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Home / Seasonal Gardening / Overwintering Plants / How To Bring A Plant Out Of Dormancy

How To Bring A Plant Out Of Dormancy

By Amy Andrychowicz | 20 Comments

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Some plants are much easier to overwinter in their dormant state than keeping them growing through the winter. But, waking up dormant plants in the spring can be a challenge. Don’t worry, in this post, I will show you exactly how to wake up dormant plants without killing them.

How To Bring A Plant Out Of Dormancy

Our winters here in Minnesota are very long and very cold. I have a large collection of plants that I overwinter inside the house every year.

But keeping all of those plants thriving through the long winter months can be a lot of work.

Controlling houseplant pest infestations and watering, watering, watering during these long months can sometimes become quite the chore.

To make life a little easier for myself during the winter, there are a few types of tropical plants that I let go dormant right in their pots.

A few of my favorite plants that go dormant during the winter are my brugmansia, plumeria, peppers and tuberous begonias.

Preparing brugmansia plants for winter dormancy

Preparing brugmansia plants for winter dormancy

During their dormant phase, the plants require little care, which makes winter plant storage so much easier! And, since they drop all of their leaves, there’s no need to worry about bugs or leggy leaf growth.

For most of the winter, I store my dormant plants in a dark room and water them sparingly (if at all). Then in the spring I drag them out of the basement and start waking them up (break their dormancy).

Bringing plumeria out of dormancy

Bringing plumeria out of dormancy

How To Bring A Plant Out Of Dormancy

At some point during February or March (whenever I think of it), I will bring the plants out of the dark room and into a room that gets filtered sunlight.

During those few months, it’s not warm enough to move the plants outside, but allowing them to see some sunlight is their first cue to start waking up.

When you force plants to go dormant over the winter, it’s best to wake them up slowly in the spring. If you try to force them to wake up too quickly, it could do them more harm than good… and could even be fatal to the plant.

Dormant plants in winter storage

Dormant plants in winter storage

Tips For Bringing Plants Out Of Winter Dormancy

  • It’s best not to overwater a plant during it’s dormancy period, this might cause it to rot. Give it a good drink of water when it’s time to start waking it up, but make sure the excess water drains from the pot.
  • Once the plant starts to put on new growth, begin watering as you normally would. This is also a good time to give it a light dose of fertilizer, like compost tea or an organic general purpose fertilizer.
  • Don’t put a dormant plant directly into full sun, this may burn the stem and leaf buds. When you first move the plant outside, place it in a spot where it will initially be protected from full sun, wind and rain. Then gradually move it to it’s full sun location over a few weeks, giving it plenty of time to get used to the intense sun.
  • Once you move the plant outside, if the temperature will get below 45F, move the plant back into the house to protect it from getting too cold.
  • Winter growth will be weak and may burn off once you have moved the plant back to it’s full sun location. This is normal. You may choose to prune of the weak growth from the plant, but it’s probably not necessary.
  • If your plant needs to be repotted, this is the perfect time, and repotting will also help to break dormancy in plants. Most plants will grow just fine in a general purpose potting soil, but you can look up the best type of soil for the specific plant you’re growing.
  • Don’t feel bad if a dormant plant never wakes up! It’s frustrating but it happens to the best of us.
Brugmansia plant in dormant state

Brugmansia plant in dormant state

It’s a bit of work to overwinter dormant plants and wake them up in the spring, but it’s worth it. I get to enjoy my favorite plants every summer, and it’s much cheaper than buying the same plants every spring.

More Posts About Overwintering Plants

  • How To Overwinter Sweet Potato Vines Indoors
  • How To Overwinter Coleus Plants Indoors
  • Overwintering Tropical Plants Indoors
  • How To Store Dahlia Bulbs For The Winter

How do you wake up dormant plants in the spring? Share your tips in the comments below.

Overwintering plants in a dormant state makes winter plant storage much easier, but bringing plants out of dormancy can be challenging. Follow these easy tips for how to wake up dormant plants without killing them.

About Amy Andrychowicz

I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. I’m a passionate gardener who loves growing everything from vegetables, herbs, and flowers to succulents, tropicals, and houseplants - you name, I've grown it! Read More...

Comments

  1. Nancy Klein says

    February 20, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    Hi~
    Our neighbors moved and gave us their plumeria plant about a month ago. It’s inside, (we live in Southern CA) and still had quite a few leaves. Over the last week, more and more leaves are turning yellow. We have barely been watering it. It’s almost the end of Feb., so is it going to have a dormant season now?
    By the way, your information is super helpful! I’ve always been afraid of Plumerias, but having been gifted one, we don’t want to kill it.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      February 25, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      As long as the stem and branches are firm and healthy, then I would say your plumeria is indeed going into dormancy. Enjoy your new plant! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Joseph says

    September 14, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Excellent info about plant Please subscribe Me to your newsletters

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      September 23, 2019 at 11:25 am

      Great to hear you found this article helpful! You can sign up for my newsletter here… https://forms.aweber.com/form/21/888339921.htm

      Reply
  3. Di says

    February 10, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    When is the best time to plant the sticks of plumerias I have 6 new ones from Hawaii

    I have one coming out of Dormancy but it didn’t loose all the leaves I have 3
    It is February 10 2019
    Any help is great

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      February 22, 2019 at 12:38 pm

