Very good questions and so many things can work actually..

Karyn, some have just hung them upside down in their garages and not have to water at all..But that is in Texas with such a short time out of pots and a more humid enviroment. Short dormancy for sure..

My friend in Florida, he just bareroots all of his but his favorite two or three, and throws them all in a pile protected from the rains and frost, and doesn't even look at them till Feb...His do well too.

As for me, I have bare rooted one for experimentation pruposes, hung it upside down in a dark closet, sprayed the roots with water every couple of days, and that worked..

As long as you don't let the roots dry for too long a period of time to the point that the plant dehydrates more than it should, it will work. Remember to keep the roots deydrated since our winters are far too long and dry..Once it goes to the point where the stem is beyond wrinkled, it is almost always too late to save it..
That is how I lost a couple.

Maybe someone else here has had a good experience with this method in our region..

If you can not get many here to help, then for safety reasons, since you have never done this, I would just try this method on a couple until you get it down to a science..See how you do..We would be honored to hear you report back at the end of winter if you should go this route..

Goodluck...

Mike..;-)

Remember to keep the roots..."HYDRATED", sorry, typo error up thread...

Karyn, look at these plumies stored in texas..lol

http://www.emersonsplumerias.com/dyncat.cfm?catid=3171

I was going to say check out Emerson's site but Mike suggested above. No plastic on roots. I do not know but I think Emerson just leaves them dry. Don't know if roots are that active during dormancy until spring. Water could be more of a problem for fungus but I am just guessing. You might contact Emerson and ask him. He is a very nice guy. Bill click on link (same as mikes)

Here is a link that might be useful: Emersons bare root plumies

Thank you both for Emerson's link. I have one of his plumies that I've been waiting for a bloom for a few years now, Pink Nova. Mike your earlier post is what got me thinking about bare root storage. Mine are packed away from Nov - Apr or May. After looking at Emersons pics I wish that we heated the outbuildings at the farm. They all have those rafters and would be perfect for hanging the plumies but the buildings get way too cold and I doubt DH would go for heating yet another space for my plants. Do you think that sprinkling sulfur or some other type of fungicide on the roots would be a good idea? My storage space for plants in the garage shrinks as the kids possessions increase, especially sports equipment. Damn kids. lol

There is a guy in north Houston that has several hundred plummies, he digs them out of his garden every year and hangs them upside down in his garage. Seems he's up around Conroe where they have freezes but not really harsh winters. He then replants them all in about March. So his are hanging from about November to March. I can't imagine all that work every year. Must prune a lot.
Good luck with yours.
Tally HO!

I don't know about spraying a fungicde on roots until I call my nursery and ask for you.. Making the call now...:-)

Ok, this is what she said..

Don't do it!! They said there is no need too..In fact the owner there told she stores a few of her plumies "barerooted" too, and this is what she does.
She wraps them up in a thin piece of newspaper with an elastic, then sprays hers whenever the paper dries off..

Great idea..I am going to do this too...She says it keeps the roots "moist" while keeping them from getting overly dried out, and, not to wet..No problems for her yet..

I hope you get an idea from here some how...

Sounds like you live in a nice area.. A barn?
Away from the city life.....Sweet..;-).

Mike..

Mike thanks so much for that info. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. lol Actually I'm only 13 miles outside of DC but there's a lot of farmland here and I am surrounded by park property. Our farm is about 5 miles away. It's small, just 10 acres. I just wish my yard was bigger.

Awsome...I am sure you will have fun doing it to..lol

Have a great weekend and pray for the winter to hold off a bit longer!!

Mike;-)

Tally, I agree. I don't love anything that much to do all that work. I plant lots of things here on my 1-acre of land on Copano Bay, and what lives, lives, and what doesn't, gets replaced. That way I don't have to waste my time with plants that take too much work.

My plumerias stay in the ground and/or pots year round. I don't dig them up, and the ones in pots are in the greenhouse with very little heat. They have been surviving for 13+ years now.

Unfortunately, for those of us that don't have that avantage for our plumies as you do, all the work and effort in growing these beautiful plants is not just work, but a rewarding experience, especially when we can defy our cold North Pole weather and still produce amazing plants!!
Blooms a definate plus!!!

