I have no problem cutting mine any time of year. Best time is early spring to early summer. I cut below the previous year's growth in light brown/grey trunk. The trunk sections can be rooted. The stump will resprout. Dave's tips are all good.

Personally, I'd leave it alone and get a bigger, heavier pot!
I had one in a huge pot for a long time. Yours has
branched, so let it be.

Or, give it a whack about halfway down. Then you'll end
up with two lower branching plants.

Even if you do that though, I'd still get a bigger pot.
Give them roots some room.

What's that hanging from the tree in the left of the
picture and another one at the very right. Can't quite
make it out. Staghorn maybe?

I also would consider the largest pot you are comfortable in moving when winter comes. I have some in 24 gallon containers.

You can cut, use the cutting, and both will survive as everyone else has said. I think you need to consider how you plan to display your Plumeria. will be a specimin in the background (then you want it taller and more branching from the point where it is now) or will you have it as a patio planting (short and bushy)? Answer that question and the rest is easy.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I truly appreciate everyone taking their time and responding to my post, and I will definitely bookmark this thread. We've decided that we'll let the taller plumeria run its course for this growing season, and then cut it back next spring.

To be honest, we know very little about these plants, but discovered them on a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, they sure do look awesome! We thought we'd start growing them, so these first few plants are our experimental, "trial and error" plants. We'd really like them to be shorter and fuller, so that they'd flower a bit more, so I will go ahead and cut the taller one later on. Larger pots are also on the to-do list!

qaguy, good eye! Those are indeed staghorn ferns. We started our first one about 20 years ago, which we then split into 3 a few years ago, and just one of them into two more, so now there are 5 hanging from those oaks. We love those ones, too!

Thanks again for helping me out everyone!

I too have a 7' tall plumaria (it was before I brought it outside - it's taller now) and is a bear bringing it in and out every fall/spring. It must be Aztec Gold because it is a beautiful fragrant gold with white flowers. I bought it as a stick for $5.00 2 1/2 years ago. I need to cut it smaller, but I hate to sacrifice the blooms! It hasn't even branched yet. I can't foliar feed unless I'm on a ladder or get my hubby to do it. If I can get it in this year without damaging it, I'll cut it in Feb/March. It's already 95 deg here and it might really stress it out. If anyone is close to Aiken, SC - they can have a piece!

RuthAnne

RuthAnne, you may want to consider air layering your lanky plumeria over the summer. Just roughen up (remove some tissue) an area on the trunk -- maybe 1/3 of the way around - you don't have to actually girdle the branch all the way around. This area will callous and form roots.

I had a plumeria that had a damaged branch. After a while I noticed roots growing out of it, so i wrapped it with Spagnum (sp?) moss, plastic wrap and foil (to prevent overheating in sun). I left it like that all summer. This branch bloomed like nothing happed -- while it was rooting. By end of summer, the spagnum was filled with roots. I cut off the plant and potted it up. I got my cutting rooted and did not sacrifice any blooms.

Interesting idea of air layering... I am interested to give this a try myself.

The other thing I have read about is "down grafting", where you'd remove a middle section from a long branch and graft the tip back on to the remaining branch.

I would be inclined to pick the option that is most likely to result in more branches on the host plant. I guess you could prune or air layer and end up with only one new branch. Or, you could down graft and end up waiting forever for the tip to bloom and branch again.

I have a hunch that we probably won't outsmart these plants... they'll do what they want :) I have one that I planted to be a centerpiece of my landscaping/garden, and it is ending up to be a lanky grower. I'm thinking it will be easier at some point to dig it up and give it away and replace it with something that has genetics for more compact growth.

I live in Western Australia.

I cut my Frangipani in the Spring. I removed on third, now for every branch I removed three have taken its place. I intend to do this every second year. The end result is a shorter thicker growth.

Jungle Jack Plumerias. He has a web site and ships. He carries an assortment of dwarf and miniature plumerias. Mine are 3' tall 3' wide with up to 15 branches and at least 5-6 flowering branches. Great for flower beds, pots etc. A bit expensive though. Buy a couple and use cuttings to keep your gardens happy.

Shirl's

WOW THIS IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR I NEED SMALL AND COMPACT PLUMIE'S UNDER WINDOWS . Right now i have them in pots great cuttings standard white and yellow i hear they cannot be cut to keep too low worried about that. That is all i need to be taught for now on this site as i have a lg. house and lotsa windows and don't want to block light from getting in. Any help much appreciated! First time on here not sure what to do "oops"

Shirley, I would recommend dwarf Singapore plumeria.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dwarf+singapore+plumeria&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS755US755&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd49PesJzaAhXrg1QKHSw9DfUQsAQILg&biw=1542&bih=1038

I kept mine inside the house during the winter and leafs does not fall off as normal plumeria during winter time. and flower throughout winter too.

Good idea by Kawagoe. Dwarf Singapore Pink is a great cultivar to have. You can also look for other dwarf cultivars, Dwarf Watermelon, Mini White, Thumbelina, and others.

kawagoe and other's, tx so much for your help on my plumeria dwarf info. such a great help i know have some direction on what to do i love this site for info. "wow" tx. guys i'll be back soon!

txndude,

I’ve been searching for an article on this exact topic for weeks now. I notice that it’s been a little over 7 years since you first posted this article. What did you wind up doing and how did it turn out?

