How and when to fertilize Plumeria or frangipani

Plumeria is a genus of plants known as frangipani, which is undoubtedly a masterpiece of nature for its beauty. It is native to the tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean, although currently its cultivation has spread in gardens almost all over the world. In optimal conditions they can reach 10 m in height, always producing beautiful flowers. Depending on the species, its color varies, being white, pink, yellow, etc. In this article we will analyze how to use fertilizer for plumeria or frangipani, to what season to apply it and what type should be used.

2. Plumeria feeding

The beauty of your frangipani will largely depend on how you feed it, the more appropriate the food is, the more beautiful it will look. As with any plant, it is not enough to feed it with good fertilizers for its development to be correct. Several more cares are needed for that to happen.

Since we want your Plumeria to be the most beautiful in the neighborhood, and before we talk fully about fertilizers, we’ll take a look at a list of tips so you know how to grow the best way.

1.1 How to care your frangipani

We will do a quick review of the care of your Plumeria, you probably need to consult more documentation to obtain more information. Although this will be enough so that at least you do not make serious mistakes.

• Soil: not too demanding on the type of soil. Being the most important point that has good drainage capacity. A mixture of 60% soil and 40% river sand can work.

• Temperature and sun: It likes to have a lot of exposure to the sun, high temperatures are not the problem. But temperatures below 5ºC will be very harmful, so during the winter, if you grow it in a pot, you should introduce it at home. In these cases, take care that it does not suffer sudden changes in temperature, avoid placing it near an air conditioner or a heating system.

• Irrigation: it should be abundant during spring and summer (especially during flowering), always avoiding waterlogging. Water when the upper bark of the soil (a couple of centimeters) begins to dry. In autumn and winter, irrigation regularity should decrease.

• Transplant: The best month to do this is April, and you may need a transplant each year. In case the plant is too big and the transplant is complicated, you can at least change the first 5 cm of soil in the pot for a new substrate.

• Pruning: frangipani does not have great pruning needs, regardless of whether it is grown in a pot or outdoors. Similarly, it is always a good ally to remove dry or diseased branches, or shrink the plant if it is exceeding its size.

• Multiplication: it can be done by seed or by cutting. Although the most recommended is the second, since in this way we make sure to obtain a plant equal to its mother.

• Fertilizer: Fertilization of Plumeria or frangipani could not be missing from this list. We will explain this point in depth in the following sections.

1.2 Best fertilizer for Plumeria (10-50-10)

There are a variety of possibilities when looking for a fertilizer for your frangipani. The important thing is to know how to select the one that meets the nutrient needs for good development and flowering.

Although you need the three main nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) one of them needs it to a greater extent. And that is phosphorus, which is essential to promote better flowering and root growth.

Knowing this, when looking for a fertilizer, you should select the one with the highest phosphorus concentration. The most used mixtures to fertilize Plumerias are 10-50-10 or 10-30-10. As you can see, and since you already know the meaning of these numbers, in both cases the dominant nutrient is phosphorus (50% and 30%).

In the event that you are growing your Plumeria in a pot, and since what you are looking for is for its growth to not become uncontrollable, it is best to avoid fertilizers with an excessive amount of nitrogen. This nutrient is primarily responsible for promoting growth, therefore, always buy fertilizers with their first low number.

If it seems appropriate, you can increase fertilization by using a little organic fertilizer. These have the advantage of being easy to do at home. An example that can be perfectly applied to your frangipani is wood ash, as it is an excellent source of phosphorous. Other very common are compost, earthworm humus, and eggshell. Although they may not be appropriate due to their high amount of nitrogen.

Lastly, there will be times when you will need to use Epsom salts, especially to neutralize the acidity of the soil.

2. What are the three numbers in a package of fertilizer?

You will have noticed that in the previous section we recognized some fertilizers by means of three numbers separated by a hyphen. Those numbers are known as NPK values. In this section I will explain quickly, briefly and simply what these numbers are about and how they will help you when looking for a good fertilizer for your plants.

These numbers are known as NPK values, each letter represents the initial of the three main nutrients that help the development of any plant. On the other hand, the number indicates the percentage by weight that each nutrient occupies with respect to the total.

• N: represents nitrogen, which is the most important nutrient for leaf development, and is also the main chemical involved in photosynthesis.

• P: represents phosphorus, being responsible for the development of roots, stems, flowers and fruits in a more vigorous plant.

• K: this last letter represents potassium, nutrient responsible for giving more strength to the plant. Contributing to a better initial growth, giving greater resistance to diseases, reducing possible stress.

It may not have been completely clear what I just explained, to clarify it let’s see a simple example.

Suppose you buy a 5 kg bag of 10-50-10 fertilizer. In that case, you will have 0.50 kg of nitrogen, 2.50 kg of phosphorus and 0.50 kg of potassium. In other words, 3.50 kg (0.50 + 2.50 + 0.50) is occupied by the three main nutrients, the rest is completed with secondary nutrients and other elements.

I have no doubt that the above example should have made it clear what the NPK values ​​are. So we can continue with this post about Plumerias.

3. How and when to fertilize frangipani or Plumeria

We have already briefly learned what are the cares for a good crop, what are the NPK values ​​and what type of fertilizers are best for your Plumeria or frangipani. It is time to see how and when you should apply fertilizers.

The fertilization season should start in spring, ending in the last days of summer or early fall. Depending on the type of fertilizer to apply, the method may change. In general, it is best to apply it to the soil along with watering, although many gardeners also use three foliar fertilizers.

Regardless of the type of fertilizer to be used, whenever it is applicable in the soil, accompany it with abundant watering. This will allow a better distribution of nutrients in the roots. Do not overdo it with watering as you could end up washing the fertilizer, being just as inefficient.

If what you apply is a foliar fertilizer, do it in the late afternoon, when the sun is not very intense. This will prevent the sun from burning the leaves that have been wet with the fertilizer.

Note that you must follow the instructions on the package when applying it. Each company creates fertilizers that vary in regularity and how they are applied. Always look for fertilizers with good instructions for use.

3.1 Plumeria fertilizer ratio

When using 10-50-10 fertilizer, you should apply 1 to 2 g of fertilizer for every liter of water. It is better to decrease this dose when it comes to young frangipani, it should not be more than 0.50 g per liter of water.

The proportions of fertilizers just given are somewhat general, as we said earlier, you should always read the instructions. This will avoid making mistakes when fertilizing.

A very common phrase, which we put in almost all our articles, is that when it comes to fertilizers, less is more. It is preferable to fall short of the dose rather than exceed it. This is because it is easier to solve nutrient deficiency problems than those caused by excess nutrients.

4. Plumeria fertilizer and water (Video)

To end the article, we have selected a video from the Jacob’s Plumeria’s channel. Which will serve to more graphically review part of what has been seen so far. I have no doubt that it will be more than good to see it. 😉

And with this we have reached the end, I hope there have been no doubts about the use of fertilizer for Plumeria or frangipani. Otherwise, please feel free to contact us.

Source information:

→ https://www.elicriso.it/es/como_cultivar/plumeria/