Hello everyone,
I have done many research and I can't tell if my plant is under or over watered but some leaves are turning pale/yellow…
I'm in Manila, Philippines so the weather is very hot constantly. I have been watering my plant about every 10 days and never had any issue until now.
any help is more than welcome.

Note: for the past week I could not expose my plant to direct sunlight. (Maybe the reason)

@Sansan24 I miss Philippines! My nickname Gigi was given to me by my friends in Manila! I hope to be able to visit again someday.

It looks like you are growing your plumeria indoors. And the potting soil you are using seem to be more dirt that will stay wet for a long time. Instead of every 10 days. You have to let the soil dry out in between waterings. You can check it by using a bamboo skewer. You can also do the lift test, wait till pot is light before watering. Sometimes the leaves of the plumerias will droop if it needs water.

Yellowing of the bottom leaves is normal. So far the top of your leaves look healthy. Keep us posted. We have a plumeria forum here.

@GigiPlumeria I'm not originally from here but moved here and love it, so I understand you ;)

Thanks for the tips, so you think it has been over watered (maybe because lack of direct sun).

I decided to leave the plant outside with direct sunlight for now.

I'm using organic loam soil which was recommended by the seller.

Should I wait that it gets completely dry, like really dry before watering?

Thanks a lot!

@Sansan24 it is likely that it is just shedding the oldest leaves, since the bottom leaves are the ones turning yellow. As you noted it sounded like the plumeria was outdoors but has been moved indoors. It does react by shedding its old leaves when moving from outside to air conditioned room. But it is also possible that the soil is holding more water, and staying wet longer indoors.

If it has been indoors, let it slowly acclimate to direct sun. The leaves could easily get sunburned if you move indoors to outdoors.

Judging from the photos you live in a high rise condo. So if I recall it could get too windy, so once your plumeria is taller you will need to anchor the potted plant or get a heavier pot (and still anchor it).

Also rainy season begins late July to November/early December but since there is no frost you can leave the plumerias outdoors all year round. Plumerias love direct sun and will thrive and bloom when given 6 to 8 hours of direct sun.

I do the skewer and lift test until the plumeria is at least 9 months to a year old then pretty much it needs less care once it is established.

Plumeria loves rain water. So once it is established it can handle the daily rain so long as the drain holes are unclogged. At the current age of your plumeria too much rain can cause root rot. You can cover the base with plastic cover during rainy season.

This is my seedgrown plumeria I named this 'Sampaguita's Curly' since it is white and fragrance reminds me of Sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines.


Check out desert roses too, and hoya you might get blooms earlier while waiting for your plumeria to bloom. I am only recommending the plants that can thrive even if you are away for a month or longer.

@GigiPlumeria
Thank you so much for your message, tips and tricks!

My plumeria is now staying outdoor and having plenty of sun daily.

Speaking of the wind, whenever it gets really really crazy, huge storms, I'll just moved it back in because it's still small and I'm worried it won't survive.

I'll try to find a way to collect rainwater without transforming my balcony into a swimming pool ;)

I do have a plant hygrometer and I guess I can trust it, whenever and only when it says it's dry, I'll water it.

Also I've read many different way of watering potted plumeria. Some let it sit in water for a while, other water it until the water come out of the bottom, what do you suggest?

Wow that's an amazing plant you've got there! Well done!

it is now a big tree with a lot of clones. I have grown it from seed so it is nor something I can buy if it dies so I make sure I have back ups.

I just water mine thoroughly until the water comes out at the bottom. In your case, you can use a combination of both so you don't flood your balcony. Put a drip pan, water it until water comes off to the bottom into a drip pan and then let all the water be absorbed by the potting media. Get rid of any excess water left in the drip pan so your plumeria is not sitting in a pool of water.

Bottom heat is important for the root development of a plumeria that is newly repotted like yours. So place your potted plumeria directly on the hot balcony surface.

Stop by anytime and post updates of your plumeria.

@GigiPlumeria thanks again for all the tips. One question for me to be sure, would you agree is time to water it?
(The 2 first inches are really dry now)

Also the 2 previous yellow leaves fell and now 2 more got yellow so I'm kinda worried…

@Sansan24 yes it looks like dry enough and for as long as it is allowed to dry in between waterings (not too dry) you can water your plumeria.

