Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Need Some Advice How Best to Cut, Replant, 0 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
Good job, JP! In that last picure, those are branches that come in surrounding the inflo. Plumerias usually only branch when they are cut or when they flower.

Your flowers are very beautiful.

I only see leaves in the picture of the third trident line, but it could still bloom for you. When a plumeria flowers, not all of its branches will flower at the same time; some just put on growth.

About the cutting, you should always remove all the leaves except for the top ones so the cutting doesn't expend energy trying to keep those leaves going. The leaves will also release moisture from the cutting, which we do not want when a cutting has no roots. You want the energy directed to rooting. Also, nine inches is very deep to plant a cutting. The usual deepness is 2-3 inches. It probably isn't fully rooted yet so you could dig it up and replant it if you want a taller tree.

I'm attaching a picture of where I think you might cut next. You could start with the cuts indicated by the yellow line since you don't have flowers on those branches, but you may want to wait on the red line now that it is flowering so you don't lose some flowers by cutting the branch. I think this will eventually give you a much fuller plant, and you'll have new cuttings to plant also.

One other note: your branches do look very green yet so you could wait until the wood hardens a bit and the branches become thicker. You could cut as late as mid- to late-summer in your climate. HTH