The PSA Guest Speaker Hetty Ford

Transcription

1 The Plumeria Society of America, Inc. The next The PSA Guest Speaker Hetty Ford meeting of The Plumeria Society of America will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 7:30 p.m. at the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston. Anyone with an interest Ever since first being introduced to plumeria in the year 2000, they have played an important role in my life. From taking over my yard, to serving as a tool for fund raising for a family burdened with medical bills due to the father s leukemia, to just plain bringing me joy and pleasure every day that I look out my window! My general love for plants took me to the Naples Botanical Gardens, initially as a volunteer and now as a staff member working on their plant collections. I am happy to be able to say I have been instrumental in bringing the Thornton varieties, and now a full complement of the PSA registered varieties, to Naples. Dutch by birth, but widely travelled since my late teens, and married for 27 years to a husband who indulges my love for these flowers, and with a son in college, I now like to call myself semi-retired so that I can justify spending all waking hours in the pursuit of growing blooming, tropical plants most specifically plumeria! in plumerias is invited to attend. In this Issue October Meeting Notice p 1 Getting Leaves with No Roots p 10 President s Corner p 2 PSA Luau 2009 p 11 Air Layering for Success p 3 When Fragrance is King p 12 Naples Botanical Garden Donations p 7 Plumeria Photos p 16 Tetrio Sphinx Moth p 8

2 President s Corner As we prepare for fall, and the days get shorter, the plumerias are producing fewer blooms. Quit any fertilizing now to discourage late season growth. Late inflorescences appearing now may hang on through the winter and be the first ones to bloom, or in some cases, they just fall off. Our old nemesis, Rust is here! Watch out for the orange pustules that may be appearing on the backside of your leaves, trim them off carefully, and discard them in the trash. Rake up old leaves that have fallen because rust can live in the soil. Rust will quickly spread from plant to plant, so if you can move them apart to allow better air flow between the leaves, you can sometimes delay the coming of rust. A good rule of thumb is to start trimming leaves in September from the bottom up since most are beginning to yellow and fall off anyway. To prevent breakage in high winds (like hurricane season in the Atlantic regions, and the Santa Ana winds in the Southern California areas) trimming of the leaves in the fall is a good idea. Most U.S. plumeria growers will be bringing in their plants to store for the winter during the dormant time. Please read our care guides on the PSA web site for details about winter storage ideas. Conversely, our friends down under in Australia are looking forward to a great growing season. PSA Show and Sale in Katy: The Plumeria Show and Sale in Katy s Leonard Merrell Center was a huge success. A big THANK YOU goes out to our Plant Sale Chairman, German Collazos, for the logistics and special planning. We especially would like to thank the local Lowe s store in Katy on Fry Road for the 25 shopping carts which assisted our shoppers. Volunteers included: David Holloway, Joyce and Dan Teel, Katy Cox and her National Honor Society Students Jonathan Williamson and 2 Lawrence Cleland of Dulles High School, Vicki Jenkins, Kay Audish, Milton Pierson, Mariella Botella, new Membership Chairman Marty Hricik, Carolyn Holland, John Frels, Jerome Bielamowicz, Karen Babb, Thea & Richard Whitenton, Tom & Kyle Furtwangler, Ed Borchers, Ximena Trujillo, Patricia, Sara and Daniel Collazos, Ron New, Mark & Sharon Wright, Fred Miller, John & Lara Carroll, and Shirley Risner. There may be a couple of volunteers that I have not listed here, but please know that your hard work was much appreciated! Our excellent sellers included: Eulas & Lake Stafford, Emerson & Nancy Willis, Mark & Sharon Wright, German Collazos, Mark Hockenberger, Mark Terrill, Sven Bors-Koefoed, Tex & Kay Norwood, Barbara Randolph & Jerry Hurlbert, Judith Hoffing, Mike Janson, Richard Worthen, Paula Furtwangler, Rosemary Miller, George Gernon, and Bryan Holland. PSA Elections: PSA elections will be held at the end of this year, and our Nominating Committee is working hard to produce a slate of officers for Please consider running for a position or volunteering to work on a committee to make a difference in the PSA! Eulas Stafford, Past President, is heading up the Nominating Committee with Sharon Wright and Kay Norwood. If you are interested in running for a Board position, please contact Eulas no later than October 11th at (713) Our By-laws state that we have a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, plus three Directors. Ballots will be mailed out to all our members at the end of the year, with the new Board being sworn in at the January meeting. Thanks to everyone who has made the PSA a continuing success. Sincerely, Paula Furtwangler, PSA President