      Here are instructions for propagating plumeria cuttings. They don’t always drop all of their leaves during dormancy, it’s totally normal for them to keep some of the leaves during dormancy. Here’s a post I wrote with all the details about how to care for them… Plumeria Plant Care Guide

      Reply
  4. Olwyn Fleury says

    October 22, 2018 at 1:20 pm

    I have a Plumeria that has never bloomed but has 7 or 8 leaves. It has taken me all summer to get it this point and I’d rather not have it go dormant. Some leaves are mottled due to the few coldish nights it spend on our screened in porch, but now I have it under a plant light in an east window, with a small humidifier nearby and a new leaf has opened. Is this how I should keep it growing over winter? Will this hurt it in the long run? Also how often do I water it over winter before it goes outside again in May? I live in Toronto Canada. Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      October 29, 2018 at 11:07 am

      Winter dormancy is part of the normal lifecycle of plumerias. So, even if it doesn’t drop all of it’s leaves, it will still go into some state of dormancy. I have found that it’s much easier to work with the natural lifecycle of the plant. Dormancy doesn’t stop plumerias from flowering, so there’s no worries there. Here’s a detailed post that I wrote about how to grow and care for plumerias, which give all the details about how to grow plumerias, including dormancy and how to get them to flower, and tons more… Plumeria Plant Care Guide

      Reply
  5. June says

    August 31, 2018 at 2:42 am

    Hello Amy,
    I have a problem with my Plumeria.
    I bought it last August and it was full of leaves but no flowers.
    The overwintering process went perfectly, and waking it up also gone as you’ve described, on March I brought it to light, on April it started to produce new leaves that grew up very slowly, and on June I put it in the sun behind a sunny window, I don’t have outdoor, and the watering and fertilising go regularly as well.
    The problem now is the leaves are still not growing! They reach to one inch long, stay closed, and eventually they turn yellow and fall off.
    It’s still producing new leaves, but I’m afraid the time is gone to see any big green things, and it will become dormant again soon.
    What did go wrong?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      September 6, 2018 at 2:33 pm

      Oh no, sorry to hear that your plant is struggling. I wonder if it has a bug problem. Spider mites are very common on plumeria leaves, and other pests sometimes can attack them too. Take a close look at the leaves and see if you spot any webbing or bugs. If bugs aren’t the issue, then make sure you’re not overwatering it. Take a look at my detailed plumeria plant care guide for more information and help with troubleshooting problems.

      Reply
  6. Shirley Mendez says

    August 9, 2018 at 4:55 pm

    Hey I got some pivet shrubs shipped in dormant stage. I put them in potting soil & watered them. Got them in sun maybe half a day. Is that good or should I move them. How long should it be before I see life in them?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      August 15, 2018 at 8:56 am

      Humm, I’m not familiar with pivet shrubs, so I have no idea how long it will be before you can expect to see signs of life on your dormant shrubs. I would keep them out of the hot afternoon sun until they wake up and start to grow new foliage. Put them in a shady location, or a place that gets early morning and/or evening sun only. Good luck!

      Reply
  7. KATHY says

    April 13, 2018 at 11:55 pm

    My plumerias are having trouble waking up this year. They have all sent up bloom stalks but no leaves. Looks kind of strange. Should I be worried?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      April 26, 2018 at 8:29 am

      No, you don’t need to be worried. Blooming plumerias it a good thing. 🙂 Sometimes they bloom before they grow leaves. The leaves will follow soon.

      Reply
  8. Joyce says

    July 23, 2017 at 8:35 am

    I’m still waiting for mine to come out of dormancy in July. It has leaves starting but won’t budge. I live in Az. This is a new plant, I started last summer.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      July 26, 2017 at 11:25 am

      What type of plant are you waiting on? It’s hard to know for sure without knowing what type of plant it is… but if it has leaves, then it’s alive so you could try potting it up, giving it fertilizer, and/or giving it more sun to help break it’s dormancy and trigger new growth.

      Reply
  9. Ash says

    April 20, 2017 at 9:29 am

    Awesome and Informative article. I have stored 5 Brugs in my cold dark cellar all winter long. Recently, when i pull them out I noticed two of them have wrinkled trunk and stem, where as rest are green and firm.
    Not sure if the wrinkled brugs are dead ….what would you suggest ?

    I am in Tornto,Canada(Zone 6b)

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      April 26, 2017 at 3:13 pm

      Thanks, glad you liked the article! I would still try to wake them up. Give your brugmansias a good drink of water and move them to a sunny spot. Don’t give up on them until all the others have started to grow leaves, and it’s clear they are goners. I hope they will wake up for you! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Amy Andrychowicz says

    April 19, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Hi Alison!
    Great question! Don't worry, your brugmansias are fine. You don't have to force dormancy on them, you can keep them growing during the winter. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I only force mine to go dormant so I don't have to worry about caring for them all winter. Last fall, mine had aphids really bad and I didn't want to deal with them all winter. No leaves, no bugs. 🙂 Here’s a detailed post about the different ways you can overwinter brugmansia plants.

    Reply
  11. Alison says

    April 19, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    Oh No! I have three brugs that have been sitting all winter in a south-facing window. Should I not have done that? They have been dropping a few leaves, but not all of them. I don't think they've gone dormant. They are pretty small, still just rooted cuttings that I got about a year ago. They grew hardly at all last summer, and when it got cold I brought them indoors.

    Reply

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