Plumeria Care Guide

How to Properly Care for Plumeria in Your Landscape

Where to Plant Your New Plumeria

Plumeria (frangipani tree) is an icon flower, you may recognize them from Hawaiian leis. These beautiful plants grow best in direct sunlight where they will receive at least 6-8 hours of full sun. These can be planted with afternoon shade in the desert southwest in areas where temperatures regularly reach above 100 degrees. These do great when planted in soil that is able to drain. If you find you have clay soil, you can dig a bit deeper than needed and place a layer of rock under the plant giving the water a place to drain between waterings. These also do great in container gardens as well and on patios with adequate light. Be sure to use a potting soil that allows for good drainage.

Watering and Fertilizing

Like any tropical style flower, plumeria will need to be watered regularly when first planted. Once these plants are established it is best to allow them to dry before the next watering, when in doubt typically drier soil is better than wetter soil. Overwatering can cause extensive yellowing, nutrient deficiencies and lack of blooms. Fertilizing these plants is a fairly easy task. We recommend monthly applications of Super Charged Moon Juice and Moon Dust fertilizer. Monthly applications will keep the roots healthy and growing, helping them resist stress as well as make them stronger in case of any common pest you may find in your garden or landscape. For soil that doesn’t drain as well, you should also use Soil and Water Conditioner bimonthly to help with soil drainage.

How to Prune Plumeria

Periodically you’ll want to trim your plumeria to remove spent blooms, dead or dying branches, or to keep it smaller. The best time to prune for shaping and size is in the winter or early spring, never trim unnecessary branches in the hot summer months. If you have dead or diseased branches this can be done at any time as it is healthier for the plant to remove these as soon as possible. If you notice your plant starts to become long and stringy you can trim these back to encourage new growth lower to help fill the plant out, unless necessary this should be done in the winter time as well. Always remember to trim for the health of the plant, not the looks. Cuts should be made right at or above the branching point to maintain good structure.