Hello Garden Experts!

I have recently propagated a plumeria from my mother-in-law's cuttings, however, I am worried that all our hard work will be wasted now that winter is around the corner. The plumeria has grown some flower buds, but none have bloomed just yet. I live in the bay area, and temperatures rarely drop below 40, but I am pretty sure that's still way too cold. I have recently purchased a small greenhouse to put on our balcony, as well as a thermometer & humidity monitor. I am not quite sure what to use to keep the greenhouse warm during the winter.. lamps? heating pads? horticulture bubble wrap? Bringing the plumeria inside is not an option, because our cats will destroy it. Any tips/tricks/suggestions on how to keep our plant alive would be GREATLY appreciated.

Hello rinamarie, what is the light orientation of your balcony? You can probably try using black drums of water so it will absorb heat during the day. But do understand drums of water will be quite heavy so try to know the weight limit of your balcony.

Also, Plumerias naturally go dormant during winter time, at times it is better to just allow it do so, and just wait for it to perk up again in late Spring. Our period of cold is not that onerous, so your unheated greenhouse will serve as a good protective area for any cold winds or rains, still keeping your plant the dryness it needs. You may have to ventilate a bit, so that not too much humidity is trapped inside. Plumerias are easily prone to black rot when it gets too cold and damp.

tarev is right, cold AND wet is bad; here in Florida where our winters are dry the plumeria are fine with 40 degrees off and on, but add rain to that and black rot is a real possibility. I agree, let it go dormant and keep it dry and frost free.

I just found an inflo on one of my outdoor plumeria plants. I live in the SF south Bay Area. The plant has not lost all of its leaves so it is not in complete dormancy. The inflo has five new little red leaves around it. Shall I bring it indoors and water it with the high bloom fertilizer?

I would delay fertilizers to Spring. Good to hear it is putting out an inflo, and it has tiny new leaves, just wait patiently, it is trying to wake up nicely. But overnight temps still too cool generally. The plants are getting confused as always, since they hardly receive good rain the rest of the year, and winter is our rainy season, so it wakes them up.