3 Air Layering for Success with Plumeria by Jim Little, Oahu, Hawaii My first experience in air layering was observing the skillful hands of old-timer, Gordon McKenzie of Kona, Hawaii, an avid collector of a wide assortment of tropical trees and shrubs and a major landscaper on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was in the early 1970 s when I watched him air laying Puakinikini trees at his nursery outside Kona. While I was fascinated by the simplicity of the process, I did not apply this knowledge until many years later when I started to experiment with it on plumeria and recalled my early days of watching Mr. McKenzie. It is interesting to note that he first introduced the yellow African tulip tree in Hawaii after sprouting hundreds of red African tulip seeds. From hundreds of red seeds, one tree flowered yellow. It was then that he began air laying the yellow mother tree which is now found in landscapes around Hawaii. Air layering is simply a method of plant propagation that allows for girdling or cutting part of a branch and applying a moist ball (not soaking wet) of sphagnum moss. At the appropriate time when roots form, the branch can be removed and grown as an independent plant. The process itself was developed around the turn of the twentieth century when farmers experimented with different ways to propagate plants to increase yields of food production. The process requires removing a ring of bark (first layer) by cutting or scrapping a ring around the branch, usually about one to two inches wide depending on the length and thickness of the branch. This layer is called the cambium. Below the cambium layer is the phloem (food conduit Step #1: Girdling the branch with a sharp knife tissue of the plant) which transports the carbohydrates and photosynthates down from the leaves to the lower parts of the plant. The last layer is called the xylem. It transports water and nutrients from the roots up to the leafy parts of the tree. By removing the bark, cambium, and phloem, the carbohydrates and photosynthates are prevented from flowing down the trunk. It does not inhibit the water and nutrients to flow upward through the leaves via the channels in the xylem, thus insuring that the leaves don t dry out. By removing the cambium layer,

4 the carbohydrates and photosynthates are allowed to flow down the branch and collect at the girdling site. The moist sphagnum moss will cause the stranded cut on the girdle to grow into roots. So what is the best way to girdle a plumeria? Start by selecting a branch on the tree that is upright in the tree and has ample Step #2: Girdle sample exposure to the sunlight which helps heat the moss pouch. Air layering branches that are in the shade reduces the rooting speed. Use a sharp knife to strip your bark. Some gardeners will disinfect their knife before cutting into the branch, but it is not necessary. It is best to select a plumeria that is in its growth period. This will vary depending on the cultivar. Some trees experience a jump start beginning in the early spring while others come into their growth period at a much later time. This is why some trees flower early in the season, and others wait for the warmer summer months. Plumerias all have their favorite month for showing off. It is important not to make assumptions that all plumeria behave the same. After you make the girdle or cut, simply wrap a handful of damp sphagnum moss (that has been soaked in water for about 15 minutes) around the girdle. Be sure to wring out the moss before you apply it to the girdle. The moss should not be dripping wet but only slightly moist. Next, wrap the sphagnum ball with 3 ml thickness translucent polypropylene plastic and tie it on both sides of the ball with plastic tape or cable slip ties. Depending on where you live, a rooting compound may aid rooting. It is not necessary in Hawaii. The plastic wrap will last for months before there is any damage by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Even then, I have sometimes forgotten about an air lay that was done months earlier only to find out that there was no damaging effect. You can also remove the air laid branch earlier if you wish, but it will not grow as fast when planted. Delaying the Step #3: Branch with moss pack removal will sometimes result in the moss ball drying out, therefore canceling your efforts. It should be mentioned that the fold in the plastic wrap should be turned downward so as not to collect water from rain and make

