Tropicals & Tender Perennials: new to plumerias, 0 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
I would go from a 5-gallon to a 10-gallon or 15-gallon to a 25- or 30-gallon over time as the tree grows. A plumeria can live for a while in a 30-gallon container very well.

Yes, you can root prune and trim every year or every other year. I wouldn't start doing that until you get to a minimum of 15-gallon size though. In essense, all the people that dig up their plumerias in the fall are root pruning, and then they replant in the spring.

You don't always have to trim the top when you root prune. It really depends upon how much of the root ball you are removing.

Here is a picture of Paula's trees on dig up day. I saved it because it shows brilliantly how to treat tropical trees when you live in an area that freezes and when you don't have a large greenhouse. You can see all the plumerias that have been root pruned, and they will be stored this way until the following spring.

Plumerias are very tolerant to being rootbound, but they may not perform their best in terms of flowering or growing when rootbound for a long period of time.