The hardest part of planting plumeria seeds will be finding the seeds. While plumeria is not difficult to start from seeds the seed grown plants will not look like the parent plant when they mature, so commercial growers prefer to use cuttings. You won’t find plumeria seeds in most seed catalogs. However seeds can be collected from growing plants and a search online will probably locate a source of seed. When you have the seeds here’s how to plant plumeria seeds.

Steps

  1. 1
    Split pods open if they have not split and remove the winged seeds.[1]
  2. 2
    Prepare a planting mix.
    • Use 2 parts commercial potting soil without fertilizer to 1 part perlite and blend well.
    • Moisten the mix until it holds together but doesn’t drip water.
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  3. 3
    Fill individual pots or flats with the prepared potting mix.
  4. 4
    Make a hole in the potting mix with your finger.
  5. 5
    Insert each seed in a hole with the papery ”wing” pointing up.[2]
  6. 6
    Firm the soil around the seeds, leaving a small amount of the “wing” showing.[3]
  7. 7
    Place the planted pots or flats in a warm, above 60ºF (15.5ºC), sunny place.[4]
  8. 8
    Keep the potting soil moist but not too wet until the seeds emerge, which should be in about 21 days.[5]
  9. 9
    Transplant plumeria seedlings to individual pots after 2 sets of leaves have developed.[6]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    I recently brought a Plumeria branch with pods back from Florida. One pod is green and the other one is a darker color. Should I plant the stem with the pods on it?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, the seed pods are not developed. Plant the cutting and hopefully the pods will continue to develop. It takes about 8 months. They will turn dark and eventually split open.
  • Question
    What causes plumeria leaves to have a whitish color and fall off?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Usually, this is caused by fungus. Remove any affected leaves and discard them in a trash bag -- do not throw them on the ground. Cinnamon applied with a brush will help prevent this.
  • Question
    When should I start fertilizing my plumeria?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    In the spring, when the tip becomes shiny. Then fertilize every other week with a fertilizer with a high middle number, such as 25-50-25.
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Things You’ll Need

  • It takes about 3 years for plumeria to bloom from seedlings.
  • While the plumeria you start from seed may not look like its parents you could get some very pretty plants from seedlings.
  • Pink and multicolored plumeria will have a wider range of diversity in what the seedlings will look like.

Warnings

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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 90,695 times.
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Co-authors: 5
Updated: October 31, 2022
Views: 90,695
Categories: Growing Flowers
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