I'm not an expert, but I let mine go out and stay out as along as it is 55 degrees or more. Make sure you acclimate your tree to the bright sun. Try it in a warm shady spot for a few days and then light shade (under a patio table can work great!) before putting it in full sun. Doing all this might be a little too cautious, but mine have to go from basement grow-lights to outdoors and that is a big change.

I won't put mine out without night temps constantly 50+.
Supposed to be 80 today so mine are catching some rays, I've been bringing them in the house at night.

I think I killed it by putting it outside... please look at my newest thread :(

I'm not leaving mine outside at night until temps are high 60's. I have about 20 loaded with inflos, so they go outside each day and back into the sun room at night unless it's around 67 or above. I'm not taking any chances this year. I didn't lose a tip, a rooting cutting or anything this winter and I want to make sure I don't blow it by jumping the gun and rushing them out.

If we weren't having any rain, I would but it looks like it is going to be a wet spring and wet and 50's, nope, not taking the chance.

Hi there,

I'm just going to share my experience with you. First year I near broke my back moving 80+ plumerias in and out , then up and down and side way! When the winter came I even hid some in the storage rooms, in my livingroom, garage and under my covered patios. I then covered them up with frost blankets on those extra cold nights. Everyone thought I was crazy! Then in the spring I carried the pots around chasing the sun. I lost 6 or maybe 7 that first winter as well as having to perform surgeries on a few due to black tips. As for cuttings I killed most of them despite buying the heating pad and misting them periodically inside the garage.

This past winter I left all the larger ones (18 inches or taller from the soil line) in the yard uncovered (meaning no frost blankets). The smaller ones went under the covered patio; again no frost blankets. NONE went inside the house and only the cuttings sat inside the garage. Ironically, I did not lose ONE tree this winter and all my three cuttings rooted! I just figured if they can't acclimate to my micro climate and just died then they are not meant to survive here. I can't baby 80+ plants!

Oh and while exposed many did not lose their leaves and continued to grow? I have inflos on Rhonda, Charlotte Ebert, Wizard, Tipsy, Divine, Elsie, Viola G. J105, and a few others I can't remember at the moment. So go figure.

That's great No-Clue! I may leave the big ones in the ground next year. They will just be too big to bring in if they grow as much this summer as they did last. No-Clue, you live in southern CA, don't you? How cold did it get? and did you have rain when it was cold? The cold doesn't worry me as much as the wet and cold ....and we often get a lot of rain in advance of cold fronts. Then they would sit there soaking wet with temps in the 30's and 40's. I am pretty sure that would be disastrous, especially for newly rooted ones, but perhaps not.

There is a house about a mile from mine and they have about 20 in a bed in their front yard. They are decent size but not mature trees. Most are around 3-4' tall with 4-8 tips. Northern exposure too. Fairly close to the house but I doubt with the Northern exposure it offered any protection. I kept checking on nights when we had 30's and never saw them covered once.

They all look ok, at least what I can see from the street. However, all of mine are awake and have leaves, except for about 7 sleepy heads and even their tips are showing signs of waking up. Theirs are out in full sun and we have had days in the 80's yet no sign of any activity on single one of them, which I think is odd. I wonder if there is tip damage and I just can't see it. I am keeping an eye on them, because if they did okay, I am going to try some this winter, not my favorites but common ones, and see what happens.I may just go knock on the door one day and ask if they covered them.

Powderpuff,

Mine were not even in the ground either! I just recently put some in the ground just because they were getting too tall. Looks neater that way.

I'm in Southern CA and yes we did not get much rain this year either. A few showers here and there and then that last storm that lasted 4 days but otherwise it wasn't bad. I also noticed that a lot of folks on or near my street all planted there plumerias and judging from the size of them they must have been there a few years. No one cover their plumerias either... so just decided to follow suit.

Yes this year has been strange! I have a few that never fully went to sleep... so they kept all their leaves. And some continued to grow through the winter that's why I got so many inflos already! I have been checking but I have not detected any tip damage. The rest are starting to wake up too. Last year my Hilo Beauty was the last to wake up and I thought for sure I lost that one. But this year she's the first to stir so I'm excited!!