hello and welcome.

40's are not a problem at all. if you start to get into the 30's I would watch them carefully and think about protection. Frost can happen above 32 and can cause some damage.

mike

Based on your description I would say you are just fine to leave them in that microclimate.

What size containers are they in and do they have a greyish woody appearance on the main branches? For future reference anything that is in less than a 5 gallon container I would not expose to routine night time temps below 40 or wet conditions and routine temps in the 40s.

My threshold to protect a plant which is about 4 years old and by then typically in a 12 gallon container is at 38 degrees. Anything above that is fine anything below is flirting with damage. Frost can happen as high as 35 or 36 degrees depending on local conditions. Hope this helps and good luck with them. In the summer when you have blooms be sure to share with us.

okie dokie, thanks for your help mksmith and kms2!

they're in no.15 containers and yes all of them have the grayish outer layer. I will certainly protect them below 40F.

with my daytime temps swinging up to 70-80F, is watering them okay once they are bone dry? I use a moisture meter to test and would only water in the am. All of them have large leaves and glistening tips that are pushing growing claws, but with the overnight temps, Im hesitant.

A simple solution to cold is to put a sock on each growing
tip (if you can). Of course, this will get you even more
inquisitive looks from the neighbors.

I have used this trick more than once and haven't lost any
yet. Mine are in the ground though.

I did have a couple of tips get frost-bit last year, but the
plants shrugged it off and kept on going. I was out of
town and an unforeseen cold snap caught us unawares.

It's not the best way to get limbs to branch, but that's what
happened. Most of them sprouted 2 or 3 new branches.

With this nice warm weather we're having, I've given mine
a drink or two lately.

What Sunset zone are you in?

My assumption but...socks could only be used on branches without leaves? For some reason I thought I read in your original post that they had leaves which is one of my decision points in deciding to water and how much watering. But now I don't see it. I would water as well. If concerned you could lightly water along the inside edge of the container. This typically takes the potential of moisture building up against the main stem of the plant and causing rot during cold dormancy. But again based on your description the plants are not in full dormancy anyways.

I'ts great to hear they are in #15 pots. IMO many people undersize the container for various reasons. I think the larger size the container and older the plant gives a person a wider margin of error.

kms2 yes you're correct, the plants all still have multiple, large leaves so I have given them a small drink. I definitely live by the rule no leaves=no H20. The #15 pots are more cumbersome, but I agree with you on pot size.

Thanks!

also, with leaves on the tip, it is tricky to cover them with socks so I tried wrapping the sock around like a scarf after lightly coaxing the leaves close to the branches and it will suffice come cold temps.

thanks for your help!

Hi Plumeria peeps! I have a 2year old plant and it’s in the early stages of a cluster of flower buds(1-inch). Unfortunately our recent night temp has started going into the mid to low 50s. Do you think I need to bring it indoors at night to keep the flowers going? (Day-time temps is in the 70-80s. )I’d hate to see the flowers drop (it’s the first on this plant). TIA!

i live in north Texas have in pots several plumerias in very large containers one tree is 12 or 15 yrs old about 8 ft tall i put them in my garage during the winter but got them out due to very warm weather now we are due for a cold snap of 41degrees im freaking out they extremely large and im worried

i have 25yr old plants (multiple) in a 10gal pot (lol, really!) i started them from cuttings and hauled them in and out in fall and spring for many years (minnesota) . I've been in south carolina for 10 yrs now, and hauling the dang thing inside is no small task. wondering if i can get away with planting them in the ground and not losing them in the winter. anyone with experience in SC?

I feel your back pain but it is very risky. Go to weather.com and enter your city name to get local information. Then click on "monthly" at the top. When the new page displays, scroll down to a graph that shows average annual monthly lows in your city in blue and record annual monthly lows in gray. These numbers should be well above freezing for a plumeria. Plumerias will die if exposed to temperatures at or below 32F. They may suffer injury at temperatures below 40-ish (more or less; watering deeply the night before can help prevent issues; quick dips down and back up are not as bad but are risky) or injury due to late frosts. I touched base with relatives in Greenville and Columbia and they said it was too cold in winter for plumerias. Hilton Head, SC and Savannah, GA were also too cold. See what numbers you get when you enter your city name in weather.com and review the information. The most you can do if planted outdoors is to cover with frost cloth or even sheets (this can be a problem if the plant is too tall) and somehow safely provide a heat source under the cloth/sheets. There is a plumeria obtusa that is native to the US but it only grows in Florida. Typical plumeria USDA Zones are somewhere around 10 or 10B or warmer. Or you could try selling/giving the plants to someone in FL... as long as the person can come and pick them up.