5 the moss ball too wet causing diseases and rotting to develop. Depending on the time of year, your air layering technique, the plumeria variety, and the sunshine and temperature, you should see roots as early as 7 weeks. The average rooting visibility occurs within 8 10 weeks. The plastic pouch that holds the sphagnum moss is like a mini humidifier Step #4: Eight to ten weeks later the massive root ball can be severed from the tree and planted. that swells and induces roots to form. You will soon have a root formation that is ready to be severed from the tree and grown as an independent plant. If the process is done successfully, you will see flowers within the first year and sometimes as early as a few months, depending whether there was a bud emerging from your air layer branch. An inflorescence may even appear while the air layer branch is still attached to the tree. There are advantages to the air layering method of propagation. One is that it is a simple way to make a few or many rooted plants from any size tree or any size branch while, at the same time, pruning your tree. My personal experience is that evergreen trees such as Singapore Obtusa, Mele Pa Bowman yellow, and certain dwarf varieties are more easily rooted at any time of the year, while deciduous trees take a little longer depending on what month the air layering procedure is carried out. The difficult to root plumeria Rich Criley Dwarf Rainbow is easily rooted using this technique. Step #5: Cutting the rooted branch from the tree Step #6: Air layering the Dwarf Richard Criley Rainbow

6 Another benefit is that you can wrap up the soilless, rooted air layered plant and ship it to its destination. The receiver simply removes the plastic and slam-bam the plant is ready to be planted, without delay, directly into the chosen medium and without removing the moss ball that Step #7: Mele Pa Bowman ready to plant in pot or soil encases the root ball. The rooted moss ball makes an excellent support system for the new branch when potted. The air layering method is explained in the book Growing Plumeria in Hawaii and Around the World. If you decide to implement the steps outlined above, you will learn how surprisingly simple, effective, and most gratifying this technique is for making newly rooted and ready to grow plumeria branches. Final Step: Three-day old, newly planted air lays with new leaves and flowers Jim Little Nursery & Farms has been serving plumeria collectors since It began as a backyard avocation and has turned into one of the largest plumeria farms in North America. Today, Jim mainly focuses on developing new hybrids and trying to more fully learn and understand the intricacies of this remarkable plant. His book Growing Plumeria in Hawaii and Around the World is in its third edition.

7 Naples Botanical Garden Donations At the July meeting, the PSA accepted plants to be donated to the Naples Botanical Garden. We received plants from Bud Guillot, Emerson Willis, Richard Worthen, Bryan Holland, Paula Furtwangler, and the Staffords. In August, Lake and I left for Naples with a trailer full of plants. After a two-day trip, we arrived in Naples and contacted Carolyn Miller. We made arrangements to meet her the next morning at the Naples Botanical Garden. After unloading the plants, by Eulas Stafford, Texas Carolyn gave us a tour of the grounds and showed us where the plumeria grove will be. After the tour, we presented Carolyn with a check for $2,500 from the PSA. This is a start of a commitment that the PSA hopes will be a long-term project. This commitment will depend on our members who are willing to donate more of the plants that are needed to complete the collection. The PSA will continue the donations to cover the cost of the name plaques. These small hills are the future site for our plumeria grove...

8 Tetrio Sphinx Moth On a pleasantly sunny late summer afternoon, with no sense of impending doom, I answered the doorbell, to be greeted by this!!! Tetrio Spinx Moth Larvae Length: up to 6 inches Now admittedly, this is a gorgeous caterpillar, but, when you re a serious plumeria collector with an extensive collection, this sight can strike fear in your heart! It is (drum roll please) the caterpillar of the Tetrio Sphinx Moth, and its primary host plant is... plumeria! The sample, safely enclosed in a Ziploc baggie, was presented to me Tetrio Spinx Moth by a couple Wingspan: up to inches who had recently moved to our neighborhood, and with whom I had struck up a conversation on the topic of the beautiful plumeria tree in their front yard. We instantly became friends when they assured me they loved the tree and had no intention of bulldozing or otherwise damaging it in their efforts by Hetty Ford, South Florida to renovate the house and garden. When they discovered this creature munching on the leaves, they immediately decided to turn to me for advice, upon which I instantly picked up the phone and called my plumeria guru, the owner of a nursery specializing in plumeria. These creatures will defoliate your collection in a matter of days, he warned and when they are done eating the leaves, they will start on the branches... The only thing to do is to pick them off by hand, he said, and watch out, they bite! so I grabbed a pair of gloves and followed my friends over to their house. It was worse than I had imagined the large 14 foot tall tree was crawling with these six inch monsters, and I imagined hearing their jaws chomp, as they steadily devoured leaf after leaf. Our attempts at blasting them with a water hose another suggestion my friend had made when he heard about the size of the tree were laughed off by the tenacious beasts. So, we got a ladder and went up. Got one my friend called, and I picked the fallen creature up off the ground and deposited it in a bucket. The mental image of this horde invading my precious plumeria patch did away with my usual peaceful nature. I had to get rid of these! It was a frustrating task since, despite their vivid coloring, the caterpillars managed to hide very effectively in the dense foliage. In order to see them properly, we got out the