Yah..I would love to do the same thing you do if I had weather like you guys. Just leave them alone and let them do their thing with no effort required....lol. But snow starts in October many times here..

The thing about replacing the ones that don't make it through a season or two in ground, is what I do to all my perenials, sbrubs, and trees.....lol.
If it dosn't want to be tough, and survive with little work, once they die, see ya...Survival of the fitest...I am not replacing the third plum tree I have lost through a winter...So I hear you on that one..

Mike.:-)

Mike I unpotted 15 plumies. I didn't realize how root bound some of my plants were. Some of the severely rootbound plants had developed what look like tubers. Some were the size of a small potato. I've never noticed that when I've transplanted plumies in the past. Was it a response to being so root bound? I couldn't hang them but did make some chicken wire "shelves" so there's good circulation between the plants and they are off the cement floor which does get cold. It certainly freed up a lot of space. I just hope they do well over the winter. If they do I'll store all of them bare root next season. Thanks for the info.

Like Mike said not all of us live in climates that are appropriate for growing plumerias. I grow almost all tropical and sub-tropical plants but live in zone 7a so quite a bit of extra work is required but to me it's worth it. I'd love to be in zone 10 but that won't be happening until my kids have finished grade school and my youngest hasn't even started kindergarten yet : (

I live in Huntsville, north of Houston and have had good results by bare rooting. I dont store them upside down, i just store them upright leaning in the corner of the greenhouse on a wire frame. I keep a fan on them to prevent moisture accumulation and the humidity stays around 70 percent when closed up. I just learned about foliar feeding so Im hoping to have a lot more blooms next year. These are some pics I took as Im as trying to figure out how to store them for the winter. They are getting pretty tall.

another pic

Mine are in pots and stored in a spare bedroom. NO water over winter. It's a pain to move 60+ plants in and out each year, but worth it once they begin to bloom!!!

Eredneck - good looking plants. You might store them over winter and then take cuttings in the spring before you replant.

Lonnie

Nice! Thanks for posting that photo. That's a great raised bed you've made for them, too.

I'll try bare-rooting a few in the garage over winter and make sure they're off the concrete floor. EA, are you wrapping your roots at all or just leaving them open?

And how is it possible yours don't have sunburned leaves? Some of mine in full pm sun get sunburn so bad it actually creates crispy black sections on the leaves, especially if they've had no rainfall.

Lonnie, have you already accumulated 60+ plumerias? Or are you counting your other tender plants? I keep thinning out
the non-plumerias that need overwintering, lol!

Jen

Jen,

Only plumeria come in the house. I given away most of everything else. LOL
Yes, 60+ in two years! I'm sick, someone please help!
I did purchase several cuttings this year, a trip to California, and great deals from Florida.
Wife is a champ!
Lonnie

Ha! This is my second year and I only have 10 (course I did give some away). I feel positively sane. ;)
Next year I plan on planting at least 1 or more in the ground and storing them bare root down in the basement over the winter. Seems like an awesome trick and worth trying.

-Robert

you won`t get any help here on controlling your addiction!

Redneck those are looking good! You should come to the Mercer swap and meet Tammy and her hubby, they are total plumeria junkies, Emerson even has a pic of them on his site.

Emerson digs up the ones in his yard, he washes off the dirt, then hangs them upside down in his RV garage, he uses a wench to get that big Aztec Gold of his up there, the smaller ones in pots are just put in the same garage. No heat. The garage is shut and nothing is done to them until spring. He has a great pic of his garage with all the plumeria stacked up & hanging up.

I carry mine in if there is a freeze predicted, then I don`t want to haul them back and forth so I stick them in the storeroom, the corner of the library, behind the couch...wherever they fit and carry them back out mid-February or sooner if I need the space. If it rains they get wet, if it doesn`t they stay dry. Never lost any.

Hope everyone has a mild winter! We really do bad with hard freezes here, the plants you grow as houseplants are our landscaping, you know how badly they do in freezing weather.
Tally HO!

Jen, i dont wrap them, I just lean them up against the wall off the sand on an old chain link gate sitting on cinder blocks. veeeerry low tech. The bed isnt actually raised, just the windsor stones look that way. As long as they grow the leaves in the yard after i put them out, i dont get burned leaves, they love the sun. mine get full sun from 10 am to an hour or so before dark.
Beach- I would love that. The plant sale at the Mercer arboreatum? I made it one year and had a junkie attack over the ginger,and a lot of stuff I dont have room for.. plan on going back. thanks to you all, im loving this site.
oh, by the way, Edward...

