Plumeria - best time to trim in Southern California?

[Tracy]

This in ground plumeria needs a little trimming to keep it contained to the desired space.  It is losing leaves and flowers due to the cool nights we are getting this time of year.   My thinking is the best time to trim some unwanted growth is when it goes dormant.  

My guess is the best time to cut is before I get spring growth with completion of leaf drop being the second best timing.   I am curious if there are different recommendations for this climate?

[Silas_Sancona]

48 minutes ago, Tracy said:

This in ground plumeria needs a little trimming to keep it contained to the desired space.  It is losing leaves and flowers due to the cool nights we are getting this time of year.   My thinking is the best time to trim some unwanted growth is when it goes dormant.  

My guess is the best time to cut is before I get spring growth with completion of leaf drop being the second best timing.   I am curious if there are different recommendations for this climate?

Best time to prune is very end of winter / early spring, right as the weather is warming up, and as the tree is about to break dormancy.  Any pruning, other than to remove damaged wood  this time of year can invite trouble.

Using your shots, If the goal is more upright growth, rather than letting it continue reaching out lower down,  this gives you a rough idea of what i'd consider cutting off..

Hard to tell in shot 2 how many of the branches are reaching out, rather than moving upwards though. Regardless, just be sure the end result is balanced.




 

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Best time to prune is very end of winter / early spring, right as the weather is warming up, and as the tree is about to break dormancy.  Any pruning, other than to remove damaged wood  this time of year can invite trouble.

Using your shots, If the goal is more upright growth, rather than letting it continue reaching out lower down,  this gives you a rough idea of what i'd consider cutting off..

Hard to tell in shot 2 how many of the branches are reaching out, rather than moving upwards though. Regardless, just be sure the end result is balanced.




 

Thanks Nathan.  Yes the goal is to go a bit more upright.   It is currently growing weighted in the direction of the rock parking area too.  I will be patient since winter solstice is approaching. 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Thanks Nathan.  Yes the goal is to go a bit more upright.   It is currently growing weighted in the direction of the rock parking area too.  I will be patient since winter solstice is approaching. 

  ..You might also pose the question to someone w/ the S. Cal Plumeria Society, just to get their take on things.. Pretty sure they have a crew that can do free trimming ..though it appears they are currently pausing requests due to a back log of ..requests, lol.

Just finished trimming off the majority of remaining leaves on mine ..Time for a nap kids..

[mnorell]

Tracy, I agree with Nathan...you can cut it now and store the cuttings in a cool, dry place until the warm season returns, but his point is well taken that opening up the existing plant during its "weak period" is probably not a good idea. Because you're so close to the coast, you'd really have to wait until June or so to pot them up outside (or stick them in the ground) and hope for rooting. Probably better to make the cuts in, say, April, and then root them either in your house or in a greenhouse, if you have one. Also, cuttings will strike most easily when you have a "woodier" cambium, as opposed to the soft green skin on younger growth. Both can work, but larger branches may be easier. Just make sure they dry out for a week or so, then dip in/coat with a strong rooting powder or gel and use a very coarse/rocky medium. There's a decent amount of info, including lots of 'tricks' and methodologies for best rooting, at the various SoCal plumeria societies, from people who have mastered the process. Out here in the desert it's very easy to root them in Spring by just sticking them in the ground, but as you I'm sure know by now, the cool coastal zone places its own demands/constraints on the behavior of this genus.

[Tracy]

All good input.  At this point cuttings are rooted for future gifts.  No space for more in this yard.  The focus will be on shaping the in ground plumeria. Every year is a little different but with an El Nino firmly in place,  I sm still anticipating a wetter than usual late winter.   That is despite the drier Autumn that we have experienced. I will wait until the arrival of spring and reassess my pruning goals at that time. 

[mnorell]

Good call. Those of us who grew up in SoCal, or have lived there for decades, know that autumn rains are usually teasers or pale imitations of what may lie in store…that the rainy season doesn’t start in earnest until January, and that March is commonly the wettest month…we shall see!