I have a curved plumeria branch that I'll be planted for rooting. The main trunk is curved and the upper branches are not pointing up (was cut from a side branch from the mother tree). I'd like to plant it so the trunk is vertical but then the branches will be facing sideways. Also the entire thing will be lopsided since there's no branches on the opposite side.

Thinking maybe I can secure the trunk with a stake tied to it and gradually tension the top branches with plastic garden tie tape to stakes so it straightens over time. Any thoughts?

Would growing the pot on it's side work to naturally promote a more even growth structure? or would it just end up with an S Curve trunk. ha

I know when mine are need water, the trunks have some flexibility.. but to try to bend/force it I would be afraid.

All the trunks are fairly pliable and the bottom is calloused so guess I'll try to plant it in dry soil with stakes to gently flex it in shape. Then should I water it once and wait until Spring?

If I end up having to cut the three branches for separate cuttings, assume the main trunk still produce new growth?

@Kalamodo, yes you can straighten with a green tie to straighten a curved branch. Just remember to adjust the tie over time so it doesn't leave a permanent mark.

Not sure where you are but it is best to wait until spring to try to root it.

Thank you. I wasn't sure if the cutting would stay flexible, so once the bottom calloused I placed it in a pot of dry soil with stakes just so the it's upright and I could try to straighten the branches with supports (like you mentioned as well). It's only been a bit over a week so should I just take it back out or just leave it in the dry soil without watering until Spring? I'm in San Diego, CA (zone 9b/10a). I have it in our south facing covered patio and we very rarely get down to even the low-40s at my house during Winter.

Keep it in dry soil until spring. My experience with a plumeria cutting, it can handle being dry until early spring. It has less chances of rotting if you keep it dry winter time. And once weather is above 50s you can water it once thoroughly, do not water again until it has 4 sets of leaves (0r leaves start to droop). You can place the pot on paver to speed up the rooting process. Bottom heat is important for growing plumeria cuttings.

When the weather warms up should this first watering be in addition to fertilizer?

Yes and you can also mix slow release granules on your soil. Remember to water them thoroughly once and wait until leaves are our before watering regularly.

Thank you Gigi. Any recommendations for the slow release granules. There's so many out there.

@drdawg uses Excalibur I think from Florida colors. I just use the Vigoro blooming (or high phosphorus) granules.

My experiment this year will be to use Excalibur IX for the first time. Time will tell whether I notice any improvement in growth and/or blooming. I disagree with folks who believe that high phosphate fertilizers are necessary (or even beneficial) for plumeria to bloom well (or for that matter, any other flowering plant). I experimented with bloom booster fertilizers a decade ago, fertilizing half my plumeria with two of these and the other half with a balanced formula. I saw no significant difference in blooming but did see a difference in plant growth and health. I saw less growth when using the bloom booster as well as smaller, more yellowed leaves. That was simply my observation and needless to say, this isn't anything scientific. Though I've grown and propagated 1000's of plumeria over a 30+ year period, I would suggest that you ask successful, commercial plumeria growers what they use on their own plants. I think you'll be surprised with their answers. Tex at 'Florida Colors' and Brad at 'Brad's Buds & Blooms' (the two largest commercial plumeria growers here in Florida) will probably be glad to tell you how they fertilize.

By the way, I fertilized all my plumeria (only 55 now) with Excalibur IX yesterday.

I would venture to guess that you might get better blooming if you begin your fertilization using a balanced formula and then after a month or two, augment that with a bloom booster fertilizer. The balanced formula jump-starts your plumeria growing and leafing well, and having healthier plants should increase the likelihood of blooming. I've never augmented my plumeria with bloom booster fertilizers though. That single year of using these fertilizers is all I have to go on.

GigiAdeniumPlumeria said: Keep it in dry soil until spring. My experience with a plumeria cutting, it can handle being dry until early spring. It has less chances of rotting if you keep it dry winter time. And once weather is above 50s you can water it once thoroughly, do not water again until it has 4 sets of leaves (0r leaves start to droop). You can place the pot on paver to speed up the rooting process. Bottom heat is important for growing plumeria cuttings.

I'm seeing small claws emerging on the tips!
As for the four sets of leaves should I wait for fully open green leaves or when the claws open as new leaves.

@Kalamodo, if you are asking when you should begin to water your cutting, in my experience it doesn't matter whether there are leaves or not, much less the number of leaves. What is important is the fact that there is active rooting. Without roots, your cuttings cannot utilize water. I cannot tell you the number of times that I've seen leaf growth and no root growth. Leaves will often begin to grow weeks before there are roots. Focus on the roots and not the leaves. When you begin to see roots, begin to lightly water perhaps weekly. Your cuttings should begin to get sun if they were not being rooted outside. As the leaves and roots begin to proliferate, increase your watering and begin to fertilize.

Thank you. Only thing is this cutting is planted in soil so I cannot readily see if rooted. Would it be safe to gently dig around the stem and check for roots?

What I've done for decades is simply tug on the stem to see if the cutting comes out of the soil easily or whether it resists pulling out. It if pulls out easily, needless to say, there are no roots and you just put it back like it was. If it resists dislodgement, you'll have to decide what to do next. If it's potted, it's easy to remove the entire soil "ball" from the pot and use your fingers to carefully remove soil around what might be roots. Regardless, plumeria are resilient and you are not going to really hurt the plant in any way. Once a cutting begins to root, it will continue to do so. I've rooted literally 1000's of cuttings over a 35 year period. But I've never rooted in soil for the reason that you've described, the inability to tell when rooting has occurred.