A Guide for Growing Plumeria From Seed

Posted on January 20, 2018September 24, 2020 by texn

This guide shares the basic methods I use for growing plumeria from seed, caring for seedlings, and the products I use. I hope this guide helps you with your seed goals for the year.

There are many proven methods to growing plumeria from seed and you should examine to see if any could help you develop a method that works for you. This is only a guide and should be adjusted to your seed growing environment.

When I have a batch of seeds, I examine what I did in the past and determine if I can make any improvement. The following is my detailed plan for growing plumeria from seed in 2018. This plan covers from germination until they first produce blooms.

Please keep in mind your growing environment and the differences from South Florida Zone 10B. The start of your plan should correspond to when you are past the threat of a frost or freeze. You should also make plans to protect your plumeria from cold weather, just in case you have a late freeze or frost.

My goal is to know what, when, and why, so I can improve my method every year or even with each batch. Documenting all adjustments as you go will allow you to look back and better determine where you can make improvements.

Why I grow seedlings?
          1. To grow a new and exciting cultivars
          2. To grow rootstock for grafting
          3. But most of all to see that one-of-a-kind flower for the first time.

Using the methods and products below; I have been able to get about 10% of my seedlings to bloom in less than 12 months and about 60% to bloom in 18 to 24 months. The majority of the remainder bloom from 24 to 36 months. (Some do still take 3 years and even longer.)

What you will need: Plumeria Seeds, something to soak them in, paper towels, 2” x 3” Gro-Tech FlexiPlugs and trays or plugs or good seedling soil mix to plant the seeds in, Vitazyme, Carl Pool’s Root Activator, Bioblast 7-7-7, Pro-Mix BX Mycorrhizae, Excalibur VI 11-11-13, Labels and permanent felt tip marker. Hydrogen Peroxide is good to use for mold or fungus.

Seed selection

Seed selection is very important when growing plumeria seeds. Plumeria Rubra seeds do not produce true to their parents. Sometimes a seedling will look like its parent, but it will never be exactly the same. A few characteristics to consider:

Flower: Color, size, keeping quality (how long it lasts after picking), fragrance, etc.
Tree: Growing habit, size, etc.
Leaves: Color, size, etc.
Blooming: Quality, size of inflorescence/flower stalk, number of flowers blooming at the same time, how long does it bloom, etc.

I’m always trying to improve my chances of getting that spectacular plumeria seedling.

If possible:

Select a pod parent that is known to produce the characteristics you desire or at least a pod parent that has the characteristics you desire.
Obtain seeds from trusted growers.
Find out the history of the pod, e.g., What’s growing close to the pod? Did they bloom at the same time? Was it cross-pollinated, manually pollinated, or pollinated by nature?
Obtain all the seeds from a pod when possible.
Select seeds from a healthy tree.
Select seeds that are plump and look healthy.

Before you plant your seeds

Soak plumeria seeds to test the viability and soften the shell to give them a kick start.

When: Plumeria seeds germinate best in the spring, but can be germinated any time if provided with enough moisture and warmth staying above 60 degrees.

What: Use quality seeds, warm water, and Vitazyme

How:

First, examine each seed by placing it between two fingers. If they have some thickness, they most likely are viable. If they feel paper-thin, they most likely are not viable.
For faster germination and rooting, dilute Vitazyme with warm water at a rate of 1 oz to 19 oz of water, a 5% solution, and dip or mist both sides of the seed. Allow seeds to dry prior to planting or soaking.
For a soaking mixture, dilute Vitazyme with warm water at a rate of about 1.29% or 1 oz to 128 oz (1 gallon).
Place your seeds in the container, place in a warm area, and allow to soak for approximately 4-6 hours (or even overnight). Soaking longer than overnight could cause damage to the seeds. Seeds that are very thin and are still floating are most likely not viable. To further test this, plant all the seeds, but mark the ones that did not sink.
Check your seeds after several hours to see which seeds are absorbing enough liquid to allow germination and to sink to the bottom.
Do not allow your seeds to dry out before you plant them.
Now your seeds are ready to plant.

