Choosing the Right Plumeria Seeds
Before exploring how to grow plumeria seeds and seedlings, start with healthy seed suited to your goal. For detailed parent-choice and seed-quality guidance, see Plumeria Seed Selections.
Planting seeds to grow a new cultivar
Growing seedlings in the hope of getting new spectacular seedlings the most exciting journeys you can have with plumeria. Caring and babying of your seedlings for year after year waiting until it is old enough to bloom is a true labor of love. The anticipation when you see the first inflorescence starting to form is off the charts! If the flower turns out to be just like so many others, it is such a letdown, but you are ready to move on and plant more. But, in that rare case, your plumeria flower turns out to be a world-class spectacular flower, then it’s all worth it and you are ready to plant more. Did I mention that growing plumeria seedling IS very addictive?
Over the past 20 years, I have grown seedlings hoping to get that spectacular plumeria with some success. After joining Florida Colors in 2012 I have been fortunate to be able to dramatically increase my love for growing seedlings by growing several thousand each year for future plumeria.
What I’ve learned about seed selection while growing seedling for new cultivars:
- Choose potential seed parents that have the characteristics you are hoping for in your seedling.
- Obtain seeds from trusted growers.
- Get to know as much as possible about the pod and pollen parents as possible.
- Find out as much as possible about what plumeria was growing next to the pod parent.
- Do your best to research and find out if the parents have produced any good seedlings.
- Always find out how old the seeds are. The older the seed the less of a germination rate. The germination rate depending on how old they are, how they were stored, the health of the pod tree, when and how they were harvested, and of course the cultivar.
- Select seeds that look healthy and are not paper thin.
- Do not use seed-coat, stem, or leaf color as a reliable prediction of the future flower.
- Use the pod parent’s traits and breeding history as context, while expecting variation among every group of seedlings.
Planting seeds for grafting rootstock
When a named plumeria cultivar is grafted, the scion retains its genetic identity, including its cultivar and flower traits. Rootstock can still influence vigor, establishment, water and nutrient uptake, and overall plant performance. Choose rootstock seedlings for observed health, a sound root system, suitable stem size, and compatibility with the planned graft rather than for color. Seedlings grown for rootstock are often allowed to develop for one to three years before grafting.
Over the past 40 years, Florida Colors Nursery has grown over a hundred thousand seedlings for grafting purposes.
What we have found about selecting seeds for rootstock:
- Select an actively growing, healthy seedling with a well-developed root system.
- Match the stem size and form to the grafting method and planned graft height.
- Avoid seedlings that are weak, damaged, diseased, badly stressed, or unable to support the planned graft.
- Do not judge rootstock quality by seed-coat, stem, leaf, or flower color.
- Evaluate each seedling individually; parent history may guide selection, but it does not guarantee rootstock performance.
