I received a 1', Plumeria cane from HI. The cane is wrapped in plastic.

There are directions on the package, but don't know if they're for growing outdoors in HI...BTW, I'm in IL, zone 5.

First, should I wait before 'attempting to root,' the cane or do it now?
Even though the cane would be rooted indoors, outside temps are between 20-40F. I use humidifers, indoor fountains, misting, showering and artificial lights.
Humidity is between 40-70% depending on the room.

Last. The directions state, use 3-4" gravel in pot w/drainage holes.
Place sand and 'top soil? Top Soil sold here is packaged outdoor, black dirt.' Second option is pot directly in straight gravel.

I've rooted bare-root canes in the past, but they had some roots and the time was late spring.
The cane is firm, but I'm worried it will rot since it's in plastic.

Any advice? Thanks, Toni

Welcome!!

Congratulations on receiving a Plumeria from HI...

Rooting this time of the year has many wondering when and if they should...

Some like to root all year long. Especially if the cuttings are fresh. Also they have greater success if they live in a warmer climate. Those of us that have a cold winter, it can be challenging. But, it can be done!!!

Others like to root in the spring and summer.

I would prefer to root in the spring after i prune my cuttings and root during the summer. But, after i received some fresh cuttings from a nice gal, she wanted me to root her cuttings as well (NO PRESSURE...LOL)

With the cuttings being so fresh and thin, i decided to go ahead and root now. I soaked the ends in water (B-1 and surperthrive) 1/4 tsp of each to a quart for a few hours, ( only the bottom inch of the cutting) then dipped into roottone. I like to use water bottles to root cuttings. i cut off the top of the bottles and cut little holes at the bottom for drainiage. You can see the progress of the cuttings so you wont be tempted to pick them up and keep looking. These babies like to be left alone and can take up to 6-8 weeks to root. Sometimes longer. If you choose to root now, you will need bottom heat. I like heating mats and i place them under my T-5 lights. Some just use bottom heat and place in a sunny window. Since you live in a zone 5, i would definately use bottom heat just to be safe.

Please do not use potting soil like the directions say...Yikes..to heavy for rooting a cutting. Some even like to use straight perlite this time of the year. Some use half perlite and half cactus mix. I like to use gritty mix . (That is probably close to what the directions say about straight gravel..but they dont really explain) Some use Pumice...

If you choose to wait until spring. i would keep the cutting in a semi cool place.

I hope someone else with more experience will chime in and give you there advice...especially about the wrapping!!!
Did they cover the whole cutting? is the wrapping loose like the cutting comes prepackaged and inspected? if you choose to wait, i dont think it will hurt to keep it the way it is.

It is a tough decision..but i know you have experience in growing lots of plants and tropicals, so im sure you will do fine.

I would not follow those directions. My sister in law had some sent to her from HI and it said to cut off the dried end and then plant...Please dont do this. I dont know why some say to cut... When we do make our cuttings, we wait for the end to harden up for at least 7 days. Then soak for a few hours and then pot up.

Good Luck and please let us know what you decide to do..

Take care,

Laura

Thanks so much. You might not realize it but you've answered many of my questions.

Since Plumerias take 6-8 wks to root, I'll hold off until late Feb. Hopefully, 'if' it roots by April, w/longer days and higher humidity, my Plume should do okay. Cross my fingers, lol.

I wondered whether or not an end should be cut off, glad you answered.

The cane is enclosed in a plastic bag, with cardboard, stapled to the plastic. The cardboard has directions written on it....Same directions posted above about rooting.

So, the cane cannot be rooted in water??? Brother!! lol. I root succulents in soil/medium, but always root tropicals in water..Hope it works.

Laura, what size are the water bottles? After you cut, would the diameter equal 4"? Larger?

Don't worry. I have NO intentions using outside top soil. lol.
Especially in a container. In summer, I plant succulent cuttings directly in the ground, and have grown Banana trees and a 7" Brugmansia cutting that grew 4' by autumn, but they were extras..well, the bananas weren't, but I had NO idea they'd grow 12' tall and 5' wide. lol.
But never in a container.

Thanks much, Laura. Toni

I will tell you that I have water rooted plumeria many times but it is controversial, and I have also lost cuttings trying to root in water.

I found that certain plumeria varieties actually seem to root better for me in water. Off the top of my head, I know 'Nebel's Rainbow' was one of them. I had tried for months to get my 'Nebel's Rainbow' to root in soil. After that 3rd month I yanked them both out. One of the cuttings actually had started to rot on me. The other was fine. I took my cuttings and placed them in Jelly jars filled so that the cuttings had about 3 inches in the water. I also added a few drops of vitamin B-1, and then I put them under my 600 watt HPS light.

The N.R. cuttings rooted right away...1 of them had roots in 4 days. The other took about 2 weeks and that was the cutting that began to rot.

I also have rooted cuttings during the winter. I was just telling Laura how I do it. Really the only diffrence for me is the lack of light. I put the N.R. cuttings under that light and that raised the water temp to 80 degrees. I think this really did make a big diffrence for them.

