My tree is getting tall over 6 feet and has 3 branches at the top and nothing else. I was given this tree 3 years back and its bloomed once and boy did it bloom and the smell was so prefect. Anyway, I want to cut the tree and see if I can get it to sprout on the main stalk. When and if I cut it, when do I do it? I'm in Georgia and its been a hot summer and tree is in great condition. Do I wait for a different season to cut and I'm pretty stupid asking this but when I cut, I want to root the cut parts. How do I make a root ball and what should I do to the cutting. Like do I water it daily, keep the soil moist till it roots, do I add anything to the dirt, do I use peat moss.. Beginner here so if anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Oh yeah, how do I force it to bloom more than once in 3 years?

Winkie131. First thing to do is to go into your "profile" and update it, putting your city/state and USDA zone. That way, every time you post, we'll know where you are. Location is important. I know you said that you were in GA, but unless someone goes back and reads this first post, they'll never know.

If you are going to cut the tree back, you need to do so now. In 2-3 months, our plants will be headed into dormancy, so you want the rooted part to have time to put on some new growth (tips) and leaves. If you can't do the cutting now, it would be best to wait until late spring/early summer. If you do take that cutting now, you won't need to water that "stub" much at all and I would definitely keep it shaded between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The stem will likely sunburn without those leaves atop it. I would say water it when the top couple of inches of soil is dry. To let it go completely dry will induce dormancy.

I can't tell for sure, but is all the "wood" of those three tips, green? If so, not having any mature wood (which would be more firm and grayish) makes rooting the individual tips difficult. I have rooted green-wood, but it can take quite a long time, time you really don't have. Thus you'll want to root the single, large stem with the three tips on top. I don't know why, after three years, those tips have not grown more, with more "woody" stems. Do you know what variety you have? I don't know any way to really make a plumeria bloom. They have their cycle but a lot depends on their growing conditions.

There are lots of ways to root a cutting and I don't know that there is a "best" way. For years, I rooted in 100% coarse perlite, with not a drop of moisture, other than to spritz the stem/tiny terminal leaves with clear water every few days. I have now started bagging my cuttings and I am primarily using damp, long-fibered sphagnum moss in that baggy. It remains to be seen whether bagging produces a rooted cutting any faster than the perlite way. I will know more by the fall.

Books have been written about growing plumeria, and there is no way to cover more than just cursory items here. If you have specific questions (depending on what you do right now), those are more easily answered.

Winkie131

I would wait and cut in the early spring. If you are looking to create a bushier plant, cut down to about 12-15 inches on the main trunk. This will sprout new branches quite soon at that time.
Depending on the length of the top section, I would say root it in its entirety.

You have a nice pink variety that somewhat reminds me of 'Miami Rose' - I'd need to see more close up pictures of the bloom to be sure. This variety tends to be a tall grower.

A well-balanced fertilizer will help your tree to produce blooms more than once every three years. And - I cannot say this enough - Plumeria like to be in FULL SUN.

So if you cut it, it will branch? I have one that I bought quite thick around the trunk and it's only that single stalk, about 3.5 feet tall. Kind of like a palm tree. I've only had it a month or so and no blooms (too late in the season, now?) but have been wondering what it's going to do. I've read that plumerias branch after blooming so I assume it's never bloomed. I sort of like the look of the palm tree plumeria but I'd love to see some flowers. It's supposed to be a rainbow variety.

They will naturally branch after blooming (usually in three, but sometimes 2 or 4) but when you cut off the top they will form new branches from the old leaf scars. The resulting plant initially doesn't have as pleasing a shape as a naturally branching one but in the long run you won't notice that so much.
I would wait until spring to cut.

I have to winter mine indoors soon. One of the two I have has shot up a flower spike. Will trimming or cuttings stop the flowers from blooming?

@DeDePlumeria. If there is some way to continue supplying lots of bright light and warmth, you can continue growing your blooming Plumeria for awhile. Last year, when I built my solarium, I was able to keep a half dozen Plumeria blooming until January. You might not be able to accomplish this but you might be able to continue to enjoy the flowers for a month or so inside. Ultimately the plant will have to go dormant, and the flowers/stalk will be dropped. That's just their nature.

I have to winter mine indoors soon. One of the two I have has shot up a flower spike. Will trimming or cuttings stop the flowers from blooming?

i have been nurturing or they have been tolerating me for 4 years and have gotten my first blooms on each of them in the last 12 months. What a great moment!

I forgot to welcome you to the NGA, aka ATP, DeDe.

I am not quite sure what you are asking about the flower spike. You'll have to tell me what "trimmings or cuttings" means. Perhaps if you simply explain how you will handle these two plants over the fall and winter months, I will know how to answer your question. There are more experienced Plumeria growers than I, so perhaps some of them will chime in with suggestions.

@DeDePlumeria. I am also in a cold winter zone and just started growing some plumeria this year. My White , (stands about 3 foot now) started an inflow in Late August/early sept and bloomed for the first time on Sunday . Our nights are cold now so i bring it in at night and put under T5 grow lights until 10:00pm and start them off again around 7:00am. When the temps get about 60 outside i have been using a small 'green house' / cold frame for it to spend its day until sundown. The temps rise quickly in the mini-green house so i open the lid and ventalate enough to keep it around 90. I too wanted to see it bloom but having one start so late in the year certainly posed a challenge. Ken is right, warm temps and bright light will keep it going.
Ive attached a few pics. Good Luck !

You have a beautiful Celadine there, Tim!

@box90, in my opinion you are doing exactly the right things to keep your plant going. That's a really nice yellow.

Beautiful Tim!

My plumerias are confused they think it is spring so I have a lot of late inflos and a couple false inflo.

Here is one no ID cutting from 2013 tag, first time I've seen the bloom. And my Hausten White (Wih 3 bouquets) and possibly "Miami Rose" (with 2 bouquets)

Hetty, Ken...

When i purchased the 'stick' it was labeled as a 'white'. Ken sometime back when my noid pink bloomed you said that all Plumeria will have some yellow in the center. So, is this a white or a Celedine? Is a Celedine all yellow with no white? I thought there as a lot of yellow on this one (more than white) so i wondered if it was mis-labled.
I do have two Celedine, but they have not bloomed yet. Maybe next year

Gigi, yours are considerably larger than mine.

Tim, if I said all plumeria flowers would have a yellow center, I shouldn't have used the word "all". I have some that are orange, red, and even brown. My whites and generally speaking my light pink all have yellow though.

The Celadine is now found with all kind of sizes and colors. I have been able to differentiate four sub-varieties in my own plants. Also the weather will alter colors and patterns. Heck, even the time of day will alter colors. The Celadine can be almost all yellow and almost all white. The only way to truly tell whether it is a Celadine is by examining the mature leaf borders. I think the Celadine is considered a "yellow" though. I have the Haustin White and Princess White and they are consistently "whites" with only the slightest of a yellow center.

Below are all Celadine and here's the leaf of the Celadine.

Box90 said:
all Plumeria will have some yellow in the center.

That is incorrect; there are plenty of plumeria cultivars with absolutely no hint of yellow. Here is one....

And I feel that yours is a Celadine which is classified as a yellow.

I stated that.

Thank you Ken and Hetty. I stand corrected.
Ken i looked at the leaf and from what i can tell, based on your photo... i probably have a White.







But these photos are from two other plants marked as Celedine and they look similar.

In my opinion, none of those leaf (border) patterns look like a Celadine, Tim.