Frosted Plumeria - Knowledgebase Question

Perennials
NORWALK, CA
Question by LEILEZ2BRATZ
May 21, 2007
We recently had a cold front and I have a large Plumeria tree. When I came home it was black as coal and the leaves just hung. I would like to know if the tree is dead because usually by now the whole tree has leaves on it. What do you recommend I do?


Image
Answer from NGA
May 21, 2007

0

 If your tree is large and has been growing in your landscape for several years, I suspect the roots are still alive. Plumeria requires a virtually frost free climate and will drop its leaves when temperatures drop below 50?F (10?C). It suffered quite a shock which has probably set it back 4-6 weeks. You can check for damaged branches, or you can just leave it alone and see what develops later this summer. To check whether or not the branches are alive, start at the ends of the branches and scrape the bark with your fingernail; green tissue means it is alive and brown tissue means it is dead. If you find dead branches you can prune them back to live wood. Or, if you just wait, new growth will indicate what's alive and what needs to be pruned. In the meantime, treat the tree as though it were still healthy and alive. Water as you normally would - and hope for the best.

Good luck with your plumeria!

You must be signed in before you can post questions or answers. Click here to join!

« Return to the Garden Knowledgebase Homepage

Member Login:

[ Join now ]

Garden.org Homepage
Help using the site
About
Contact
Terms of Service
Privacy
Memberlist
Acorns
Links
Ask a Question
Getting Started Gardening
Newsletter
NGA Merch

© 1972 - 2021 National Gardening Association

Times are presented in US Central Standard Time

Pinterest
Facebook
Youtube
Twitter
Instagram

Today's site banner is by Char and is called "Phlox paniculata Flame Pink"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.