Frostbitten, but not forgotten
Q:
My plumeria was frostbitten. The upper leaves and stem are dark green at the growing points and shriveled, while the lower stem is still green. How do I prune to avoid damaging the plant more?
Peggy Skiles, Yuba City, CA
Plumeria 'Dean Conklin'.
Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Blume
A:
Joe Freeman, chief horticulturist at Cypress Gardens in Florida, replies: It sounds like the original growing points of your plant have been killed or severely damaged. With my plumeria, when it got cold enough to damage the buds, spotty damage also appeared on the upper stems of the plant. Check for brownish, sunken, and wrinkled areas on the upper stems, which denote damage by cold. I suspect that the plant will produce several shoots after dormancy, but any arising in a damaged area will grow slowly.
Wait until the plant starts to sprout buds from the main shoot before pruning. Then, cut the stems back to the strongest shoot and remove all others if you want to maintain a single-trunked tree, or allow three or more stems to grow from the main shoot for a multitrunked specimen.
From Fine Gardening 59, pp. 12
