How to Care for a Singapore White Plumeria
- 1). Select the appropriate container for your plumeria. Make sure there are ample drainage holes at the bottom. Plastic or fiberglass pots are a better choice than terra cotta or concrete, as you may need to move the plant around. Plumeria is technically a tree, so you should choose the largest pot that can safely be moved, according to the Phoenix Tropicals website.
- 2). Select a location that gets some sun, but is sheltered from scorching rays in the heat of the day. A location on a patio--underneath overhanging trees that can provide dappled or filtered afternoon shade--is ideal.
- 3). Use a light, porous, fast-draining potting soil for your Singapore white plumeria. Make a hole in the soil at least twice as big around as the root ball and set the plumeria in the pot, making sure you are planting it at the depth at which it was sold. Backfill around the roots, tamping the soil in place firmly, but not pressing so hard that you cause it to be compacted. Sink a stake behind the plumeria and tie the plant to it with twine. Keep the stake there until the plumeria is established---generally for at least a year--in order to allow it to grow straight until the roots can anchor it on their own.
- 4). Water your SIngapore white plumeria well after planting, and water it at least twice a week in the summer, irrigating thoroughly until water runs out the drainage holes. Empty the saucer after watering to avoid root rot. In the wintertime, when the plant is dormant, watering every two weeks is a good starting point. Monitor the plant to make sure it is not drying out.
- 5). Feed your Singapore white plumeria every month during the growing season using a high-phosphate, water-soluble fertilizer. Refrain from fertilizing in the wintertime when the plant is dormant.
- 6). Prune your Singapore white plumeria lightly, if desired, to shape.
- 7). Watch your plumeria for black tip rot, indicated by growing tips turning black, which can strike plumerias in the spring. Simply move your plumeria into a location with more sun, which will dry out the fungus that causes black tip. If the disease persists into summer, and it is too hot to place your plumeria in direct sun, you can treat the disease with a commercial fungicide.