Soil temps must be warm -- like at least 65 degrees. Night temps (lows) must be at least 55 degrees. It also helps if your plants are coming out of dormancy already. Too cold, and your plant may get stressed and the tips may show 'black-tip'.

In my area, I usually wait until at least mid-May, but I'm colder than you.

I agree with you Dave. I live in zone 6 which is even colder than you, and I wont put mine out till May. Last year we had a very warm spring and I had mine out by the end of April. The thing is I cannot afford to carry them out and hurt my back so I am waiting this year so I don't have to worry about lugging them in and out.

Joan, another thing is if you have any plumeria with inflos you won't want to put them outdoors. Just as Dave said the shock would ruin them. Many of my plumeria that have never bloomed are going to put on there first show this year so I am being really careful about not letting them go out too soon.

Best of luck to you with whatever you choose to do!

Andrew

Thanks Dave and Andrew. I was only thinking of air temp -- not how cold the soil would still be. I will wait. If the plants have made it so far, they should be fine a few more weeks. I am just so impatient now that things are warming up.

Joan

Joan, the guys are right. It's a bit early for your zone. I'm trying to transition my big ones this month before I put them in ground because even here the ground temps are still cool.

The big one I bare-rooted over winter was put into a pot of soil first. The pot stays above ground where it'll warm up during the day. Then when we get really hot here (May, haha!) it'll be put in the ground along with all my other big, woody ones.

I hate how long it takes before I can set these out. I'm too impatient, but if I'm patient, my plants are better off.

I have mine in pots and I can place them in warm spots under eaves on the South side of the house when I first move them out. Then once the weather settles and soil temps are warm (think time to plant watermelon or plant out sweet potato starts), then I can put them out into the ground.

Hi Guys and Gals!!

Jwhite... i would wait like Jen and Dave (Andrew) and transition your barerooted tree. First you need to pot it up and let it acclimate it to the soil and then transfer outside.
Jen is right. Let it sit and get used to the temps and then when it warms up.. out they go!!

OK.. Honestly, i put mine out last week and was worried. We had temps into the 80's for the last four days and the nighttime temps into the high 50's. They are outside for good!!!

Only exception.. Kapalua if it needs to be brought inside!

;-) The smaller ones from cuttings are in the green house and the large 6-9 footers are all on the deck. They are looking good and i was worried about bringing them out myself. Last year i brought them out to early and did the dance (5) times.. Yes, 5.... I thought my back and my DH were going to put me into the hospital. One for physical pains and the other for Cough, cough, mental.. LMAO!!!

The are looking good, but i would wait in your area for a few more weeks.

Good Luck!!

Laura

Thanks everyone. I am really glad I asked and took your advice. Even though it was almost 90 today, temps in the 30's are forecast for the end of the week.

Joan

Yeah, what is up with all these freak cold snaps this spring? We went from high 80s to a forecast low of 38 on Friday night! In late April in TEXAS, for heaven's sake! I think it'll be a record low, following at least one record high this February. Weird.

Oh, well, if I have any delicate flowers out there, they're just gonna have to deal with the crazy temps. It'll help me decide which ones aren't worth the hassle.

It must depend on the variety I have left my plumeria's outside all winter long and they are just putting on their leaves. We are ranging between the 80's and the 40's. My cuttings are just thinking about putting up leaves and all my friends whom I have given cuttings think their cuttings are looking bad because they are not putting up any leaves at this time. They will just have to get use to how long it takes before they leaf. As soon as we get hot weather I expect to see lots of leaves as well as flowers. In our area we just have to be patient and wait as they will tell us when they are ready. If it was my plant and it has started to put on leaves but was dimpling due to lack of water I would have to water that plant.

I put two in the ground the first weekend in March and a few more over the last few weeks. The soil temp at that time was around 60 degrees. These were also very mature and woody plants and had just received a major root pruning. As expected they have been a bit slower than ones in containers but are coming along just fine.

I would estimate my soil temps around 65-70 now.

One year I put my plumerias in the ground in early April because it was so consistently warm and they did well. For the most part I keep all my tropical plants potted until it's consistently warm out (days all in at least the 70s and all nights well above 50F.) When I put tropicals in the ground before that they don't get much growth and plumerias are usually late to leaf out to begin with so they can use as much warm as they can get to give them the signal to start growing!
-Alex

I`m usually out planting in Feb. but this year has been so weird! We had a warm, mild winter and now it`s the coldest it has been all year.

The plumeria acted like magnolia, kept the leaves all winter and then dropped them in the spring when the new ones sprouted.

Stay warm everyone!
Tally HO!