9 secateurs and started clipping off leaves. This proved quite effective and our tedious task progressed with increased speed. Several hot, sweaty and sometimes frustrating hours later daylight was fading. We had collected about 25 caterpillars and I was ready to call it a day. At that point, none of us could detect any more of the hungry creatures At noon the following day, my friends called to say that they had found another four, and felt they had now removed all the caterpillars from the tree. Needless to say I very, very carefully checked my plumeria patch in the ensuing weeks for any sign of the herbivorous horde, but I am happy to say so far none have shown up here, nor have any more been seen in my friends tree. This event was my second meeting with these strikingly colored creatures. The previous time had been when our nursery friends had brought a few for show and tell at a plumeria get together. They are fortunately rare in Florida, and I hope for the sake of my collection not to encounter them again! For more scientific information on the Tetrio Sphinx Moth and its larvae, please read trees/pseudosphinx_tetrio.htm and my thanks to the authors, and to the University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department for allowing me to use their material. Also thanks to Florida Colors Nursery for advice and pictures. reprinted with permission from Dave s Garden website Sacred Garden Frangipanis Australia s best range of Frangipanis Specialist breeders, named varieties & rare species Bare rooted plants carefully packed for mail order worldwide For a full color catalogue send 4 x 50 stamps to: 132 Silver Valley Road MS 415 Mount Garnet QLD 4872 Int Ph/Fax (07) prowsesa@cairns.net.au Website: 9

10 Getting Leaves with No Roots Recently at a talk to a group and on the internet, I have had a couple of people ask me, When rooting, I get leaves with no roots, what do I do? I myself once had this problem and am familiar with how frustrating it can be. Our rooting window is pretty short here in Kansas City May through August. If cuttings aren t rooted by August, then we hope the cutting survives our long winter until next May. Some don t make it, and it can be very disappointing. I thought I would share what I learned in my own experience and how people might avoid leaves without roots in the future. I first saw this problem 11 years ago while rooting of all places in my greenhouse. I also noticed it also happened sporadically while rooting outside on the ground (instead of a concrete-like surface). It seemed to accompany wild temperature swings early or late in the season but not always. Oh no, another year before I see blooms, I would say to myself. It didn t happen all the time, but when it did, it was frustrating. Growth Follows the Heat It wasn t until years later when I started using a heat mat and noticed that I no longer had the problem that I finally had an idea about what might be going on. In my greenhouse there were huge temperature swings from night to day. The air was getting much hotter than the by Scott Lawder, Kansas temperature in the root zone inside the pot. This created more heat at the top of the cutting during the day which would help promote growth at the tip. At night, the bottom of the cutting, or root zone, would cool down too much, and this would stop the formation of roots. Same when I tried rooting on a grassy surface. The sun would heat up both tip and base, but at night the ground would not hold the heat like a concrete surface, resulting in too cool a root zone. It wasn t until I started rooting them on a heat mat, which keeps heat focused at the base of the cutting day and night, that the problem disappeared A heat mat keeps the energy at the bottom where it encourages roots. This worked over and over regardless of the cultivar or time of year. Heat mats also keep day/night temperature swings to 10º F or between 80 90º F. Interestingly, the ground temperature 5 6 inches down in most places in the summer ranges from 80 90º F. This is one reason rooting them in the ground works so well. Leaves without roots can also happen under lights, and the same principle applies. In my case, I put a fan on my cuttings 24/7 to cool the plumeria tips which my HID light was making too warm. A general principle to remember is that growth follows the heat. This can be a little 10

