Help! I have 2 potted plumerias that are about 30years old. I live in New York so they are outside in the summer and I bring them inside in the winter. They have bloomed and therefore branched out many times making them tall with a wide canopy. Because they are in pots they are top heavy and blow over in the wind. So I weigh them down with bricks when outside. Over the years, I have repotted them to accommodate their growth and I now need to find a pot that is sturdy enough to hold them without being too heavy to carry it outside when filled with soil and the tree. Does any one have any suggestions.

I'm in the same situation. I hate to cut them down and have to wait a long time for the branching and blooming again. I'm afraid that's our only option though. The pots can be made to weigh less by filling the bottom part with styrofoam before adding the soil. It only helps a bit.

sbistgc

I grow all my plumerias outdoors but almost all are potted plants. So they do get top heavy.

Since not all of my plumerias bloom all year round, I invested on some heavy ceramic pots. I just pot the "black nursery pots" grown plumeria inside the ceramic pots. This helps me rotate the blooming ones versus the non blooming. Also I can move the plumerias and the pots separately without breaking my back.

GigiPlumeria said: @sbistgc

I grow all my plumerias outdoors but almost all are potted plants. So they do get top heavy.

Since not all of my plumerias bloom all year round, I invested on some heavy ceramic pots. I just pot the "black nursery pots" grown plumeria inside the ceramic pots. This helps me rotate the blooming ones versus the non blooming. Also I can move the plumerias and the pots separately without breaking my back.

I have a few that are already top heavy and they aren't nearly as large. I put one in an empty ceramic pot and the other gets bags of rocks surrounding it's pot. I move them all indoors every night. At my local Lowe's they have little bases with wheels on the bottom for heavy large plants to be easily moved, not sure if that will help.

Thanks for your comments. I think I probably will have to prune them. Having spent so many years cultivating them, pruning feels like I am cutting my babies.

You can definitely prune them and root the tips. I wonder if it is possible to sort of air-layer them?! I saw a pic of Adeniums in Asia with damp paper wound around the branch and tied . I tested it on my large jade: 1.5" trunk. I wrapped some Saran Wrap too over paper and loosely tied. And then Dribbled water from top ev few days to reset the paper. And i got roots! The reg air-layering with moist sphag might rot the branch, but this can be nifty for layering nice triples off the top safely.

It can definitely be done. My advice for that is, after it roots and you cut it off, let the bottom callous like you would any other cutting before repotting it. I was successful this year with an air layer, but potted it immediately after removing it and it rotted.

How long did you have to wait for those roots? That bag looks like about the size of pint deli tub? So It will support the cutting while it's callusing! Great!
I have air-layered very fat philos that tend to rot at the stem, so I stuck the bottom end out of a cut hole in quart tub and filled the tub with mix. And stuck the top container into another heavy pot so that the stick was not touching and was in the air. And waited like a month to be sure. And then finally repotted it hiding the bottom end.

In my case the trunk was split and roots were already forming, so I just gave them the soil they needed to continue spreading. So, I really didn't have to wait that long. Maybe a couple weeks. The soil bag was about the size of an average grapefruit. I also had it staked with bamboo for support, which I do with all my plumeria, no mater the size.

It's a pity you lost it as it had an inflo too.
Thanks for clarifying! I don't see much on air-layering plummies, so it's good to know that it's doable.