"...he uses a wench to get that big Aztec Gold of his up there..."

Tally Ho! Really? Emerson uses a 'wench'? to help him. LOL! Where does one find these wenches? I could use more help in my garden too. But Alas, I guess I don't live close enough to fishing villages. LOL!

Wench: A voluptuous female pirate type woman, usally with a firey attitude, and usually seen around taverns and bars, seaside fishing towns, and wherever pirates roam.

If he uses a winch, that's another thing, but I like the wench idea. :-)

that would be me, I put on my 3 corner hat, lash on the baldric and cutlass and haul me some plumeria up that there garage aaarrrggghhh! Which reminds me, I need to oil the cutlass this week, it is starting to get a little rusty. What? Doesn`t everyone have a 6` pirate with a wooden leg by their front door and a cutlass hanging from the bedstead? I do live on an island known for it`s pirates after all. The eye patch is a truly useful item when one has a bit too much rum.

Redneck, we have a swap at Mercer every spring and fall, over across the street from the arboreteum at the park under the pavilion. This year the fall date is October 6. We have a potluck, raffle and a great time. We bring a couple of briskets, Alan brings water and soda, Jennifers hubby does the cooking, David drives down from Arlington with his famous cookies, everyone brings something. We swap all our extra plants for more stuff we don`t need and have no room for. Start around 9 or 10. Come join us, you`ll have a blast and meet a bunch of local, and not so local gardeners.

Tally HO!

yep, he got him a winch to go with the wench!

Edward, thanks for the extra info, and I'm sorry if I've asked that question before! Glad you found the forum.

You guys all make me laugh with the typos. Doesn't everyone need a wench to help haul all their plumies in? I personally use a brute and his tiny sidekick.

Mercer plant swap sounds fantastic!

You guys totally made me laugh and now I'll be thinking about pirates all day!

eith my spelling you should be entertained. i am putting Oct 6th on my calendar. I have some lantem?skeleton hibiscus pltted up and some red turks cap. couple of un named purple and white dendrobians started. we will see.
AAAARRRRRGGGGG ME MATEYS !!!! LOL

AAAARRGGGHHH! I`ll wear me pirate hat matey soes ye can recognize me.

Went to Emersons yesterday, he has ropes hanging from the ceiling to tie and haul the plumeria up. They cut the leaves off EVERY SINGLE plant! Haul up the big ones then pack in the smaller ones, shut the garage and don`t open it till spring. He said he loses some of the small ones every year if it gets to freezing as the garage is unheated. When he was working and in town year round he left them in the ground.

He told me you do sacrifice by bare rooting them. Those grown in pots year round or the ground do much better because they don`t have to use all that energy to form new roots, plus you lose a lot of old roots when digging them up.

Tally HO!
{{gwi:1223270}}

That's what I understood from him too. Kind of like pushing your peak bloom back by a month.

I hate to push my blooming period back, but i just cant store mine during the below 40 weather. I lost one or more each winter. im hoping the excellent sun and my new learned fertilizing skills will make the difference. i plan on coming by the sway across from mercer on sat.if anyone is wearing a pirates of the carribean halloween outfit early... .well, the nights are dipping down into the 60s so i know it wont be long before the orchids and plummies have to come. in. be good ya'll.. edward

When you have freezes it`s just not worth the risk of leaving them out. Just got the new PSA newsletter & good article about storing them in our area. We are lucky to stay warmer but the freezes every 10 or so years take a hard toll.

Speaking of winter, it`s COLD! 64!! I need a coat. Back to 80`s supposedly today.
Tally Ho!

Spoke to Billy this week, when I was down in Rockport, she is an experienced gardener. She told me that she stores bare root. She just digs them up, knocks the soil off, and store in brown paper bags, tied with string. I think Billy is in her 90's. I went to her grage sale on Friday, she had her belly dancing outfits and cowboy boots for sale. She is unbelievable. I want to grow up and be just like her. Barbra

I can spell garage, just a type-o Barbra

So you bought a belly dancing outfit? How cool! With cowboys boots is interesting.
Tally HO!