A couple of years ago, both mine & my mother’s tree produced seed pods. I planted the seeds and almost every one of the seeds grew into very tall thin straight trunks like yours in the picture - only 3 have branched so far. I’ve had a lot of success rooting cuttings so I’ve been considering cutting the trees in half - hoping the top half will reroot and the bottom half will branch.

I live in Central Texas and just brought my trees in for the winter but planning on doing some pruning early next Spring when I bring them back out.

I actually don’t remembeR! But I still have all my plumeria and just this year I cut them all back. They were impossible to get into the storage area where I keep them. So now I have about 20 cuttings and trees that are about 5’ tall with many short branches. I’m giving a plumeria talk in February so I’ll raffle them off. I have some beauties but it’s just too much for me now at my age. Some I’ve taken to Florida and planted at my sons house. When you cut them they do branch out! Good luck!

I have several really tall plumerias that are about 10 to 12 feet tall and want to cut them down to about 2 to 3 feet tall. Can I do this without killing them?

they wont die, you will get new branches from the trunks. You can also root the tops as normal - even if they are 2-3 foot long. It might be a race to see which way gets to bloom first..

I have a coupla plumeria too tall to go into the storage area again this winter. I’m in zone 9, (South Louisiana) when can I prune and root before storage time for the best results?

Considering they are too tall for your winter storage area it would seem you have to prune in the very near future no matter what. i prefer to prune before or during active growing season so right now will be just fine. Some cultivars will die back from end of season cuts and you stand a better chance of rooting over summer than you do into late fall.

I would love to know more about down grating. I understand the how but don’t know the when. i chopped up one tree & rooted into 4 pots and now they are 6 feet tall. i dont want to lose the top leafy & budding parts so down grafting seems a perfect solution for me. so when should i do it? zone 9b Houston

I live in northern Virginia and i must bring my plumerias in every winter. That said, my largest and oldest plant is getting too large to get in through the door. I would like to cut it way back this fall without killing it. How much pruning is too much?

There actually isnt too much pruning for a Plumeria.

i ”pruned” the h*ll out of mine a year ago; like down to a foot from the soil. I basically chopped it down.

I then cut the parts I had removed into 1’ pieces. I let those dry out for 2 weeks & planted them in new planters. It looked like I stuck dog fetching sticks into planters, my neighbors laughed their asses off at me. Until I they saw the flowers on my now Plumeria TREES!

Which is why I need to down graft.

I think grafting works best when the claws are starting to grow… that way there is plenty of sap flowing. i did have success grafting to a small tree that way inside in winter. All my grafts have been on equal diameter pieces.. whereas a downgraft will not match.

For normal grafts you just need to match up the cambium layers, but that is not so obvious with plumeria.

what form of grafting cut is recommended when the diameters are very different ?

My Plumeria trunks? are pretty much the same size from the bottom up to where the branches, they’re not exactly ”branches” but the diameters are the same on the 2 pieces I am grafting together. Clearly I am not an expert though!

What do you do with plant you have pruned the plumeria cuttings from? Will it send out new growth? Is there something you put on the cut area?

it will send out new growth. I cut down to about 12” & I don’t think I put anything on the cut spot

Oh & I just left the stump part in the planter it was already in.

Hi,

My tree is out of control (I know there are worse problems to have). Last winter I could barely fit it into my house - it almost touched the ceiling! So, I know it's not going to fit this year, so I'm going to need to cut it down, but I'm nervous about how to cut it. The trunk is way too large to cut with pruning sheers. The trunk is 5-6 inches around. My husband said he'd just cut it with his reciprocating saw, but I'm worried that will be too harsh for the plant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I already have several "cuttings" from it from when it's been blown over by the wind and branches broke off.

Is it normal for a tree to have different color blooms from year to year? Last year was the first time it bloomed and it had beautiful pink flowers (see picture). This year when it bloomed it had creamy white blooms (see picture). With the plant being so tall, I couldn't even get near them to smell their beautiful fragrance!

Oh yeah, one more question that I believe was already answered, but I want to make sure I understand correctly. Since the tree is so tall, can I cut the trunk into three pieces - so the middle will be cut from both ends - and the it will grow.., right?

I'm relatively new to plumeria growing, but due to plants falling over, now I have 4 or 5 plants, but so far, only one - my original plant - has flowered. (The really tall one.)

I have no idea why these pictures came out SO BIG, but you get the idea. Those pictures were taken last season. They've been outside all summer, so I know they're taller now.

I have the same problem. I am following to get some feedback from your question....

Leave the rooted section in its current pot & put that away for the dormant seasson & it will continue to grow & will grow into the shape you want.

Take the cuttings now & store them until the growing season begins next year.

All should grow into the style you desire.

You definitely need larger pots, and I use Miracle Grow once a month or so..I also want to know when and where to cut.

I don't think it matters where you cut, there are no visible buds to guide you. New growth happens at the end if it does.

I did top once right next to 2 branches (so removed the center from a 3 pronged fork) and left a 3 inch stub, which never sprouted anything. This was in the Fall before I brought them inside the GHS.

Another time I did some grafts in the spring which broke off (outdoors too windy) and each cut stem sprouted afterwards on the mother plant.