11 confusing for warm weather growers who are used to thinking in terms of light only. It is actually the heat in the root zone that is a bigger factor. We studied this in depth on the Yahoo Group! PlumeriaPals over many years. We even had people measuring ground temperatures in the tropics. Over and over again, the best temperature in the root zone for rooting was 80º F/26.66 C. And the root zone should be warmer than the air temperature during the night (minimum of 80º F in the root zone). There is a little more to it than this, but this is the general idea. I have rooted cuttings for years now, regardless of the season, using 1000 watt metal halide lighting and heat mats at 80º F. I have received cuttings in November and had them rooted by Christmas as well as January and February. It is bottom heat that overrides all other factors in rooting plumeria. I have found that if you have proper heat at the bottom, and light, it will root 95% of the time. Many times I have even brought back to life shriveled cuttings during the winter. Some people have planted seeds in November and had them blooming by April. It is actually quite amazing to see that the time of year does not matter. Before I understood this about plumeria, I lost quite a few cuttings. Some of you out there remember my spectacular disasters. I will always be grateful to those who encouraged me when I felt like giving up you know who you are. For those who are inclined towards experimentation, I encourage you to get a soil thermometer and a pyrometer and watch one of the greatest mysteries of plumerias reveal itself to you. Good luck and good rooting! PSA Luau 2009 The final event of the year is the PSA Social, our Annual Luau, which will be held October 17 th at the newly enlarged Stafford Botanical Gardens (mostly plumerias, but plenty of other goodies too). For those of you who ve never seen Lake and Eulas place, you re in for a real treat. You can arrive at 6:00 p.m. for the yard tour, and the festivities and luau dinner will follow at 7:00 p.m. We will have a fire dancer to end the evening. In honor of the PSA s birthday, the Board has decided that all members who RSVP by October 13 th will be admitted free. You can sign up at the next meeting. Others will be charged $10, and guests will be $15 as usual. Be sure to mark October 17 th on your calendar. Marie McCormick Marie McCormick, past PSA President, recently passed away. She served from and was our third President. 11

12 When Fragrance Is King We plumeria enthusiast love all aspects of our plants: color, shape, size, and fragrance. But... in a small segment of our community, there are those to whom size and fragrance is all there is, and they understand and cherish the fragrance of plumeria blossoms. To them fragrance is king. They are the blind. I am honored to speak at the Braille Institute once a year. They are a most cheerful and appreciative group. Recently I spoke to the Braille Institute group, and they requested that I teach them how to plant plumerias. They are very adept with their hands, and the planting was no challenge to them at all. I had been informed that there would be 18 people there. A week before the meeting, I cut 18 plumeria branches and dipped them in a rooting hormone and let them harden. I mixed enough planter mix for the 18 cuttings and provided 18 one-gallon plastic pots. On the morning of the meeting, I collected 400+ plumeria blossoms, consisting of Thornton s Lemon Drop, Jeannie Moragne, Charlotte Ebert, Mele Pa Bowman, My Valentine, Moragne #23, Wildfire, and Kelly Moragne. I also provided soda straws cut into 2 inch pieces so they could insert a plumeria blossom and wear it in their hair or above their ear. 12 by Bud Guillot, Southern California Bud Guillot with Thornton s Lemon Drop On the day of the demonstration, I got there early and spread all the plumeria blossoms and the stubby soda straws along the long row of white tables in the room where the participants sit. When the participants entered the room and smelled all the diverse fragrances of the plumeria blossoms, they were as excited as kids at a birthday party. They busily picked up individual blossoms and smelled them until they found their favorite. Then they assembled it with the stubby straw and placed it above their ear. Most had a blossom above each ear. They kept picking up and smelling other blossoms and changing the blossom they were wearing to one they thought was more fragrant. They each had fun planting their individual plumeria to take home with them. They enjoyed working in the soil and getting dirt under their nails as most of us gardeners do.

