Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
4 ratings

Friday - July 04, 2008

From: Allen, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Failure to bloom of tropical plumeria
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have had my plumeria for the past five years. The first three years it bloomed but has not the past two. The plant is healthy and continues to grow but will not flower. It seems to be very healthy and I have not changed the routine or its care. Any suggestions?

ANSWER:

You didn't say if you were growing your Plumeria (common name Frangipangi) in a pot, inside or outside, what light it gets, etc. This is a tropical plant, deciduous, which should be grown in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11. Allen, TX appears to be in Zone 7b. The plant will drop its leaves when temperatures go below 50 deg F. It also needs bright, all day sun. If it is outside, it should be in a sheltered spot, with reflected sunshine and heat a bonus. In your zone, it should be brought inside, best in a greenhouse, for the winter.

Plumerias produce a bloom hormone before sending seed to branch ends for flowers. This process can take years. The only way to be sure your plumeria will bloom right away is to take a cutting from a branch that has already bloomed. However, your plant started out blooming, and now has failed to do so. Unless something environmental has caused that hormone to quit working, that should not be the problem.

Plumerias are related to Oleanders, Nerium oleander, both of which possess poisonous, milky sap, so be careful handling it or letting children handle it.

None of which actually answers your questions. We have two possibilities: One, don't overwater it. Two, during blooming season it should be getting bi-weekly doses of a high phosphorus fertilizer. Phosphorus is the middle number in fertilizer designations. Most fertilizers are balanced, with the same amount of nitrogen as the other two. Nitrogen promotes green, healthy leaves but not flowering. For more information on this plant, see this Floridata website, Plumerias.

 

More Herbs/Forbs Questions

Dwarf oyster plant dying in Sunrise FL
July 06, 2012 - WHAT WOULD BE KILLING MY DWARF OYSTER PLANTS
view the full question and answer

Optimal time for trimming Fall asters
July 04, 2014 - RE: fall asters What is the latest date in the summer that I can trim my fall asters and still get a good amount of blooms in October?
view the full question and answer

Plants for narrow planter boxes in San Antonio
October 02, 2010 - We have a narrow flower planter box in three sections above a french drain in front of our house. The box is about 2 feet high (filled with Gardenville soil) above a french drain covered with filter ...
view the full question and answer

Should Mexican milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) not be used to attract Monarch butterflies?
November 20, 2015 - Should I remove Asclepias curassavica (Mexican milkweed) in my garden for threat of OE parasitic protozoan threat to Monarch butterflies? Is this threat as widespread as Chronicle implies? I had great...
view the full question and answer

Plant Identification from Pearland TX
August 10, 2013 - I am looking for a native plant; was told it was called Hummingbird Weed. Came from Coryell County. I let mine freeze and cannot find more. It has long spikes with small red trumpet-shaped blooms on ...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.