Every winter, Plumeria plants enter their dormant state. In which they rest for a few months without requiring too much care. As spring approaches, however, they begin to show signs of coming out of dormancy.
It is important for you to aid this process to fully bring them out of this dormant state. Through this guide, we will take you through the steps involved so that you can learn how to bring your Plumeria out of dormancy.
Let’s get started!
Observe the Condition
The first thing you should do is observe the condition of the Plumeria. Dormant Plumeria plants might appear a bit wrinkled in their stems while also having a small stub at the tip. You might also see slight damage or cuts to the roots, which is bound to occur.
If the winter is nearing its end, you might be able to notice signs of blooming in the form of small leaves or healthier-looking stems.
This kind of observation will alert you about the stage of dormancy and whether you can start bringing the plant out of dormancy. Make sure that you check the temperature conditions as well to ensure that they are once again suitable for the Plumeria.
Ideally, the temperatures should be over 10℃ or 50℉ when the plants are brought out of dormancy. This can fit in well with the USDA hardiness zones 9-12 that Plumeria can grow healthily in.
Make sure that the temperature is not any lower than this as this might do more harm than good to the revival and health of the plant.
Water the Plumeria
Once you recognize that the Plumeria is ready for revival after its dormancy, you can start watering it in order to get it ready for the growing season. However, it is important that you do not overwhelm the plant with water immediately.
This is because the Plumeria did not receive its usual quantity of water during the winter, which is why you should gradually increase the water levels so that the plant has time to get used to the water levels again.
Too much water can lead to root rot. To avoid this, start with a small amount of water until the plant shows signs of revival again. You can then increase this level. Once your plant has fully revived, you can water as usual each time the soil dries up.
Introduce Sunlight Gradually
You should also start introducing sunlight to the Plumeria plant on a gradual basis around the same time as the water. You can either start by keeping them near grow lights or in a room that receives faint sunlight.
You will be able to notice the plant responding to the sunlight, eventually. Make sure you give it enough time to get used to it. As time passes, you can increase the amount of sunlight until the plant is fully ready to start receiving full sunlight for multiple hours a day.
Immediately introducing direct sunlight to the Plumeria can cause it to burn, which is why a gradual approach is better.
Repot the Plant
If required, you should repot the plant to another larger pot or container so that you can provide proper nourishment to it. Make sure you do this right before reviving the plant so that you do not disturb the functioning that otherwise takes place inside it.
You can use a well-draining container or pot and fill it up with the soil mix up to the required level. You can then carefully remove the plant from its old pot and place the roots in and cover them with soil.
This is not an absolutely necessary step, but should be carried out if you think the plant has outgrown its old pot or if the older soil has some issues.
Provide Fertilizer
While bringing the Plumeria plant out of dormancy, you should lightly feed it with some fertilizer to provide some necessary nourishment to it through nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen.
Make sure you use a slow-release fertilizer so that you do not end up adding too much of it at once as this could damage the plant. You can also dilute the fertilizer and add a small amount of it to the soil.
You can also use organic compost to feed the plant.
Prune
Pruning is another optional step that you can carry out while trying to revive Plumeria from dormancy. This kind of pruning can allow you to get rid of any weaker parts of the plant that may have grown or developed during the winter.
You can also prune some of the damaged roots. Make sure you do this carefully without causing any damage to the healthy roots.
This is not an essential step since the damaged parts will gradually become better after revival. If the damage is more than usual, you can prune the parts out.
Replace Top Soil
Another step that you can carry out to bring Plumeria out of dormancy is to replace the top layer of the soil in the pot with fresh soil mix so that the plant can start showing signs of revival again.
This can help get rid of any extra or loose parts of the soil as well as any other parts of the plant that may have been shed into the soil. It can also provide the required growing conditions.
You do not need to replace more than 1-2 cm of the soil unless you are repotting it entirely.
Final Remarks
Through this article, we have taken you through all the steps you should follow to learn how to bring Plumeria out of dormancy. To sum up, you should start by observing how the plant is looking and ensuring the temperatures are rising again after winter.
You can then start introducing the plant to water, sunlight and fertilizers on a gradual basis until it has fully revived and is ready for the growing season.
You can then continue with the usual care conditions for the plant. You might also need to repot or prune the plant.