My Plumeria has grown all winter and even produced flowers throughout the winter months. Some people say it is best to allow them to go dormant from November to February, but in my opinion, grow them year round if you like. If you do allow your Plumeria to go dormant, then there are certain steps you need to take to insure your Plumeria is safely put away for its rest period. The first step you need to take is to decide what day you will want your Plumeria to be stored away for the winter. After that, you will need to root prune the plants that are in the ground by cutting vertically with a sharp spade into the ground at the perimeter of the root ball. After this, you will need to wait until one week before you are ready to bring your plant inside. At that time, cut all the leaves, except the very top ones, off about one inch from the limbs, allowing the stubs to turn yellow and fall off on their own.
Should your Plumeria be growing in a pot, and you want to leave it in the pot for its dormancy period, you will need to make sure the roots are trimmed back to the weepholes in the pot, just be sure it can get adequate air circulation. You might also want to keep an eye out for pests if you decide to go this route.
Should you decide to store your plant bareroot, you will then need to shake all the dirt off the roots, and then you can decide if you would like to bag the rootball. However, this is not necessary. You can hang your plant, lay it in the pot, or any other method of storage you choose as long as it has good air circulation around it.
Once March is here again, it is time to revive your dormant Plumeria. You may notice some shrinkage of your limbs, this is perfectly normal. The first week of March you will need to root prune your Plumeria and repot it. After that you need to fertilize weekly with a product such as Feed with BR-61, SuperBloom, or 1/4 cup each of Super Phosphate and Bone Meal if your plant is in a five to seven gallon container. You will need to adjust your fertilizer if your pot is smaller or larger. The last week of March you will need to feed your Plumeria some Epsom Salt(MgS04). The Magnesium found in this is a core element of chlorophyll, which is what makes plants green. You should follow the same feeding schedule in April. You should notice bud formations by the second week of April.
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