Look closely at the base of this, is that brown spot a rot? If it is, that might be a stem rot that could easily spread to the main trunk. Do a prick test, if it bleeds white your plumeria is good if it bleeds brown or looks like mushy that is not a good sign. I am hoping it is just a shadow that made it look brown.

@GigiPlumeria
So you advise that water it today?
No it's not rot, actually and I should have maybe mentioned it), it's a plumeria cutting that I'm growing.

Also next time you buy a cutting make sure you choose a multi cutting with natural branching like the ones I encircled in the picture or a single mature cutting that is 12+ inches long. These branches will give you the best chances of blooming early and growing a beautiful plumeria tree with no ugly scars from being cut (therefore less susceptible to rot).

@GigiPlumeria
Yea it wasn't easy to buy the right cutting as it was online purchased.

It grew really fast at first and now since 10 days it's losing its leaves…

So when you mean dry, or the skewer test, is that right that it should be the first 2 inches (approx) that are dry? Does it matter deeper?

Sansan24 said: @GigiPlumeria
So you advise that water it today?
No it's not rot, actually and I should have maybe mentioned it), it's a plumeria cutting that I'm growing.

Oh ok good! If you made this cutting grow and branch out like it is now, then I am assuming it is now well rooted.

So, Yes you can water it thoroughly so it gets a good soaking then give it a nice direct sun🌞. Then let it dry in between waterings.

Sansan24 said: @GigiPlumeria
Yea it wasn't easy to buy the right cutting as it was online purchased.

It grew really fast at first and now since 10 days it's losing its leaves…

So when you mean dry, or the skewer test, is that right that it should be the first 2 inches (approx) that are dry? Does it matter deeper?

The first 2 inches rule is tricky because it could be dry on top but still too wet at the bottom. Try to stick the skewer closer to the bottom and keep the stick pull it when you want to check if it is still wet or moist. Moist then water.

Weather app says Manila will have daily rain over the next few days with a high of 91. A well rooted plumeria would love that but I am not sure if your plumeria is well rooted, judging from the leaves it looks like it is. The rain water is best for plumeria.

@GigiPlumeria

Thanks for your tips!

It seems like the first 4 inches are dry but deeper is still wet…

Yea I'm not 100% sure it's well rooted and the daily shower is not that strong where I'm living. Maybe I shouldn't cover the plumeria during the next days and let it watered by the rain?

Yes it will like the rain water but if it is not well rooted it might still rot with the daily rain. Sometimes I underplant annuals or succulents with my plumerias in pot to help sip any extra water.

@GigiPlumeria
Honestly the daily storm doesn't last more than 20min and my balcony doesnt get soaking wet.
I'm a bit confused if I should water it later today as I told you deep down it's still wet (deeper than 4inches)

To be safe wait for tomorrow's rain and let it get rained on. From the photo, the upper leaves look upright/firm, if it needs water the leaves get droopy, so the roots are still getting some moisture from the wet soil. The upper part (2 inches above) that is dry is not where the roots are located.

Don't worry about the yellowing of the older leaves. It is normal for plumerias to shed the older leaves. In fact those yellow leaves will probably fall off easy if you touch them slightly, and if they fall, observe if you get more yellow leaves now that you are having it enjoy the sun and not indoors.

Tomorrow your time, let your plumeria enjoy the rain.

Thanks for your precious help, seriously!
So it was raining earlier for about an hour and unfortunately my plumeria didn't get much of it.

In fact, the soil is already dry now.

as the plant is still getting fed by the wet soil deeper than 4 inches, should I wait for a couple more days?

Thanks again!

Yes wait at least a day, unless the leaves start looking droopy tomorrow, then that means your plumeria is thirsty and needs water. It is always better to be on the safe side of not over watering. It is very seldom that plumerias will die from under watering, it is more likely to die from root rot from over watering.

I am a lazy about watering that's why I grow plumerias, desert roses, aloes and succulents since they are drought resistant. Some of my potted plumerias will have droopy leaves for a day or 2 before I can remember to water but the leaves will perk back up once watered. Others believe that by withholding watering it will force it to bloom but per my experience it is not true, I would have all of mine blooming if that is the case

The great news is, you are past the critical stage of your plumeria rooting judging from the number of leaves you have. That usually means, you have a good root system, especially if you started with a cutting that has no set of leaves. My plumerias thrive on neglect, but I have so many, with some on the ground and in pots that they get watered when I remember to water because the leaves look droopy.