Plumeria Soil Guide – Soil Mix & Requirements

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Blooming plumeria flowers with creamy yellow centers and green leaves, ideal for Plumeria Soil Guide.

The commonly known ornamental plant, Plumeria, comes in different vibrant and colorful flowers. Plumeria is not only famous for decoration but is also well-known as a valuable medicinal source. In the year 2005, over 14 million flowers were sold for ornamental purposes in Huawei.

Plumeria is especially famous for making lei (a wreath of leaves or flowers) for tourists in Huawei. As much as Plumeria is admired by people, it is equally hard to grow Plumeria in regular garden soil.

In this brief Plumeria soil guide, we’ll address all the commonly known inquiries related to the soil for Plumeria growth.

What Is The Suitable Soil pH Level For Growing Plumeria?

Although plumeria can tolerate a wide range of soil pHs, this does not necessarily mean they will flourish. The pH level of the soil plays a vital role in the proper growth and functioning of plants. Not only Plumeria but all plants bloom vibrantly in an appropriate soil pH.

The soil acidity or alkalinity is what determines the content of Nitrogen, Potassium, Iron, Phosphorus, and Manganese in the soil. All these nutrients are essential for Plumeria’s growth and functioning.

According to several studies, the most suitable soil pH for Plumeria is between 6.0 to 6.7.

Plumerias grow and function best in slightly acidic soil.

How To Know What Is The Ph Level Of Your Garden Or Potting Soil?

  • To know the pH level of your garden or potting soil, buy a soil test kit. A soil test kit will allow you to keep a track of your soil acidity.
  • Alternatively, you can also send a little amount of your soil to the closest nursery for a lab test. The nursery will run a test and will give you the exact pH level of your soil.

Note: Plumeria prefers to have slightly acidic soil. Too much soil acidity may disturb the nutrient intake of the plant. Therefore, testing soil acidity is highly recommended by expert gardeners.

How To Make Soil Acidic?

Once done with the soil pH test, decide what products you need to alter your soil pH level. If your soil is more acidic than required for Plumeria, you can use Garden Lime, Baking Soda, or Animal manure to make it less acidic. All these soil amendments work perfectly fine to make the soil acidic.

But if your soil is alkaline, use Peat moss, vinegar, or coffee grounds. All these soil amendments work best to make alkaline soil acidic. Acid levels can, however, become too high with continuous fertilization. In order to neutralize the effect, sprinkle some Epsom salts on the ground.

Every month, adding 1-2 tbsp should do the trick.

Soil Type For Plumeria

According to the Arboricultural Journal, Plumeria, or any other plant in general, eventually die because people don’t pay much attention to the soil conditions.

An acidic, freely draining medium is ideal. A commercial mix that is sandy can be effective. Alternately, you can make your own by mixing regular potting soil, pumice or perlite, and coarse sand in equal parts. Plumeria can suffer from rapid terminal dieback if not planted in a suitable soil mixture.

Being a tropical plant, Plumeria works well in moist or damp soil and doesn’t need high water content. Well-drained and aerated soil doesn’t let the water stay too long in the pot or container. Therefore, well-drained soil is the best for growing Plumeria on home premises.

If your pot or container contains too much water, it will rot the roots of your Plumeria plant. As a result, expert gardeners highly recommend using well-drained and aerated soil for Plumeria plants. For vigor growth and plant health, the right soil mix is crucial.

Cluster of white plumeria blooms with yellow accents, against lush leaves, illustrating plumeria soil needs.

Why Not Plant Plumeria In Clay Or Sand Soil?

Being native to tropical regions, Plumeria is sensitive to high water content. The clay soil doesn’t suit Plumeria as it traps the water inside the pot. Too much water can easily rot the roots of the Plumeria plant. Sandy soil is not suitable for Plumeria as it doesn’t let the rootball soak the required amount of water.

In such a case, the roots will be deprived of water, and the Plumeria will eventually die. Therefore, both clay and sand soil are not ideal for growing Plumeria.

Soil Mix For Plumeria

With thick branches and broad leaves, Plumeria grows and works best in fertile, aerated, and well-drained soil. To improve and encourage Plumeria growth, simply mix manure, organic matter, well-rotted compost, and sand in your garden or pot soil. All these things will improve the drainage and aeration of your pot or container soil. The ideal soil mix should let the roots of the Plumeria soak water and quickly drain the excess water.

To not rot the roots, excess water should be drained out of the pot in just a few minutes. The soil mix should also contain all the required nutrients for Plumeria’s proper growth and well functioning.

Leaf Mould

You can have compost ready for harvest the following year by collecting them in the fall. It will be a black loamy consistency and quite light by the time it is ready to use.

It usually drains better than garden compost and has a lower PH (around 6.3), which isn’t quite acidic enough for plumeria but is a great base for some simple soil additives.

Peat Free Potting Compost

For young plumeria cuttings, purchasing sterile compost from a garden center or online is an easy way to prevent bacteria in your frangipani plants. A good peat-free potting compost is difficult to achieve at home due to most homemade composts being either neutral or slightly alkaline and having high water retention.

How To Make Soil Well-drained And Aerated?

You can make a good soil mix that will not only maintain the right soil acidity but will also encourage the Plumeria growth by mixing:

  • Shells of cocoa beans or bark mulch
  • Any good potting soil
  • Animal manure (fresh cattle or sheep manure)
  • Clay soil or pumice
  • Sand soil
  • Bone meal or superphosphate

For Plumeria’s vigor and health, a good soil mix is crucial. This soil mix will retain plenty of moisture for Plumeria and encourage its rapid growth and overall plant health. If you want good results with less effort, you can also simply buy cactus soil mixed from your closest nursery.

The cactus soil mix works well for Plumeria growth and health as it also contains well-drained soil. You can also add 10% peat moss to your regular soil mix to enhance the acidity of your garden or potting soil.

The peat moss will increase soil acidity for the rapid growth of Plumeria. You can add peat moss to your container soil whenever you feel the pH level of your soil is increasing.

Conclusion

To conclude, a slightly acidic soil well-incorporated with manure, organic matter, well-rotted compost, and sand will surprisingly encourage Plumeria growth. If you are using a container or pot to grow Plumeria, remember to use a well-drained pot. The drainage hole at the bottom of the pot will keep the soil moist or damp. As said earlier in the article, Plumeria doesn’t work well in soaking wet soil.

With a little plant care and love, you can have plenty of vibrant and colorful flowers in the summer.

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