I have 5 Plumerias that I purchased as noids about 6 years ago. They're all doing well but have never bloomed. They are pretty much all just 3-4 ft tall tall sticks with lots of tip leaves but leaves no side branches. I read somewhere that in order to bloom there have to be branches and I do have one that developed branches last year after the tip broke off when a strong wind blew it off a table.

I have 2 questions that I would be thrilled for someone more experienced to answer,

1. Is it true that they won't bloom if there are no branches?
2. Should I cut the tips off them to make them branch?

Thye get full sun and fertilizer during the summer months, are potted in well draining mix and get watered at least twice a week once the weather goes over 80 degrees, less if it's cooler. I'm in zone 7a and they get overwintered inside at around 65 degrees. I have also tried giving them drenches once a month of an epsom salts mixture. Help, please?

You probably need more and longer sunshine hours. Cutting off the tip will NOT ensure you will have blooms; on the contrary, that could delay blooming for a year.
You're working against the odds since these are tropical trees.
Having said that, many people grow plumeria successfully in non-tropical climates but you need to help them along a bit. I am sure you will get some advice from northern growers.
Good luck!

What type of ferilizer are you using? What's the ratio? Too much nitrogen will give you lush growth at the expense of the plant's blooms......

@ Cyra I was using Superbloom, 12-55-6, 2 tsp to a gallon of water per the Mfr's instructions. I do have an all phosphate fertilizer, should I use that exclusively?

At this stage of the game I would only use a balanced fertilizer, such as Osmocote or Dynamite (13-13-13)

Are they seedlings or rooted cuttings??? What size pots are they in??? As Hetty stated, cutting the tips will delay flowering even further. Plumeria naturally branch AFTER they flower.

dragonfly53 , being in 8a (Va.Beach) myself I know it is more challenging to grow plumerias here. You are mostly going to get branching from blooms or damage/removal of the tips. Even then it doesn't guarantee branching. Here's a pic of one that has bloomed 3 times without a branch. Luckily it is not a tall grower.



Here's a tall NOID that bloomed in Dec. and I'm hoping it will hold the buds until I get it out in the sun and bloom more. It has 3 new tips but is on it's way to being a tallllllll tree. I may have to cut the top off and root it down the road.





Here's my very thin/tall Pudica. I've been threatening to cut it if it doesn't bloom and I'm almost to that point. I'll root the top and if there is a bloom in there, it might bloom while rooting. The center cuts(stem) should send out new tips too and also what will be the trunk which will already have roots.
I'm just not sure how to go about rooting such a thin cutting. If it sits for a week or two to callus I'm afraid it will dehydrate.




Plumerias didn't read the books and they do as they want. Some just grow tall and some don't. Like Hetty said, give them balanced formula and lots of sun and they will reward you with the blooms. Plumerias are great for teaching patience and hopefully the blooms will come sooner than later. Peg

Just a suggestion for your tall plumeria: you could 'downgraft' - essentially taking a piece out of the middle and grafting the top back on to the bottom. You'll get a shorter plant and won't lose the tip.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have a friend in my zone who I have lost touch with. She had over 50 Plumies that she overwintered in her basement every year and they had spectacular blooms! Wish I had been able to ask her but the information you have given is great and I will get out and find a better balanced fertilizer. I don't think I will cut the taller ones back yet. I'm having a sun room built right now that will get the east and southern light so hopefully it will make my Plumies happy enough to bloom. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed it gets done on schedule - there will be an outside deck attached too and my Plumies will spend the summer there.

with everyone, don't cut the tip just yet. I have 2 King Kalakuas that were 3 feet tall / 3 years old from cuttings before it bloomed. I bought 3 No IDs ( peachy-pink and hot pink colors), which bloomed only when they were 3 feet tall. I placed them in full sun (8 hours+ in summer). It works great for me that they are tall because I plan to place them behind my medium tall plumerias and miniature and dwarf Plumerias. I mix superthrive with my blooming fertilizer when I feed them, not sure if it helped but I was very happy with the result.

I bought a seedling from a nursery that is almost 3 feet tall (no branches), I am being patient because they may not bloom for a few years. This might be a candidate for a downgraft if it will not bloom this year.

I have a 4yo in-ground plumeria, which is getting pretty big now. but we are not getting any flowers.
Well this year so far I saw one flower..sorry. anyway I was wondering what is going wrong with this
thing. we have two others planted in-ground in the backyard and they bloom very nicely.
any suggestions would be appreciated.

- it would help to know a little more about the plant. Maybe you can post a picture? Also, where are you located?

Hello there,
I have a 3 feet high plumeria, but i cannot identify which kind it is. I had it for about 2 years now, and it put out lots and lots of leaves but no flowers yet. I live in Quebec, Canada, but I managed to keep it in a hot room so it would grow. The picture was taken April 24th 2017, and as you can see, no flowers or even a trace of a petiole.
Can you give me a hand on what to do to make it bloom? Maybe suggest a good fertilizer.
Thanks,
OC

Hello Bondex....
I have rooted 7 Plumeria here in NY last spring and 2 have flowered nicely. (one flowered in OCT and went dormant over the winter and its flower stalk is rebudding and will produce flowers again this spring !)
I used Spray-n-Grow Bills perfect Fertilizer and Macro nutrients kit .(https://spray-n-growag.com/pro...) 1x week during the growing season.
I repotted all the plants 2 weeks ago and was first chance i had to look at root system and all plants were strong and very healthy. I've only had 1 season of experience with it but i think its worked well and the plants all seem healthy, and the plants that flowered had sturdy inlo's and large flowers.
Give it a shot. Its a fertilizer you spray on the leaves instead of watering directly to soil.

It needs full sun to bloom. You can try using bloom booster.

with Gigi, and remember that your sun is not as strong as tropical sun. You might need to use supplemental lighting....

pcput said:dragonfly53 , being in 8a (Va.Beach) myself I know it is more challenging to grow plumerias here. You are mostly going to get branching from blooms or damage/removal of the tips. Even then it doesn't guarantee branching. Here's a pic of one that has bloomed 3 times without a branch. Luckily it is not a tall grower.

I got a single stem Yellow Spider from Buds last year and it flowered but did not branch. My experience has been that they branch after they push flowers. I have noticed this in other succulents as well. My Pachypodium does the same thing.

My mom got into plumeria propagating after a neighbor found plants at our local nursery...McDonald Garden Center... a couple of years ago. Then I went to visit a friend in Melbourne Beach, Florida and mailed some cuttings home. They all made it and now she has a jungle in her backyard. Lots of Hot pink, 1 light pink she calls MINI and a yellow she just got a cutting of from another friend. She needs to thin out but would also like to expand her color palette. If anyone in the VA Beach area wants to buy or trade she has 1 year old starts, approx 2 feet tall that she will part with. These are starts from 2016. Mature leaves but have not flowered yet. Please call Marge, 757-510-0304. Located near McDonald Garden Center in Virginia Beach. The pictures are of the starts and some of her mature trees that are about 5 years old.