Why:

To soften the seed’s protective coating
To allow the seed to absorb as much water as possible
To test the viability of the seed
To provide nutrients as early as possible, helping germination and starting the rooting process sooner

Preparing Plugs

When: Prior to planting seeds in plugs.

What: 2”x3” Grow-Tech peat plugs, warm water, Root Activator, and Vitazyme.

What we suggest: A mixture of warm water, Vitazyme, and Carl Pool’s Root Activator.

How: Soak your plugs in a mixture of 1 gal of warm water, 2 oz Root Activator, and 1 oz Vitazyme for about 2 hours.

Why: Vitazyme is a bio stimulate with vitamins that help the overall health of the seeds and the Root Activator adheres to the plugs or soil and gives the roots a kick-start. I use the plugs because they hold the right amount of moisture and provide ample aeration that allows the new roots to breathe.

Watering: Keep your plugs wet or leave them soaking until you are ready to plant the seeds.

Planting your seeds

When: Plant your seeds right after soaking into the prepared plugs. DO NOT allow either to dry out. If they dry out they could be damaged.

Plugs, Pots or Trays, After Soaking, For the seeds, I grow for new cultivars, I prefer planting the seeds directly into 2″ x 3″ Grow-Tech FlexiPlugs, a foam peat plug. For the seeds, I’m growing for rootstock in flat trays or 4″ pots.

What: Carefully selected plumeria seeds, 2”x3” Grow-Tech FlexiPlugs. Warm water, Root activator, and Vitazyme. You will also need a 36-hole tray and a flat for the plugs. A cover is optional.

Why: The reason I use the plugs is they hold moisture allowing me to keep them soaked with water and still providing ample aeration and allowing the new roots to breathe. I use the 2” x 3” FlexiPlugs that allows me up to 14-21 days before I have to transplant to pots.

Watering – I grow Plumeria seeds in full sun and water 2-3 times a day depending on the weather. My goal is to keep the plugs very moist to the touch. I have had no damping off or rotting problems with this method.

Start Fertilizing – Foliage

When: Before transplanting the plugs into pots, after three or four true leaves have grown. I use the same mix ( see below) approximately every two weeks

What: BioBlast 7-7-7 NPK fertilizer, Vitazyme

How: Foliar feeding early in the morning or late in the evening with Bioblast at 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water and Vitazyme at 1 tablespoon per gallon. Do not spray in the hot sun it will burn the seedling leaves.

Why: Seedlings have seed leaves that provide them with nutrients for the first few weeks of their life, but when the seed leaves dry up and fall off the seedling needs nutrients. Bioblast works with every part of your plant. Soil organisms are invigorated with Vitazyme bio-stimulants providing quicker, more vigorous growth. Roots are encouraged with our Root Activator. A balanced 7-7-7 NPK provides the essentials of plant growth and structure. B-Vitamins and Zinc encourage a robust immune system, while Iron promotes chlorophyll production in the leaves.

Watering – I continue to grow Plumeria the seedlings in full sun and water at least 2-3 times a day depending on the weather. My goal is to keep the plugs moist to the touch. I’ve had no damping off or rotting problems.

Transplanting to Pots and Fertilizing

When: As soon as I see roots sticking out of the plugs, transplant into larger pots. Normally I will use 1 gal pots, but this year I’m using 7.5 gal squat pots. Approximately 14 days after planting in the plugs.

What: ProMix BX Mycorrhizae, Excalibur VI 11-11-14 with micronutrients, Vitazyme, and Root activator.

