When does my Plumeria branch out?

Plumerias branch only after flowering and only in about 80% of all cases.

Plumerias grown from seed first grow upwards like a candle. In very few cases, young seedlings already branch. However, these are only 1-3% of all seedlings. In very young seedlings, 70% of all cases can be branched by cutting off the shoot tip.

Generally, however, they grow until the first flower and then branch out into 2, 3 or even 5 new shoots. Unfortunately, it can also happen that a Plumeria / Frangipani does not branch with the flower, but continues to grow steeply upwards.

Can't you also force a branching?

Yes, you can do it by cutting off the shoot tip. However, the new shoots will then simply "not look nice" because the plant will then sprout from 1 to 4 old leaf shoots below the cut and the rest above will remain as "stumps".

So if it is not absolutely necessary to prune the frangipani, please do not do it. A natural branching looks much nicer than a manual one.

Can my Plumeria still branch later on an old leaf shoot?

No. It is very rare for adult plants to sprout small shoots from old leaf shoots, but 90% of these are rejected again or do not grow any further. It is therefore very rare that a new shoot develops somewhere on the stem of an adult plant.

A branching after a cut.

Natural branching on a frangipani

Branching after a flower