13 At the end of the meeting and demonstration, I took note of which plumeria blossom each person was wearing above their ear, selected by fragrance only. To my surprise, over 50 percent were My Valentine. To my large but untrained nose, Jeannie Moragne, Thornton s Lemon Drop, Charlotte Ebert, and Wildfire are much more fragrant than My Valentine. But who am I to argue with experts. Photo of My Valentine by Paula Furtwangler T R O P I C A L S OVER 40 VARIETIES OF PLUMERIAS AVAILABLE P.O. Box 9868, New Iberia, LA Phone: FAX: Southwest Fertilizer BOB PATTERSON 5828 Bissonnet HOUSTON, TEXAS TEL: (713) FAX: (713) VISIT US YARDGEEK.COM 10% DISCOUNT for PSA Members Caldwell Nursery 2436 Band Road, Rosenburg, Texas Phone: salvia 123@emsn.com 1 mile west of Ft. Bend County Fairgrounds off Hwy. 36 (take US 59 South to Exit 36, left on 36 to Band Road) website: Great Selection of PLUMERIA, DAYLILLIES, ROSES, UNIQUE and RARE TROPICALS and OTHER PLANTS HOURS: 9:00 5:30 MONDAY through SATURDAY CLOSED SUNDAYS EXCEPT SPRING 11:00 4:00 13

14 PSA Show and Sale II (Katy, TX) August 8, 2009 Clockwise from top left: Nancy Willis and Lara Carroll making a big sale Mark Wright Karen Babb helping at the information booth Lake Stafford doing a little shopping Treasurer David Holloway with Vicki Jenkins Checkout line Cashiers Patricia and Sara Collazos 14

15 Plumeria Society Website Additional information concerning The Plumeria Society of America and culture of plumeria plants may be found on the World Wide Web at the following address: A listing of currently registered cultivars Research Committee Bulletins PSA By-Laws Plumeria Care Bulletins Photos from past events Map links to meeting and sale sites Photos of plumeria plants and flowers past color insert pages in PDF format Purpose of The Plumeria Society of America (1) Promote interest in and increase knowledge of plumeria hybridization, propagation and culture of plumerias. (2) Share this knowledge with hobbyists interested in plumerias. (3) Provide a register for recording, identifying and classifying by name new types and varieties of plumerias. (4) Encourage and unite plumeria enthusiasts around the globe, throughout America and across the seas. PSA Calendar 2009 January meeting March meeting March Texas Home & Garden Show May meeting June 13...Show & Sale I (Clear Lake) July meeting August 8... Show & Sale II (Katy) October meeting October Fall Social All regular meetings are held at the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston, TX. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m., workshops begin at 6:45 p.m. Bring your blooms. Bring your friends. Bring plants, cuttings, etc. for door prizes!! These can be anything, not just plumerias. Visitors are invited and encouraged to attend. Copy this page for all your friends who love plumeria or just want to know more about them. The Plumeria Society of America, Inc. P.O. Box Houston, TX , USA Dues are $25 per year PSA Officers/Committee Members 2009 Paula Furtwangler plumerialady@swbell.net President Mark Wright wright5447@global.net Vice President Karen Babb kbabb@comcast.net Secretary David Holloway david.r.holloway@motivaent.com Treasurer Eulas Stafford estafford01@att.net Director and Registration Loretta Osteen... lofresh@aol.com Director Tex Norwood tex@digitaltexas.com Director and Webmaster Marty Hricik martyhricik@yahoo.com Membership Milton Pierson miltonp@botanictreasures.com Research Sharon Wright wright5447@global.net Social John Frels johnfrels@mortgageassoc.com Publicity German Collazos german.collazos@tic.toshiba.com Plant Sale x2539 Irene Jones ijplume@sbcglobal.net Newsletter

16 Photos by Carol Vannoorbeeck Florida Colors Nursery Magnum Opus Jeannie Moragne Capalaba Pink Irma Bryan My Valentine Kona Delite 16 Charlotte Ebert Photos by Paula Furtwangler Texas