How: Fill 1 gal. pot with a mixture of ProMix BX Mycorrhizae mixed with 2 tablespoons of Excalibur Vi. Fill a 7 1/2 gal. squat pot with ProMix BX Mycorrhizae or the mix of your choice, dig an area our in the mix about the size of a 1 gal pot, port the contents of the 1 gal pot in the hole, then punch a hole about the size of the FlexiPlug (about 2″x3″) in the center of the filled 7 1/2 gal pot. Place the plugin the hole and press the mix firmly around the plug. Water in well with a mix of Vitazyme 1 oz to 1 gal and Root Activator 2 oz to 1 gal. You may need to add more soil mix if the plug is not covered completely with at least ½” of the mix. Water again the next day and then when the soil is almost dry. I would suggest using a water meter from time to time to verify the moisture content. It is very important the soil does not stay wet.

Why: Promix BX contains Mycorrhizae and is a fast-draining mix. The Excalibur VI, a 6-month granular slow-release fertilizer designed specifically for plumeria that provides all the nutrients a seedling needs to grow strong. Vitazyme a bio-stimulate helps the overall health of the seedlings and the Root Activator adheres to the soil and is there to help the roots develop and grow faster.

Watering – Water once a day for the first two days, then water when the soil is barely moist. At this point, I check with a moisture meter and water when on the low side of moist. It is important not to overwater, keeping the excess soil mix from becoming water-soaked. It is also important not to allow the root zone to become dry.

Fertilizing – Throughout the growing season

When: Apply Excalibur VI every six months, Foliar feed every two weeks to every month with BioBlast.

What: Excalibur VI 11-11-13, BioBlast 7-7-7, Vitazyme and Carl Pool’s Root activator

How: After 6 months, I spread 3 or 4 tablespoons of Excalibur VI on the top of the soil and mix in the top 1-2” of the soil. The seedling should still be in the 7 1/2 gal squat pot. Foliar feed with BioBlast 1 oz to 1 gallon and Vitazyme 1 oz to 1 gal every month or less. Drench with Vitazyme and Root Activator in the Early Spring or if transplanting.

Why: Excalibur provides a balanced slow-release fertilizer specifically designed for plumeria. BioBlast works with every part of your plant. Soil organisms are invigorated with Vitazyme bio-stimulants providing quicker, more vigorous growth. Roots are encouraged with our Root Activator.

If possible, do not let seedlings go dormant their first winter. You can treat seedlings as adult plumeria after the first growing season.

Keep looking for more space, they will grow!

Most Produces on this page can be found at Florida Colors Nursery

Why Use Vitazyme

Agricultural biostimulants include diverse formulations of compounds, substances, and micro-organisms that are applied to plants or soils to improve crop vigor, yields, quality and tolerance of abiotic stresses.

Biostimulants foster plant growth and development throughout the crop life cycle from seed germination to plant maturity in a number of demonstrated ways, including but not limited to:

Improving the efficiency of the plant’s metabolism to induce yield increases and enhanced crop quality;
Increasing plant tolerance to and recovery from abiotic stresses;
Facilitating nutrient assimilation, translocation, and use;
Enhancing quality attributes of products, including sugar content, color, fruit seeding, etc;
Rendering water use more efficient;
Enhancing soil fertility, particularly by fostering the development of complementary soil micro-organisms.

What distinguishes biostimulants from traditional crop inputs?

Biostimulants operate through different mechanisms than fertilizers, regardless of the presence of nutrients in the products.
Biostimulants differ from crop protection products because they act only on the plant’s vigor and do not have any direct actions against pests or disease.
Crop biostimulation is thus complementary to crop nutrition and crop protection.

Vitazyme represents a breakthrough to larger, more profitable crop yields, and healthier plants while promoting a more sustainable approach to agriculture. Standard chemical approaches have helped spur the 20th-century farming revolution, but have created potential toxicity problems for farmers, consumers, and the environment. In addition, these inputs are expensive and have driven many farmers to reconsider their approach. Vitazyme helps alleviate these difficult environmental and production challenges while increasing profits.

What is Vitazyme?

Vitazyme is an all-natural liquid biostimulant, consisting of particular biological activators that are created through a proprietary fermentation process. These active agents include vitamins, enzymes, triacontanol, and other powerful but gentle growth stimulators.

Agriculture in the future must emphasize the use of biological systems, and not rely solely upon chemical approaches, to achieve long term soil productivity. Vitazyme promotes soil life by working with the natural ecosystem to invigorate rhizospheric activity.

