Hi Plumie lovers, I have a few small plumies, and this is my biggest one, Penang Peach. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that it had some yellow areas on the edges of the leaves. Now it has gotten somewhat worse although only seems to be affecting the older leaves. New leaves are coming out shiny and green.

There is the usual bit of rust and a few traces of scale on some leaf veins, but very little. Most of the leaves with this yellow mottling do not have those other woes.

Any ideas? Nutrient deficiency?

deficiency - or too much... This can also be caused by an overabundance of fertilizer.
Is this in a pot? If so I would flush it out. And maybe think about giving it new soil in the spring.

No, it's in the ground. I did fertilize it thoroughly at the end of May, but that's the last it's had, timed release. We have fertilizer restrictions here, no fert containing Nitrogen to be applied between June 1st and Sept 30. The problem didn't appear until just a few weeks ago.

Do you give your plumies any Magnesium? I could give it an Epsom Salts douse to see if it keeps the new leaves green. I do have high pH well water, but where the Penang Peach is gets watered with rain water from a cistern. Maybe I need to test that rain water for pH and whatever else . . IF the cistern gets low, it is filled automatically with well water so it may have had some well water during July when we got very little rain.

I just can't imagine this has anything to do water. I use city water, not only on plumeria but hundreds of other tropical plants, and have for decades. I see nothing like what your pictures show. It also does not appears to be fertilizer related either. My tropical plants are fertilized far more than what you have done. I do use an magnesium solution on my plants pretty regularly.

So, that being said, I'm not much help to you. I don't know what the problem is.

Well, if both you and Hetty think it's environmental rather than a disease or insect, I'm thinking it's the well water, then. Plumies do like it acidic, right?

I have 3 kinds of water. My general irrigation is untreated, straight from the aquifer well water and has a pH of 8.2. Other sensitive plants show chlorosis after about 2 weeks of no rain. Tap water (city) the pH is 7.4 and the rainwater from the cisterns just tested out at 7.0, perfectly neutral. (surprisingly) But the cistern may have been low during July and kicking on the well water fill would put high pH water into the cistern.

Thinking that more rain the last week or so has helped already, hence I'm seeing healthier new leaves. I'm going to augment the water when it doesn't rain with extra rainwater for a while, and also give a Mg douse to see if that helps the plant. Can't hurt, right?

From now on maybe I'll turn off the sprinkler head to that bush when the weather's dry and hand water it with rain water from the barrels. (yes, I have three 75gal. rain barrels, too ) They run dry pretty fast when it stops raining though - the fatal flaw with collecting rain water. When you need it most, you run out.

I do think it is environmental and that high pH may be the cause. It seems to fit from what you say. Our city water is about neutral. The additional of magnesium certainly won't hurt. I have seen recommendations all the way from 2 tbs./gal. to 1 tsp./gal. Since I use the same solution on all my tropical plants (200 orchids plus many others), I am cautious and use 1 tsp./gal. Good luck.

Thanks, Ken. Yes I use Mg at about a tsp. per gallon for the orchids and brugmansias, too. Don't know why I've never thought to try it on the plumeria, but it's never needed help before, I guess.

Have you had your well water tested for salt content? I live in Indian Harbour Beach on the east coast and for a few years now all the well water on our barrier island has a high salt content (ocean water infiltration into the aquifer). We advise people to try and keep their well water sprinklers from spraying foliage, especially citrus.

Not unusual for coastal communities.

Nope, haven't tested for that, but we are a mile inland from the Intercoastal, and our well goes 170ft. down. We've been irrigating with the well water for over 3 years now, and the only problem we've seen is chlorosis when it's been really dry. Late fall, winter and spring most commonly, and we hardly water at all in winter.

This plumeria usually gets rainwater from the cisterns, since it is near my veggie growing area. But when it doesn't rain enough to fill the cisterns, well water is pumped into them to keep the level up. It doesn't happen that often, and almost never in the summer, when the plumeria are growing. But this year the rain has been falling all around us.

It's finally catching up on rain, and we had three good heavy showers today, so I'm keeping watch on the plumie and hope the problems don't recur.

Elaine a couple older plummies of mine have these and they only showed on leaves that are ready to fall off and had rusts.I think it was for me too hot (lack of watering) but they look a little better after we had a few days of rain.

Ken I never did get around taking the photos with rust, been raining here, but rusts look like the yellow bumps on Ellaine's pictures. You are very lucky if you do not have any. For my area, more rain means more rust too.

Thanks, Gigi. I do have a little rust here and there, but this leaf discoloration doesn't seem to be related to rust. I have discolored leaves that have no rust at all, and rusty leaves that otherwise look ok.

It's really tough to keep the rust at bay this time of year. Good air circulation, so the leaves dry between rain showers seems to be the best defense. As with orchids, air circulation is so important.

Gigi, I think you posted a picture of rust on your plumeria. I think it was several days ago. I think some of my older leaves perhaps have these rust spots. I just never paid any attention since the plants are healthy as far as I know. I just figured plumeria leaves were like people' skin, not perfect.

by the way, my plumerias are great host plants for my Dendrobiums.

Our warm winter did not help. My divine, j23 and Dwarf pink Singapore did not lose leaves so they kept last years rusts. The rusts do not affect the blooms though. Taken today.