You might want to consider that some of the primary symptoms associated with root congestion are decreasing leaf size, shedding of the older foliage (which would account for the yellowing leaves), and reduced vitality. I wouldn't, however, be in a big rush to prune just yet - or repot. If you prune now, what grows between now and May is going to have rather long internodes due to the low light. If you wait until the end of May to prune, everything that grows after that (until fall) will have shorter internodes, due to the longer photo-period and more intense photo-exposure. If you get into the habit of pruning off the winter growth around Memorial Day each year, and doing your repotting around Father's Day or a little later, you'll be giving your plant the chance to be at it's fullest. I'm not sure how important the full cascading effect is to you, but I would cut the plant back to about a foot long this year, bare-root, and root prune; then get into the habit of doing the root work every 2-3 years. It's much better than potting up and truly does rejuvenate the plant. Also, Using a fertilizer that gets its N from nitrate sources instead of urea, would promote more compact and finer growth and increase the eye appeal of your already lovely plants. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is an excellent fertilizer because it supplies all the essential nutrients at the same ratio all plants use (when averaged together). This allows you to fertilize at the lowest concentrations possible w/o nutritional deficiencies, which is a very big plus when it comes to keeping foliage unspoiled by burned tips & margins. It also doesn't use urea as a N source, and supplies more than 2/3 of its N in nitrate form. The yellow leaves could be due to under-watering, over-watering, a high level of soluble salts in the soil, natural senescence, nutritional deficiency, the plant salvaging and translocating nutrients as it prepares to shed the leaves - due to tight roots. It would take some added input & detective work to figure out the cause(s), but I think you'd be better served by concentrating on getting your plant repotted into an appropriate soil, and getting it on a good nutritional supplementation program. If you do that, and water correctly, you can be pretty certain your plant will respond very favorably. The best growers are those who are most able at eliminating or reducing the effects of those things that limit a plant's growth. Every single plant you're able to do that for, unless it's genetically compromised, will shine. Al

re-reading, especially Karen & Bill (not that I don't appreciate everyone else--the bottle method really sounds interesting): I've gotten a little more courage reading Bill's final entry and understand much more clearly: essentially, plant what I have, 4" deep, in mostly perlite, water once, give heat & light. But Bill, Karen, anyone, do you think I'd actually be okay, cutting off a branch and make two cuttings? My 1st experience trying to grow a p. was with a Hawaiian Yellow (or was it Gold?). It was a disaster. I was told to try water rooting. Never rooting a Plumeria before, I do what I'm told. --usually when I water-root, anthing, I see roots within a few days or at the most a couple of weeks. And I keep clean water in the container. But this cutting sat & sat and did nothing. After a couple of months, there still was nothing. Since it didn't root, I was advised to take it out of the water; cut off the bottom to check for rot (the color inside was a beautiful white, so ok); soak it in hydrogen peroxide for a couple of hours, let dry overnight, dip the cut into a very dilute solution of bleach/water for good measure, then into rooting hormone and pot up in a sterile mix, setting the base 4" deep, watering once. I did all that. Poured a cup of water + superthrive around the stem, sat the container on a heating pad, and gave plenty of fluorescent light: both going 24/7. Within a few days, it leafed out. Since it couldn't have put out roots in a couple of days, I began misting the leaves on a daily basis, with tepid, tap-water. However, within two weeks the cutting went mushy. I checked; and, the entire inside was black. I suppose, even though I thought everything was sterile and the Hydrogen peroxide killed all germs, the cutting was attacked by some kind of fungus or mold, that must be in my house. If I divide this cutting, how do I keep the demise from happening to each of the new cuttings? (I do have some agricultural sulfur; also a copper, fungicide--as well as bleach and H2O4.) How long do I wait, for the wounds to heal before potting either cutting? Now, for my really, dumb (non-knowing about Plumeria neewbie) question: When growing flowers, usually the center is pinched out, so it will make more branches and more flowers. Making two cuttings out of this one, seems to be doing the opposite: fewer branches, fewer flowers. Thus, a branched plumeria will have more flowers and be more sought after. Why, then, is a single stemmed plumeria, preferable to one that is branched? Bob

Individual rosettes are monocarpic. They are completely recycled in the blooming process that goes on months. They die but lower branches will continue living. The roots do not die. I wait until the inflorescence has completely dried up from the top down, usually stoping about a foot below the inflorescence. Then I cut it off and shake them over some dry soil to propogate. I have volunteer babies growing all over my garden. They are the result of indeterminate crosses since I usually have one or more varieties blooming at the same time. Several germinated and rooted in a pot with a large golden barrel. The oldest of these squatters bloomed this past spring. Another Echinocactus grusonii has been similarly invaded. Golden Barrels and Aeoniums seem to like each other. ;-) My Cyclops has been in the ground for 12-years now and has bloomed one to five heads every February since around 2007-8. It is a small shrub, and makes new branches on older stems and from the root area all the time. Since I have not watered it for months, the rosettes are currently shrunken and closed up with very few leaves remaining as the plant seeks to preserve its growth points at the expense of leaves. It will be a few months before they look as big and open as yours again. Blooming rosettes start to change in mid-december and it takes about a month to grow the inflorescence. Flowers will open from the bottom up taking two more months to finish opening all the flowers. It is a great show and the blooms are truly magnificent. Some folks think beheading stops or slows the blooming process, but my experience says otherwise. The oldest rosettes still bloom on schedule, even in a new pot on a shorter stem. The bloom is smaller and less full, I think because the short stem stores less water and nutrients compared to the original stem. Brad

Gill & Crenda are right on. 8" pot sounds too large. It is not that they like smaller pots. The big pot is not necessary, and makes watering - in water retaining soil - more of the problem. Big pot = lots of soil = better chance of overwatering. For so much soil, the plant will sit in a 'muck' for too long, I suspect that's what happened to your plant. Forget the vermiculite (return it if you can - it is nor very good soil amendment). If you have to use C&S soil, please use a small amount of it (20, max 30%) and amend with grit & perlite. Many ppl mix it 50/50, but to make it better draining, decrease soil portion (especially if you have 'heavy hand' with watering can, as I used to too :)