Plumeria tree

My son in law has a plumeria and it is about 8 feet tall. He had it in the house in the winter months and now it is so large want be able to take it in this fall. How is the best way to prune the plant and to get starts from it? He is thinking about giving me a start and need to know where to cut the plant.

Sami

Hi Sami, I better let Paula answer this because she is an expert on storing plumies for the winter, and I am not. I believe she cuts hers back too before she brings them inside.

I think most cuttings for rooting are about 12 to 18 inches long. They can be single-branched or multi-branched.

Maybe Paula will see this and answer. In the meantime, here is a link about starting cuttings: http://www.plumeria101.com/cuttings101.html

Here are some greenhouse tips: http://www.plumeria101.com/greenhouse_tips.html

Thanks Clare
Do you know if you can cut different shootings off one stalk. His plant is so tall but the leaves are all on the top and was wondering if you cut it down at the end of the season and then cut serveral pieces off one stalk.
Sami

Sure, you can cut several pieces off one stalk. The tip top, where the leaves are, will continue to grow from the top. The leaves should be cut off, by the way, for rooting purposes. Only the very top teeny tiny ones can remain. The second and third foot or so will be what they call center cuts. Here is a picture of a center cut below. Center cuts root just as well as tip cuttings, but they do take a little bit longer. With center cuts, one or more branches will grow from around the cut.

When cutting it back to bring it in, I believe that your son will want to leave a basic framework of branches and leaves as many tips as he can because the tips are what will flower the following spring and summer.

Here is a link with more pictures of center cuts: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/center_cuts.php

Here is a picture that belongs to Paula. It is her driveway as she prepares to bring her plumerias inside for the winter. I believe she took these pictures last year. I also believe they have already been cut back. I hope this helps to give you some idea.

Wow. I will also need to store my plumerias (just a couple) for winter and am looking for tips for zone 7. Does winter storage of new cuttings mean that I am delaying blooms?

Andidandi, well, yes and no. A plumeria is going to bloom when it is going to bloom. I have mine outside all year, and some bloom in the spring, but some bloom in the fall. I don't think I get flowers sooner than anybody else. If you have a greenhouse and can keep them going through the winter with lots of heat and light, then, yes, they can bloom in the greenhouse when nobody else has them blooming (except other greenhouse growers, of course), but when you bring them out of dormancy in the spring after being stored, they wake up and will bloom if given the proper amount of light and fertilizer. Here's a link about winter storage: http://botanictreasures.com/psa/PCB.pdf/plumeriacare_bulls.pdf