Advice on frangipani/plumeria cuttings

[ArronOB]

Hi. In February I bought some frangipanis to grow in our front yard.

I went online to a specialised nursery and bought one of each of these:

Charlotte Ebert | Sacred Garden Frangipanis

SG White Orchid | Sacred Garden Frangipanis

Whirlpool | Sacred Garden Frangipanis

The reason i show these is because I suspect they are fairly specialised and hence rather finicky hybrids, and would probably prefer a more tropical environment then we can offer.

Anyway, they arrived as dormant-looking cuttings about 400mm long so I planted them in 8inch pots with potting mix and after about a month they produced a rosette of small leaves. A couple of months later it was mid-autumn here so the leaves fell off naturally. Now they are just sitting in their pots waiting for spring - and I have no idea what to do with them to ensure they have the best chance of surviving.

Some more background:

I think most of the local frangipanis end their dormancy later then other trees - maybe October or even November. Otherwise they grow well locally and are regarded as a good set-and-forget garden plant.

Our winter min temps are usually about 9-10 degrees celsius in July, although I have recorded down to 6 degrees Celsius.

Bringing them inside for winter may not be practical as all our windows are e-glass.

If they do well, I will plant them out as soon as they have produced four or so new leaves - November with any luck.

I realise I probably did the wrong thing buying these plants at the end of summer - never thought about it.

So can anyone tell me how I should care for these through winter - light levels, watering, temperature, fertiliser ?

My fear is that having already used reserves to produce one crop of leaves but receiving very little benefit from those leaves due to their short duration, they may not have sufficient reserves to do it again in a few months time. I suspect I may need to take steps to stop them declining during winter and maybe I will need to stimulate them to take action in spring.

Thanks

[Leafmite]

If they do not have leaves, just put them anywhere in the house that is 15.56'C or warmer (light is not important when they are dormant) and leave them alone until nights are over 12.78'C when you can put them outside once more. I might water mine once a month by accident during the winter but mine has done fine without water as long as it remains dormant. If you have a very warm room (again, light doesn't matter) and you bring them inside before they drop their leaves, they will not drop their leaves.
As I usually let them go dormant or have them in a very low-light location with leaves, I do not fertilize during the winter. If they do get leaves during the winter, I usually water a coffee mug's worth of water once a week.

[estación seca]

Agree with the above. Their natural history is a long, dry, sunny and warm winter leafless and dormant with a short wet summer. In cultivation they remain in leaf and growing as long as it is warm and they're getting water. In cold winter areas people bring them into the house and keep them dry all winter. Your windows won't be a problem for them dormant.

Your winters are warmer than coastal southern California, where they do well outside in the ground. There are very few species used in Plumeria hybrids so they all have similar requirements. But rooting is best in hot weather.

[ArronOB]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Your winters are warmer than coastal southern California, where they do well outside in the ground. There are very few species used in Plumeria hybrids so they all have similar requirements. But rooting is best in hot weather.

Actually I think our winters are cooler in aggregate - it’s just that we have less extremes. I think that would apply at any latitude. US climate has a lot of extremes.

Anyway, it sounds like they are essentially non-demanding when dormant. Thanks.