By David Rodriguez
Guest Columnist

Q: I have a 3-inch plumeria plant with three leaves on it, in a 4-inch pot. I would like to know what kind of soil it needs, the size of pot, how and how much fertilizer to use and where to keep it for summer and winter.

A: Transplant from a 4-inch to at least a one-gallon container. You can use any good quality potting mix heavy with enriched compost. Fertilize with Osmocote in accordance with the instructions on its label. The one-gallon container should be fine until next spring. Plumerias grow and blossom best in full sun.

Bring the plant into a protected location when the temperature goes down to 45-degrees or below. An unheated garage is ideal. It will lose its leaves and will need enough water to keep the plant from desiccating, maybe a cup a month. When the temperatures return to above 50 degrees and no frosts or freezes are predicted, you can re-pot it into a five-gallon container to reside there for several years.

Q: Is it safe to use cedar sawdust and chips in the garden for mulch especially if we intend to go organic?

A: These are fine as mulch to use on top of the soil. However, if you incorporate the sawdust and chips into the soil without allowing them to compost (rot) before hand, you will need to add some supplemental high nitrogen fertilizer like 19-5-9 into the soil at the same time.

David Rodriguez represents the Texas AgriLife Extension Service as an extension horticulturalist with the Texas A&M University System. To submit questions, call the Bexar County Master Gardeners Hotline at 467-6575, e-mail questions to mg-bexar@tamu. edu, or visit the county extension Web site at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.