OK. I made the big decision and definitely am going to grow some Plumeria from seed. Will likely start some ASAP and some later in my basement. Yeah - I know. Being in Zone 5 b I am nuts. :-)

I usually start cranking up my indoor seed starting right after New Year's day - stuff that requires a very long growing season; examples Luffa sponge, Casa banana, Artichokes, Ipomea Moon flower.

I have an area about 400 sq feet with many banks of flourescents and 2 x 500 W warehouse metal halide lights.

I will likely buy 5 - 10 packs of seeds - yeah I know

Recomendations on what I should attempt?

TY in advance. I know some of you have an absolute wealth of knowledge and I have reviewed a lot of threads here. I am getting excited. Certainly encouraged by DrDawg's 14 MO bloomer. And no - I will not run this past DW I just show her after the fact when they are up. For example, she was quite excited when I showed her some 6 " Heliconia seedlings.

David, I germinated my very first plumeria seeds (two) that last week in December and the first week in January. With proper inside conditions (easy stuff), apparently you can germinate seeds any time you wish. I don't know a thing about seeds, what's good, what's not so good. My seeds were all donated. Others who grow plumeria, particularly those in S. CA and FL, can give you some suggestions on what seeds to look for.

drdawg said: With proper inside conditions (easy stuff), apparently you can germinate seeds any time you wish. .

Yeah - I have started seed throughout the year and typically start from 500 - 2,000 seeds/year. The biggest problem indoors is plants getting lanky/leggy cause once that happens, there is nothing you can do. It can be prevented a bit by not starting seeeds so early ( :- ) ) and judicious use of lighting. Of course a heated greenhouse alleviates much of this. Damping off is another problem encountered more indoors than out.

Unfortunately, in my Zone and without a heated greenhouse, I have to start things in the basement and deal with it.

Yes, that is a real difference between the way I grow and the way you grow. Without my greenhouses, I would only have a handful of tropical plants. What in the world do you do with 500-2000 seedlings? Do you not have any of your plumeria go dormant?

drdawg said:Yes, that is a real difference between the way I grow and the way you grow. Without my greenhouses, I would only have a handful of tropical plants. What in the world do you do with 500-2000 seedlings? Do you not have any of your plumeria go dormant?

I have a business, Pony Express Plants and sell at a local farmers' market. I also give away a lot. And of course, grow for my own garden - whis IS filling up. Heh I recently weed whacked a "natural" area and have freed up about 500 - 700 sq feet of new planting area. I trade as well cause I grow so many weird things and other peeps always have things I want.

WRT Plumeria, I only have one. I got Little Darling a bit over a year ago as a rooted cutting and kept it basically dormant in my basement.

Am considering buying another and definitely will be growing from seed. Hck - I can wait 14 months to see a bloom.

cheers

WRT recs, guess I will just have to do my own research and wing it.

when do seed pods appear on a plant?is it a matter of age?

Not really; you just have to have pollinators around; or you can try to hand pollinate. If you google that. there are plenty of good descriptions on the web.

Hetty, are you saying that my plants should be able to grow seed pods? As you know, in 25+ years of growing plumeria, I have never had a single pod form. I have plenty of pollinators.

Yes, Ken, there is no reason why your plants should not be able to produce pods. Unless you spray heavily with insecticides which of course kill the good guys with the bad...

I basically use no insecticides, Hetty. I have lots of moths, butterflies, bees, and (unfortunately) wasps around. I just assumed I never had seed pods because of my long dormant period. Of course, I do keep my plumeria (standards) cut back so that I can get them inside in the fall. Perhaps that's the reason. For the first time I have a couple of compact growers, so perhaps........... I really don't know why I have never had one.

If you trim this year's growth in the fall you will likely trim off any baby seedpods that may be forming.

I have never seen a "baby" seedpod. So you are saying that rooting a cutting now (there is still time to do so) would stop any seed-pod development?

The seed pod should have formed by now, on any inflorescence that is still or has finished blooming. Here is a picture of what a newly formed pod would look like.

I will look more closely at my stalks, but I am quite sure I have never seen anything like that.

These pods kind of look like newly forming Adenium seed pods.

Good to know, KD. I have never had a seed pod on an Adenium either, but I am just beginning to grow Adenium from (donated) seed. Mine are only two months old and 4" tall.

Regaining my hijacked thread.

Here is what I ordered from BBB.

Celadine
Dwarf Gem (the only dwarf he has)
Moragne *
Pudica
Vera Cruz Lutica *
Plumeria sp. Alba

All are 5 seeds except * which are 10.

I frown when I only have 5 seeds to work with. At the same time, with full germination, doanno WTH I would do with 40 new plumeria plants.

I don't know whether I will ever germinate any more plumeria seeds (I don't know what I am going to do with all the seedlings I have now ), but if you come anywhere close to 100% germination, please tell how you did it. I have never had more than 50% germination (and often much less), and I have tried three different methods.