Plumeria is one of the most beautiful tropical trees in the gardening world and is loved by every plant enthusiast. Though it loves summer and bears beautifully scented flowers under the right environmental factors, it’s not difficult to grow a plumeria.
Unlike other tropical plants, Plumeria doesn’t need much care. However, there is one thing that you need to worry about if you plan on getting a plumeria this summer: yellow leaves.
When you see yellow leaves on a plumeria plant, it means that there’s something wrong going on with the plant. What is it? Read on to find out why your Plumeria is turning its bright green leaves into yellow. 1. 2.
Why Are My Plumeria Leaves Turning Yellow?
Now, various reasons can enable a Plumeria to turn its leaves yellow, like little sunlight, mineral deposits, nutrients deficiency, little sunlight, and more. Below we have listed all possible reasons as to why your tropical Temple tree is turning its leaves yellow.
1. Inadequate Temperatures
As we previously stated, Plumeria is a tree that thrives best in tropical places. Simply speaking, if you live in a place where the temperature is always below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, then it’s not a good idea to get a plumeria.
These plants cannot survive the harsh winters and would soon die.
During winters, make sure to bring your Plumeria indoors and keep it covered so that frost doesn’t affect you.
Low temperatures can cause the leaves to turn yellow, which is not a good sign for a plumeria. Make sure to keep your plant covered until the last frost disappears or the temperatures go back to normal.
2. No Sunlight
Sunlight is another factor that can cause your Hawaiian Lei plant to change the color of its leaves.
If the plant doesn’t get enough sunlight, there are high chances that the older and younger leaves would turn yellow.
This mostly happens during winters, when you have to bring the plant indoors, with little to no sunlight. You need to keep the plant near a windowsill or in someplace where it can get bright indirect sunlight for at least 8 to 10 hours every day.
3. Mineral Deposits
The next reason as to why you see yellow leaves on your beautiful Plumeria plant is due to mineral deposits.
Now, this can happen if you use hard water that contains high amounts of Calcium, Carbonate, lime, sodium, and other minerals. Watering your plant with such water can lead to the formation of mineral deposits that can further cause the color of leaves to change.
How to know if your plant is suffering from excessive mineral deposits? You would see white crust or lining in the soil where you planted the tree. Eventually, it would lead the plant tissues to die and slowly, the leaves will slowly start to have yellow spots on them. 1. 2. 4.
4. Watering Issues
Whether you are underwatering or overwatering your Frangipani plant, it can cause some serious damage to your plant baby. We’ll cover both of them over here.
First, let’s analyze what happens when you under-water your Plumeria plant. As it is a tropical plant, it needs constant water to survive during the hot summers.
If the plant senses that it’s not getting enough water, it would start its drought stress system that can further lead to the curling of the leaves.
Besides, underwatering can also damage the roots as they would try reaching the water source underneath, leading them to break midway.
When it comes to overwatering, it can cause root rotting to the plant.
Excess water can make the soil soggy that would further lead the roots to remain standing on water, thus preventing oxygen and other nutrients from reaching the parts of the plants. Both situations can cause the yellowing of leaves of the Plumeria plant.
5. Infestation
Another reason as to why your Plumeria is turning into a bright shade of yellow is because of pest infestation. Several pests, such as Scales, Frangipani caterpillars, and various others, can cause the plant to change its colors.
These pests survive off the plant as a parasite and proceed to take away the nutrients from the plant’s leaves, stem, and other parts where there is enough sap. Due to this, the plant gets devoid of its nutrition and turns out to become sick.
6. Fungal Diseases
Fungal diseases are quite common when it comes to Plumeria plants.
There are high chances of fungus to grow near the plant and further take away all the minerals like iron and phosphorus from the plant’s potting mixture, thus leaving it to die. How to know if your Plumeria is suffering from a fungus disease? If you see a bright orange or yellow color tint on the top surface of the leaves, then it’s quite obvious that the plant is sick and needs to be treated immediately.
7. Nutrition Deficiency
The next thing that you need to worry about for your seemingly sick Plumeria plant is the nutrition it’s getting.
Lack of important nutrients can be a major cause for the plant to get sick, and the changing of leaf colors tells you that.
This can happen due to a lack or excessive amount of copper, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, and manganese. These are the major macronutrients that you need to take care of.
