Hi everyone,

I have a plumeria that I brought back from Hawaii 6 years ago. It's in a pot with optimally mixed soil and usually grows fairly well, producing new leaves around March and it also bloomed last year. This year, however, nothing happened at all, so after careful consideration and research, I decided to prune it in early May. I was a bit unsure about where to cut it – some sources said just above the node, but that would have meant cutting 2/3 of the plant, since it only has one forking node at about 30cm (12in) high. Eventually I only cut about 20cm (8in) off the top, so now there is about 40cm (16in) between the node and the two cuts. It turned out that one tip I cut was totally dead (black) and the other didn't look too good either.

It's been five weeks now and the "branches" look unchanged – I don't even see a hint of new buds on the sides of the branches. The stem and branches still feel firm and I've been watering them moderately with fertilizer about once a week, though I have cut down on the water since there are no leaves to evaporate it. The weather here has been somewhat mixed, though it is getting quite warm now.

Is it normal that it takes this long to produce new leaves? Should I do something?

Hope somebody can help me out here 😊

Cheers,
Linus

It definitely takes a while depending on the variety. I have some that take easily a couple months, and some that take just a few weeks to start to show bumps on the side. As long as it is firm and not darkening, just give it time.

Ok, that's reassuring, thanks!

NXValiant said: Ok, that's reassuring, thanks!

Try not to get tempted to water too much if there are no leaves unless it is getting bone dry. I try to keep it not wet so it will not rot. Bottom heat is important when rooting plumeria cuttings. So if you can put the pot on a hot pavement, it might develop root faster. Also sometimes
it would produce inflo first than leaves.

GigiPlumeria said: Try not to get tempted to water too much if there are no leaves unless it is getting bone dry. I try to keep it not wet so it will not rot. Bottom heat is important when rooting plumeria cuttings. So if you can put the pot on a hot pavement, it might develop root faster. Also sometimes
it would produce inflo first than leaves.

I didn't see your reply until now, unfortunately I kept watering it, just without fertilizer. Will stop that now. In general, there is still no change and one of the tips started to darken, so I cut it. Other than that the stem still looks strong, but three months seem like an awfully long time, no??

They typically produce leaves quickly. 3 months is ridiculous! Without images I can not say for certain but I think that is has died. So sorry.

Pictures would be great. I have, however had some cuttings that took 8-12 weeks to start growing. Even had a few that shriveled up like a raisin before they started growing. Some of those are 6' trees now. I would definitely stop watering it until it decides what it wants to do.
For example, this was cut about 6 or 7 weeks ago.

TeamCll said: Pictures would be great. I have, however had some cuttings that took 8-12 weeks to start growing. Even had a few that shriveled up like a raisin before they started growing. Some of those are 6' trees now. I would definitely stop watering it until it decides what it wants to do.
For example, this was cut about 6 or 7 weeks ago.

So this took a while because for some reason I don't get notified of replies. But the situation is unchanged - the plumeria still lives (I think), but the tips have continued to shrivel up, darken and then get cut by me. I have hardly watered during that time, but of course it's also not so warm anymore, so I don't think anything can happen before the spring. What do you think?

Looks to me like when you pruned it, it was in the "green" area of the branch. That is always tricky. You want to prune in the "gray" or woody area that has already hardened off. Green areas will usually shrivel and start to rot back. It doesn't look dead, but I would surmise that it is dormant. Don't expect to see any changes until spring. I also don't know your location.