circumstance of most plate .
As mentioned , some vendors deal plumeria without a cultivar name , so be certain to check the expected fledged size .
Plumeria
For example , this plumeriafrom tight acquire Treeshas an expected matured summit of five to 10 base marvelous .
It ’s available in one- and three - gallon containers .
The follow cultivar , however , will do well inside :
Bridal Bouquet
The snowy livid flowers ofP. pudica , sometimes scream ashen frangipani or bridal bouquet , have sunny yellow centers and encompassing petals .
It ’s intensely floriferous , so the plant life is much blanketed in blossoms .
The downside is that the flush are n’t as fragrant as some other variety . It only grows to about five feet marvellous , micturate it idealistic for indoor growing .
Dwarf Pink Singapore
‘ Dwarf Pink Singapore ’ ( P. obtusa ) is one of the rarefied true gnome cultivar .
Maxing out between four and six feet tall , it ’s perfectly petite enough to live in your house where you may enjoy the lowly wan pink blossom .
The bloom have darker pink edges and orange center .
The blooms have a strong fragrance , so you ’ll likely smell it before you see it .
By the agency , if you ’d like to grow the full - sized ‘ Singapore Pink ’ or its first cousin ‘ Singapore Red , ’ both do really well indoors . They grow about twice the size of ‘ Dwarf Pink Singapore . ’
Intense Rainbow
‘ acute Rainbow ’ is aP. rubracultivar that lives up to its name .
While the tree can raise up to 10 feet marvellous , it will typically appease smaller in a container and has a dense ontogeny use with tons and tons of pinkish and yellow flowers in vibrant hues .
Penang Peach
‘ Penang Peach ’ derive to us from the island of Penang in Malaysia , where it was give away as a naturally pass off variety .
ThisP. rubracultivar is extremely democratic for take in lei in Hawaii thanks to its compact ontogenesis and low - produce riding habit , which make the blossom easy to pick .
Since it only grows to about eight feet marvelous , it ’s also perfect for indoor cultivation .
True to its name , it has burnished dish and apricot - colored flowers with yellow centers .
Thailand Red
P. rubra‘Thailand Red ’ acquire between six to 12 human foot tall , which means you may keep it quite thickset when grown in a container indoors .
From spring to fall , it will be covered in raspberry red heyday .
Plumerias need lots of solid food to grow well and blossom abundantly . Since they start blooming in the spring and keep through the fall , they involve plenty of energy to keep up the performance .
Start fecundate in the spring with a fertiliser high in atomic number 15 , and apply every two weeks .
A product like Down to Earth ’s Rose and Flower mix would be idealistic .
I wish Down to Earth ’s products because they come in compostable box and employ innate component like fish bone repast , blood meal , lucerne meal , and kelp meal .
Down to Earth Rose and Flower Mix
you’re able to get Down to Earth Rose and Flower mixavailable at Arbico Organicsin one- , five- , and 15 - pound compostable box .
After the blooms fade , give the plant a mild , balanced nutrient once a calendar month .
A product with a NPK ( nitrogen , atomic number 15 , potassium ) ratio of 1 - 1 - 1 or 2 - 2 - 2 is about right .
My go - to is Dr. Earth ’s houseplant nutrient because it come in a commodious pump bottle and is made using discarded produce from grocery store stores .
Dr. Earth Houseplant Fertilizer
It ’s alsoavailable at Arbico Organicsin 16 - oz. bottle .
Generally , you do n’t need to prune your plumeria industrial plant except to keep them from acquire too large .
ensure youwear gloveswhen do by these plant as the sap can be get at to your tegument .
In the late winter remove any diseased , dying , or numb branches . Then , remove a few branch from any crowded country . Cut these areas back to the nearest healthy stem turn or stalk .
Prune back any subdivision that are too tenacious or anywhere you need to encourage branching . Make these cuts right in front of a leaf client .
Do n’t prune too lately in the year or you ’ll disrupt that yr ’s flowering .
You ’ll also need to repot your flora regularly , at least every three days . As your plant mature , it needs more space . On top of that , repot also brush up the potting medium , which run to become depleted and compact over time .
Choose a pot one or two sizes large than the be container . Remove the plant from its existing pile and brush away the potting spiritualist .
Examine the roots and prune off any dead or discredited areas . Then , put a modest layer of soil at the bottom of the pot and lower the flora into it . Fill in around it with fresh soil .
If you want to keep the plant at a particular size of it , remove it from the container , trim back the roots and repot into the same container with fresh potting soil .
Managing Pests and Disease
wanderer mites are plumeria foe number one when growing indoors . They ’re extremely usual and improbably damaging if their act are allow for to build up .
These tiny little tick relative use their sucking mouthparts to draw out the sap from the flora . As they do this , they cause chicken stippling on the foliage , leaf drop , and large infestation can even drink down a flora .
If you look closely , you ’ll probably see o.k. webbing on the plant and it might contain debris , which is the toss away exoskeletons of the mites .
The first step is to isolate your plant because you do n’t require this trouble spreading .
If you could well move your plant around , take it into the bathtub or lavish and spray every part of the specimen to knock the speck loose . Do this once a calendar week until there are no more pestis present .
Otherwise , you could spray your plant with insecticidal scoop or neem oil . Our templet to spider mites explains all the detail .
You might also encounterroot rotif the soil is n’t freely draining or you ’re prostrate to overwatering . Soggy soil basically drown the root by depriving them of atomic number 8 .
Take care to water the appropriate amount and always check to check that the drainage trap are n’t clogged .
Bring Home the Tropics
you’re able to by all odds toss out the scented candle when you grow Plumiera indoors .
Each time I get a whiff of mine , it take me right back to that first experience in Hawaii , only I get to enjoy it every day during the blooming time of year .
If you ’re thinking ofbringing more tropical flowers into your home , we ’ve got you covered . Check out these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Product photos via Arbico Organics and Fast Growing Trees . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
