I dont think plumerias will like clay pots because they will just break most of them when the get older. Give it a pot at least 2 or 3 times wider than the pot its in now. A 1-3 gallon pot should be good. They grow pretty fast. Some are more compact so they dont get as tall, but the ones that are less compact can get 4 or 5 feet of new growth a year. These plants arent too heavy even at a height of 7 or 8 feet so as long as its dry (so it isnt as heavy) you can take it inside. Take it in to a room that stays above freezing. They dont mind being cool, but should not be allowed to see temps in the 30s. In a cold room, all the leaves will drop off, but the plant is still very much alive as long as the stem isnt mushy. Also if its in a cold room dont water it much and if it has no leaves dont water it at all. In its habitat it loses its leaves during the dry season and is used to getting very little if any rain at all in its dormant period.

I would not prune it this year because when you prune it, it delays blooms for about a year. You can prune it every year to keep it small and you will have a nice full plant, but you wont be able to see blooms on it until the pruning is stopped. I would prune it when it gets too tall to go inside so you can continue to bring it in every winter.
They are great plants and their blooms are amazing especially when you grow them yourself!

Good luck!

Thanks - I will go out today and buy a nice sized 1-3 gallon pot! Also, I just realized I had a typo where I stated my cutting size, which is 8", not 8'.

So if it grows 4-5 feet in a year, I won't need to prune it this year.

Thanks!
BettyLu

BettyLu - most plumerias grow one to two feet a year unless they are seedlings. I agree with tropicalzone 7 that clay pots are not good because the roots stick to the clay and the clay draws out moisture rapidly. The black nursery pots are best until the plant gets 4-5 feet and then it can go into a glazed pot, or you can set the black pot into a decorative pot and cover the top of the black pot with soil mix. Bill

Darn! I already planted it in a nice ceramic pot with an attached saucer... should I take it out and put it in an old nursery black plastic pot then?

I did indeed notice that it was hard to get the roots to come un-stuck from the clay pot I started with - so no unglazed pots for me.

If they only grow 1-2' a year, I might have bought too big of a pot. I thought it would grow more than that and I didn't want to have an unbalanced look with a tiny planter and a bushy top growth. The new pot I purchased is about 10" across. Obviously I can change it easily right now since the roots are contained in the space of a 5" clay pot. So what do you think... move it to black plastic and just set it inside the pretty glazed pot or leave it like it is?

BettyLu

First, an attached saucer is not good. Plumerias need to be very fast draining which is why soil is mixed with pumice and or perlite and needs to have no moisture retaining stuff. Secondly, a large pot holds moisture much longer than a small pot and dampness during cooler times is danger so I go 1 gal up to when it gets top heavy then to a 3 or 5 until top heavy then to a wide 7 and then root pruning comes into the fact unless it goes into the ground. Your 10" pot is not too big but the attached saucer is a no-no. I would transplant into a one gallon black pot and set it in the new pot but take it out to water. Bill

I did add perlite to the soil mix... but I will do as you suggest and move it to a black plastic pot and simply use the glazed pot for appearances. Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it.

Plumeria sure are different from other plants I have grown!

BettyLu