You can remove them from the pots, remove the dirt ,then "bare-root" store them.

John

you can go through a farm supply and pick up some frost cloth and make a cloak to cover your plants and get an extra set of xmas lights (big white ones) that you can put under the cloak and plug in to provide a small amount of contained warmth.

While you are at it, just make sure not to keep the soil constanly wet in cool weather....Beware of root rot..;-)

I just cut all the leaves off on mine, and for some, I just take them out of the pots, and stack them...I spray the roots once a week as they dry..Takes very little room. I even have some stacked standing up in a box, side by side...

Gookluck...You have an advantage in Texas, since yours will be stored in alot less time as mine..

A quick glimspe at a few of mine this winter..:-)

Here is an idea from another post...

http://www.emersonsplumerias.com/dyncat.cfm?catid=3171

In Corpus you shouldn't have to do anything with them. I'm in Galveston & mine are all in the ground. In pots, just keep them on the dry side & put them where they are protected from the north wind. I have some in pots on the back deck and they do just fine. I ignore them all winter. They are exposed to the full blast of the north wind.

Next year you might want to put them in the ground.

Tally HO!

I've had 2 in pots on the back patio in the Houston/Katy area for the past three years and the only thing I do is pull them under the covered part and throw a sheet over them if we are getting below freezing during the night. Haven't lost either of those 2...
I've got a new "babe" this year that's only a foot or so tall, so I'll probably be a little more careful with it this year, but will leave it outside to enjoy the sun as much as possible. It will probably come into the garage on those freezing nights, just b/c it's so young still.
Hope this helps :-)

I live just up the coast in Rockport. I am on the South Texas Botanical Gardens board located in Corpus, and we have a plumeria garden exhibit which is contracted out through The Plumeria Society of South Texas. Two of the officers on this board are friends of mine, and they are very knowledgeable about plumerias.

Every year The Plumeria Society of South Texas "put the plumerias to bed". Now I'm far from being an "expert" on plumerias, let alone on anything, but I disagree with this "ritual" OR SHOULD I SAY THAT I'M JUST TOO LAZY TO DO THE WORK INVOLVED? Yes, that's it, I'm too lazy. HA! I don't worry if a plant dies. I just replace it, so my advice might not apply to some of you. And I used to do all the "recommended" things to winter over plumeria, but I have way too many plumerias, orchids and other plant and not enough room to continue doing so.

Anyway my daughter lives in Hawaii and over the past 5 years, I've been out there at different times of the year and have observed the plumerias. They live outdoors year round, in the sun, in the shade, water, no water, no special treatment whatsoever, and they survive and look great. And yes, just like here on the mainland, they lose their leaves in the fall and remain bare until spring.

So after seeing how they grow out there, I decided to plant a bunch of them in the ground and the others that are in pots, I put into my greenhouse to overwinter rather than pull them out of the pots and over winter them in the garage or wherever. So far, they are all doing great.

And a neighbor of mine that used to live in Hawaii, planted one in the ground 13+ years ago, and it is about 15' tall today. It even survived our Christmas 1984 6" snow storm which we had here in Rockport. She is always cutting it back so I get to have the cuttings which I hand out to my gardening friends. It is a pretty yellow with dark-pink center plumeria.

So I think that I have to agree to leave them alone and see how they do. They should adapt and become a more hardy strain for our Texas coast. And if you lose one or two, they can be replaced. And if you want more information, contact the Botanical Gardens.

WOW!! what a great website!!! Thanks to all of you who offered your "opinion" as to Plumeria winterizing. I love to experiment with "different plants" and this is my newest guinea pig. The tempt. is supposed to dip to 37 degrees in the next few days so I better get busy.

In the fall I fertilize mine well with magnesium sulfate. I believe it adds at least a couple degrees of hardiness. I also save paper towel tubes. Wrap the plumeria tips in paper towels then tape closed one end of the tube and slide them over the tip. Plastic over the whole thing if it's supposed to rain then freeze.

Houstonpat- your paper towel tubes reminded me of a plan I had to make little bags like covers for golf clubs out of frost cloth to put on the ends of my plumie branches. Time marched on and then I had thousands of branch tips which became too much work to attack. But it still seems like a good thought. My only concern with covers was what amount of moisture would be held inside and would this cause a problem. Removing after frost danger would possibly work but again I have way too many now to mess with. Bill

My neighbors would need very tall ladders to do this to theirs! Mercer in north Houston leaves theirs out and does absolutely nothing to them in winter. People just freak out and think they are sooo tender. This is one tough plant, a cutting will bloom after sitting on a shelf or laying around the backyard. Called cemetary plants as they are planted in cemetaries in Asia. Native to Central America of all places.
Tally HO!

As each year goes by, it gets easier and easier for me to winter mine...They are all doing awsome resting in my cellar with just 3 hours of light, and are bare leafed.

I have them in a fast drying out soiless mix, that allows me to water once a week with not a problem...I am really excited this year for sure.

Everyone of them seems to be quite content.

I OWE my ability to care for these all to you. Thankyou everyone here!

As I sit back and read these threads lately,I am taking all this info in my mind and heart as I find myslef well equipped for the battle to keep them alive and well all the way up here on the COLD dark days of winter.

Thankyou!

Mike..:-)

34 this am, 24 with the windchill. I don't do anything to the plummies, they are in the ground and the ones in pots stay in pots wherever they are. If it rains they get wet. Haven't lost one yet. There are some on the island over 15' tall. Several I know of lived through the "great freeze" when it was below freezing for 7 days. Some of mine still have leaves and there is a red one blooming!

Tally HO!

Then your rain and freezes are much different from mine, unless God is protecting yours!!

Mike