Vitazyme is one of the most profitable inputs you can use in your agricultural operation. You always get a return on your investment, whether it comes from better quality parameters that command a higher market price or sheer yield increase or both. Starting any crop with Vitazyme can greatly enhance the plant’s ability to uptake nutrients giving them the boost they need to launch them into growth. One to three more treatments throughout the crop cycle can greatly enhance the plant’s ability to reach its genetic potential.

Vitazyme is certified by both BCS and OMRI
OMRI
BCS
Washington Organics Certification
California Organics Certification

• INCREASE CROP YIELDS AND PROFITS
• IMPROVE SOIL AND CROP QUALITY
• REDUCE FERTILIZER NITROGEN INPUTS
• HASTEN GERMINATION AND MATURITY
• IMPROVE SOIL STRUCTURE AND INFILTRATION

Whether it is uniformity of size, content, saleable coloration, firmness, or sheer yield, Vitazyme will enhance your crops value, all while improving your soil structure and environment.

Vitazyme is safe and sustainable, making it a product that can be used indefinitely without any environmental concerns. Vitazyme is an all-natural liquid biostimulant, consisting of particular biological activators that are created through a proprietary fermentation process. These active agents include b vitamins, enzymes, triacontanol, brassinosteroids, kinetin (a form of cytokinin), gibberellic acid, glycosides, and other powerful but gentle growth stimulators.

Vitazyme is a liquid concentrate microbially synthesized from plant materials and then stabilized for long life. Powerful but natural biostimulants contained in the material greatly benefit plant growth and soil conditions to boost growth and profits for the grower.

Vitazyme is non-toxic. It is organic, safe and sustainable and has an array of active agents, including:

Known Ingredients in Vitazyme (all derived from natural materials):

Brassinosteroids	0.022mg/ml
1-triacontanol	0.33 ug/ml
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)	0.35 mg/100g
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin	0.25 mg/100g
Vitamin B6	0.15 mg/100g

Vitazyme is an all-natural liquid “biostimulant” for soil organisms and plants that contain certain biological activators, which are by-products of a proprietary fermentation process. These active agents include vitamins, enzymes, and other powerful but gentle growth stimulators such as B-vitamins, triacontanol, glycosides, and porphyrins.

Vitazyme, used within the context of a common-sense management system, will help the farmer overcome many of his production problems. While not a “magic bullet,” it helps the entire system work better.

Vitazyme – Organic Biostimulant Concentrate is for home use 1/2 tsp./gallon of water for watering-in and 1 oz/gallon of water for garden foliar applications. Can be tank mixed with anything using any type of spray equipment and can be used through irrigation as well. 100% water-soluble and non-toxic.

Agriculture of today must emphasize the use of biological systems — not strictly chemical approaches — to achieve long-term soil productivity.

The product promotes soil life by conforming with natural laws, by encouraging natural predators to control insect and nematode pests, by promoting more intensive biological nitrogen fixation, and by stimulating natural rhizosphere organisms to produce needed plant growth factors.

Investigations Are Continuing On Other Components:

Likely phytoactive components which will be discovered include the following:

Various porphyrins (chlorophyll derivatives)
Various glycosides (glucose derivatives)
Salicylic acid or salicylates
Amino acids such as methionine and others
Nucleic acid remnants or precursors
Nucleotides, especially adenine but possibly others
Gallic acid
Glucuronic acid
Various enzymes

Benefits to Soils

Soil structure, so critical for air and water movement through the soil to facilitate root growth and nutrient uptake, is improved by Vitazyme in at least four ways:

Increased root growth (more root channels).
More polysaccharides to glue particles together; only 0.2% more polysaccharide can markedly improve structure.
Improved mycorrhizae activity (creating sac-like structures)
Greater earthworm activity, their burrows create channels for air and water. Water infiltration is increased, and runoff and erosion are consequently decreased. Compaction is reduced so roots can freely explore the soil for nutrients and water, increasing yields.

