i have four different types of plumerias
1.a 4 year old(in a 15 litre container)when is the best time to transplant?
2.3.4. new cuttings from this spring and summer(giving beautiful leaves)
my question is....since i am caught in the plumeriamania is it reasonabal to make more cuttings of new colors that i find
in this season?
i am counting on building a small greenhouse but only with natural heating(captured sun)in a few weeks from now.....isnt it a time when growth starts to slow down...?so no external conditions(humidity and warmth will help?)
is it right that my first cutting taken around may only rooted and gave alot of leaves?but no flowers yet?
why in israel is the yellow and white type most popular?more than the red(i dont know names) has it something to do with sustainability to climate conditions? or insects?
how come that someone grew plumeria cuttings in a transparent bottle? i thought roots grow in dark environment?

David that's a lot of questions but let me try....

Transplanting, cutting of new scions and rooting is best done when the plants break their dormancy, here that is in early spring.
Plumeria are fine in the winter months with no water or heat, they are going to lose their leaves and go dormant.
Not every plant/tip will bloom every year.
The colors are dependent on the varieties that people have brought in. Maybe YOU can be the importer of many varieties of P. rubra into Israel and start a new trend!!!
Many people root cuttings in plastic bags or plastic bottles to be able to see when the first roots emerge, then transplant them. It is not my preferred method, however.

I have a lot of learning to do yet on Plumeria. I have spent some time reading thru the great threads here and better understand the plant. I have had my plants for some time and have topped them some years ago. Problem is I did not keep up with it and now the plants are about 14' tall. I had to break my neck trying to see the flowers this year. I now understand I should wait to cut them back, but how far back? I want to see the flowers next year, not just smell the scent in the air.

Plumeria bloom on the tips, therefore every tip you remove is a lost chance to see flowers that year.

If you could post some pictures it would help, but here is what I would do.

In early spring (end of Feb, you will see them start waking up) cut back hard; and I mean, if you want to see blooms again at eye level, you want to go down to about 2 ft. Those sticks will branch again but you won't see blooms that year. But you will have a bunch of nice cuttings, which you can trim to your desired size. Plant those after callousing them for a week or two. You could even stick them straight in the ground among your other Plumeria. Since those still have tips you will likely see blooms on them that year.

Recommendation for the future: Plant more compact cultivars.

Here is the best I can do on a photo. Photo shot is looking up at the second floor roof line...



I had cut this one back in the spring to about 3', but once again it peeks over the first floor garage roof. Looks good from upstairs window.

The one in your second picture is Plumeria pudica. I cut those back to 18" every early spring. This is what they end up looking like late summer.


Your plumeria in the first picture is suffering from lack of sun, it will always be reaching for the light. They should be in 100% full sun, ideally. If not they grow lanky, like yours.

Planting in 100% full sun is the problem up this way. I need a little overhead protection from the light frost that we get some years.

thanks for all of your answers to all of my questions......
we dont have any problem with the lack of sun...