Plumeria rubra is also known as west Indian jasmine, frangipani and pagoda tree. It is a deciduous, small growing, tropical tree that typically reaches a maximum height of approximately 25 feet. Plumeria rubra has attractive, showy, 4-inch wide, fragrant, pink-colored flowers. They are native plants to the Caribbean and areas in Central America and are hardy in the USDA Zones 9 to 11. Growing these beautiful flowering plants is very easy from seed as long as you make sure you have fresh seeds.
Germinating Plumeria Rubra Seeds
Collect the dried plumeria rubra seed pods if you have access to a plumeria rubra plant. Split the plumeria rubra seed pods open, and remove the seeds.
Mix together equal amounts of a soil-less growing medium with an equal amount of perlite.
Scoop the mix growing media into individual biodegradable peat pots.
Mist the surface of the soil in each peat pot until the soil is very well dampened down. Place the peat pots into a watering tray.
Poke 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep holes in each of the peat pots. Place a plumeria rubra seed into one of the shallow holes. Make sure it's planted with the pointed end down and the "winged" side facing up. Push in the soil around each of the plumeria rubra seeds to set the seeds in the soil.
Set the tray containing the planting packs of plumeria rubra seeds into a location that will stay right around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Give it about six to eight hours of light a day, but avoid direct sunshine. Germination of plumeria rubra seeds will begin in fourteen to twenty-one days.
Water the planting packs often enough so the germinating medium can stay moist, but not so often it becomes drippy wet. Transplant the plumeria rubra seedlings when each seedling has two sets of leaves.
Transplanting Plumeria Rubra Seedlings
Mix together a good quality potting mix with equal parts of peat moss and fine sand.
Scoop in the growing media into individual 6-inch pots until each is approximately half full.
Cut off the top of each peat pot right at the level of the soil line. (This will help prevent moisture loss after planting).
Place a plumeria rubra seedling into its new growing container. Scoop in the growing medium in and around the plumeria rubra seedling until the container is full of soil. Water the plumeria rubra plants thoroughly.
Place the plumeria rubra seedlings to a location in your garden that can provide at least four hours of sunshine every day. Allow the soil in the containers to dry out some in between watering.