Hello, I live in Tallahassee FL, (zone 8b), and just bought two Jungle Jack's mini plumerias, a 'Pizzazz' and a 'Malika', both are his large size 5 gal plants. I plan to plant them In the ground in nursery pots so that I can pull them out of when the temps get low enough to damage the plants. This probably will occur during the months of January and February. I don't want to up-pot them every year. So what size pots are recommended for long term use before up-potting is needed for these two varieties?

I live in Florida also, in zone 10a. My opinion, for what it's worth, would be a minimal size up potting for this late in the season and next spring step them up when leaves start showing. Good luck.

FlaEd said:I live in Florida also, in zone 10a. My opinion, for what it's worth, would be a minimal size up potting for this late in the season and next spring step them up when leaves start showing. Good luck.

Lucky you in 10a! Can my two mini plumerias live in say 5 or 7 gallon containers their whole life? I read on a forum that someone said that he had a couple of plumerias that were about 20 years old, 8 feet tall, and in 5 gallon pots! He was growing them in Minnesota and having to take them in during winter months. I don't think they were mini plumerias as he was complaining that the plants were to big to be easily moved around each year. He had recently moved to one of the Carolina's and wanted to know if it was warm enough to plant them in the ground there. I'm going to plant mine in the ground but in nursery pots so I can pull them out and relocate them in the garage. Think my minis can live in 5 to 7 gallon pots?

From my experience this year I have several growing in pots, I wanted to see the blooms before I placed them in the ground, they started looking bad but after I stepped them up they flourished and many are giving me buds forming. I have pizzazz in a small pot and I can tell it's time to step it up or plant it, I keep it watered but it's dropping leaves. I don't know if our summers are too warm and a plant that is all roots in a pot start to heat up and affects the roots(we are in the 90's with feels like temps in the 100's). I would think if you were going to try for keeping it in the same pot you would trim the roots back each spring and give fresh soil , but that is a guess on my part. I don't know if this helps and hopefully someone that grows exclusively in pots can give you some input. Sinking the pots in the ground will help keep the roots cooler and prevents them from blowing over in our summer storms.

FlaEd said:From my experience this year I have several growing in pots, I wanted to see the blooms before I placed them in the ground, they started looking bad but after I stepped them up they flourished and many are giving me buds forming. I have pizzazz in a small pot and I can tell it's time to step it up or plant it, I keep it watered but it's dropping leaves. I don't know if our summers are too warm and a plant that is all roots in a pot start to heat up and affects the roots(we are in the 90's with feels like temps in the 100's). I would think if you were going to try for keeping it in the same pot you would trim the roots back each spring and give fresh soil , but that is a guess on my part. I don't know if this helps and hopefully someone that grows exclusively in pots can give you some input. Sinking the pots in the ground will help keep the roots cooler and prevents them from blowing over in our summer storms.

Thanks for the reply. I got my Malika yesterday and the Pizzazz today. Both were JJ's large size in 5 gal pots. I texted them and they advised to keep them in their 5 gal pots until next spring. In the spring I'm going to place the Pizzazz in a large Mexican talavera pot in my front yard. Including the pot that it's in it's about 3 feet tall. The Malika I'm going to plant in the ground in a 15 gal Pot-in-Pot system. Won't do this until spring though. The Pizzazz is supposed to be a "super dwarf" so I'll just keep it in its 5 gal pot and place that inside the big talavera planter.

sounds like a good plan, good luck