How Vitazyme Benefits Plumeria

Vitazyme will increase chlorophyll first, allowing the plumeria to harness more energy from the sun. The plumeria will develop a larger and more efficient root system and working in conjunction with the microbial population in the rhizosphere will convert more nutrients from a non-uptake able form to forms that can be taken up by the plumeria. In this way, the soil system becomes more efficient and is the main reason why we say you can lower your nutrient inputs using Vitazyme. This, in part, explains the typical results of greater yield and quality measures for any crop.

Greater root and leaf growth
More and bigger blossoms
Improved soil conditions
Inexpensive, very cost-effective
Easy to use
Safe and non-toxic
Can be seed-applied
Can be tank-mixed with any liquid fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides
Can run through irrigation lines without clogging

Vitazyme applied through the irrigation system–drip, sprinkler, or sprayed–will accelerate growth and maturity of plumeria, in containers or in the ground. Trunk caliper will increase faster as photosynthesis and leaf area is accelerated. Vitazyme will improve the root, leaf, and flower growth.

Treated seeds will emerge faster, and seedling growth will be more vigorous. Improved chlorophyll development will give faster nutrition, deeper green colors, and more lustrous and attractive leaves. Vitazyme will also aid in the early development of flowers.

Expect better tilth and permeability in your soil with Vitazyme use.

Vitazyme Science

Vitazyme intensifies the activity of the plant-soil system. Photosynthesis is increased, so more carbon from the air is fixed into plant tissue. Energy-rich compounds produced in the leaves by this vigorous metabolism move into the root system and out into the soil, or media where billions of bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa, and other organisms feed on this energy. The organisms, in turn, release minerals and growth stimulants for plant uptake…a beautiful symbiosis. Plant stress is reduced, removing growth and yield limitations.

Vitazyme Stimulates Rhizosphere Symbiosis

Vitazyme contains “metabolic triggers” that stimulate the plant to photosynthesize better, fixing more sunlight energy in the form of carbon compounds to increase the transfer of carbohydrates, proteins, and other growth substances into the root zone. These active agents may enter the plant through either the leaves or the roots. Root growth and exudation are both enhanced. This enhancement activates the metabolism of the teeming population of rhizosphere organisms to a higher level, triggering a greater synthesis of growth-benefitting compounds and a faster release of mineral for plant uptake. The plant microbial symbiosis is stimulated.

The Enzyme Cascade Effect

Very small amounts of these metabolic triggers in Vitazyme are needed to greatly improve plant and rhizosphere microbe response. This is because of the enzyme cascade effect. Successive tiers of enzymes are activated in plant and microbial tissues to yield a large physiological response from very little applied activator.

In short, Vitazyme enables the plant to better express its genetic potential by reducing the stresses that repress that expression.

Improved Symbiosis: The Secret of Vitazyme’s Action

All plants that grow in soils develop an intimate relationship between the roots and the organisms that populate the root zone. The teeming billions of bacteria, fungi, algae, cyanobacteria, protozoa, and other organisms that grow along the root surfaces—the rhizosphere—are much more plentiful than in the bulk of the soil. This is because roots feed the organisms with dead root epidermal cells as well as compounds exuded from the roots themselves. The plant may inject up to 25% or more of its energy, fixed in the leaves as carbohydrates, amino acids, and other compounds, into the root zone to feed these organisms… for a very good purpose.

The microorganisms which feed on these exuded carbon compounds along the root surfaces benefit the plant in many ways… a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

The plant feeds the bacteria, fungi, algae, and other microbial species in the rhizosphere, which in turn secrete enzymes, organic acids, antibiotics, growth regulators, hormones, and other substrates which are absorbed by the roots and transported to the leaves. The acids help dissolve essential minerals, and reduced iron releases anionic elements.

Bioblast and other product used can be found at Florida Colors Nursery. Florida Colors Nursery not only sells these products but also uses the products listed in my 2018 projects in there Plumeria Care Regimen.