If you are underfeeding your plant, then the best thing to do is get a fertilizer that has a high amount of the stated minerals and mix it with the potting soil.
8. Root Bound
Plumeria is the type of plant that has a high growth rate. They grow really fast, due to which you constantly need to repot it from time to time.
If not done at the right time, then it can lead to root-bound.
Rootbound is the phenomenon where the roots get overcrowded due to a lack of space. Due to this, the roots do not get enough nutrition which further leads to soil depletion and then causes the leaves to turn yellow.
How Do You Treat Yellow Leaves On A Plumeria Plant?
Till now, you have got to know the reasons as to why the colors of your plumeria plant are turning from green to yellow. But, there are ways in which you can save your plant from dying. How? Here are some tips that would help you to save your plants before all their leaves turn yellow. 3. 4.
1. Improve Your Watering Routine
The first step you need to take is to improve your watering schedule. If you observe that your plant is suffering from soggy roots, then skip giving it water for a week.
It would help your Plumeria to drain out or use all the water and remain healthy.
In the case of underwatering, perform the moisture test before watering it. Wait until at least one inch of the soil is dry, and then proceed to water your plant. It would save it from suffering due to root rot or the development of fungus.
2. Pest Treatment
If you see any type of pests or infection on any leaves, start treating it immediately. The first step would be to remove the affected leaves, even if they are younger leaves.
Once you are done with removing the yellow leaves, start treating them with an insecticide. You can either buy an insecticide soap or make a solution at home using neem oil.
Wash or spray your plants with the solution and remove the insects from the plant. Use a brush or an earbud to remove larvae or eggs lying at difficult parts.
Once you are done removing everything, spray your plant with the solution for at least a week and see if there’s another pest attack.
Ensure that you keep the plant isolated throughout the treatment; otherwise, the pests would transfer to another plant and cause the same problem. 2. 3.
3. Proper Drainage
The major cause for a Plumeria’s yellowing leaves is root rot, mineral deposits, and overwatering. You can treat your plant properly by giving it a proper drainage system.
In other words, keep it in a pot that has plenty of holes to drain out excess water. Another thing you can do is use a well-formulated potting mixture that contains peat moss and coco coir, as both of them are good for draining out excess water.
Meanwhile, make sure to flush out the mineral deposits by spraying water on the pot at high pressure. It would easily clean up all the deposits that had formed a layer on the pot.
4. Change Fertilizer
As stated above, nutrition deficiency and mineral deposits can also lead to the yellowing of the Plumeria leaves. You can avoid that from happening by using a new fertilizer.
Compare the ingredients of your old fertilizer with several other products and then decide which one is best for your plant.
Besides, you can also contact your local nursery and get an expert opinion about which fertilizer will suit your plant’s needs.
By changing the fertilizer, you are changing the diet of your plant. So, make sure to do it slowly and see if it reacts to the new fertilizer or not.
5. Change Your Pots Regularly
As earlier said, Temple trees have a higher growth rate as compared to other tropical plants. Due to this, they need more space to grow properly without causing any overcrowding of the roots.
You need to change the pots regularly, like at least once every six months, to prevent the roots from overcrowding and to cause root-bound.
Root bounding is also a cause for yellowing of the leaves, and the only way out is to change your pots in regular intervals.
Besides, you can also proceed to plant your Plumeria outdoors if you live in a place that favors its temperature and humidity requirements. 4. 5.
Temple tree, Hawaiian Lei flower plant, Frangipani, are some of the most popular names for the beautiful Plumeria plant. They are known for bearing beautiful colored flowers that give off a pleasant smell.
Though this plant is quite easy to grow, it does have some specific requirements, which, if not met, can cause some serious problems. The most common issue with the Plumeria plant is its yellowing of the leaves.
Though there are several reasons as to why this can happen, you need to keep a constant eye on your plant. Besides, you should know about the ways to treat your plant and make it healthy again. 5.
Reference
1. All about Plumeria: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/2885/OF-24.pdf
2. Characteristics of Plumeria: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28335907/
3. Plumeria rusting: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30708832/
4. Yellowing Of Plumeria leaves: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/12415/PD-61.pdf
5. Medicinal properties of Plumeria plant: https://www.plantsjournal.com/archives/2016/vol4issue6/PartC/4-5-51-868.pdf