Q: We have a frangipani with several branches - all of which are healthy except one which has no new leaves developing and has withered in one section. The withering at the lower end is hard but becomes soft the closer it gets to the top. The end appears to be normal. What is it please? Peter – Adelaide.
A: This is quite a common phenomenon with frangipanis and I am really unable to ‘put a finger on it’. I could suggest that the problem may have occurred due to over-watering. Such withering and subsequent rotting of the withered tips of certain branches only, can certainly be brought on by excess watering of the tree or small plant. I inspected a similar problem in a friend’s garden in Sydney when I was there recently, and she swore that she had NOT over-watered her small frangipani tree. She did admit, though, that they had experienced a fair amount of rain over several weeks. That may have had something to do with it.
I have seen this happening on frangipanis that are not watered at all, and even when there has not been much rain around. I can only put it down to some natural occurrence on these plants, though it does not seem to happen on all frangipanis.
All you need to do now is to prune off the withered section. Cut the dead branch back into green wood, and close to the nearest ‘junction’ of the branch at it’s growing point off another branch. This will not harm your plant in any way.