Well good luck Toni and whatever you decide to do, let us know. I really hope your cutting roots and good luck to ya!

Andrew

Does NR have 3 or more flower colors? If it's the Plumeria I'm thinking about, it's beautiful. Any pics?

Andrew, the last 48 hours I've slept 4.75 hours, so I'm a tad confussed.

Do you root NR in water or soil? Also, how did you raise water temp? By placing near a light bulb?
If so, what type of bulb?

Andrew, lack of light is a problem here too..The last two days have been close to 50F and sunny, unfortunately the air is super-dry. My dogs sheds daily so the humidifer needs a new filter once a wk..thankfully, last autumn I bought a carton and extras from the year before.
Heck, even the indoor fountain is plugged..lol..

The cane I have is only called Hawaii's White Plumeria..lol..not much to go on..there's a website, think I'll check it out, but I got the cane on Ebay.

I also bought 2 red Ti logs..remember Ti logs? They've been in water about a month..nothing is growing. Long ago, they'd root automatically..lost my touch..lol.

Anyway, thanks Andrew..take care, Toni

I wanted to let you know that i like to use the 16 oz bottles. When i have multiple cutting, i can group them together in a crate and sit them outside on the hot concrete and they do fine. Especially when they are nice and tight so they dont move around. The less movement and messing with them the better. I like to place them when i root in the summer under an eave or table outside so they get the sun and bottom heat, but dont get wet from any daily rain. You want to keep them dry. If they do get to dry, you can always water just a little around the outer rim of the container and keep the water away from the stem. This is very seldom and only in the summer ...maybe every 10 days or so and that is watering very sparingly.

Hope this helps.

As far as rooting in water, Andrew has had some success as he said with certain varieties. I have better sucess when i root in a light mix. We all try different things and we like to share what we find to work. The choice is up to you. I will find a pic for you later showing my cuttings in the bottles.. This works better for me.

Take care,

Laura

Back to topic. I rooted Plumies in plain potting soil. I started 4 pieces and lost one to rot. I did start them indoors in Feb/March and they took forever to root. I think it was July before I found roots. Totally forgot about them they took so long. They grew fast but took about 3 years to flower.

Hawaiian Ti same thing. Stuck the canes in potting soil and got one out of 3 cane piece. That plant is a monster now. Dragged it down to Florida with me. It is about 9ft tall. I lost the red ones and only the green variety survived.

Plumies

Ti Plant

Hope all is well. Drop me a email,

Jane

It's going to ba a longggg time before I have enough Plume cuttings to group since I only have one cane now, lol.

You're lucky you have a spot to keep cuttings outside w/o getting hit by rain. I have two, small areas under awnings, but in summer the west sun is super strong. Acclimated Cacti burned in the same place.

Please Laura, if you have pics can you post? Thanks, and thanks for all the help.

JANE!!! OMG, it's been so long, too long. So you moved? And not just any-old-place but FL. WOWEE, lucky you.

Is that your home/yard? You did it! Congrats. My God, it's absolutely beautiful!

Jane, your Plumie is to die for. Is that the same of four that rooted? Love the yellow/white blooms.

Your rooted Ti logs in soil, too? Maybe I should try soil. The logs have been sitting in water, over a month, doing nothing. Or keep one in water, the second in soil.
BTW, logs are about 4"..lol..no big canes.

Jane, your plants are doing fantastic, and now that you're living south...oh I am jealous. :)

Do you have the same email/s? I wrote you many months ago, but the letter was returned. Can't recall which account.
Do you still have my addy?

Our fridge is coming in today, 'finally.' Don't know how long I'll be online...got so much to do.

Jane, hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Hope your family are well, too. Hugs, Toni

Thanks to everyone.

Here is a few picture of the bottles that i like to root in. I keep them together so i dont disturb them while rooting. If you look closely, you can see that i took the part of the bottle that i cut from the top and reworked it and put it back around the stem to protect it from the rain when they were outside. I couldnt keep running outside everytime it rained and keep putting up an umbrella..LOL so i came up with a different way.

I had put them under a patio table when i only had a few. That worked well...but when i started rooting multi cuttings...i had to come up with a better system!!

Take care!

Laura

Something to keep us going..

Think Spring!! : )

Here is another shot of some large heavier cuttings that i used in the bottles and then placed large rocks to keep them from tipping...

Other people have different methods..

This is mine!!

Laura

Laura, is your patio in our outside? I'm unclear wat you mean.

What is the name of your flowering Plumeria? It's so pretty. Wow, the colors!!!!!!!!!!!

The last pics canes look smaller..lol. They look about the size of my cane.
Do canes grow larger?

One lst question..lol..How do you know which side goes in the medium? Thanks again, Toni

My deck is uncovered facing the western sun. It really gets lots of sun during the July, August.. Smoking hot actually! I mean to protect the cuttings from direct rain when rooting. Any method is possible. SOme place them under the eaves of their house to protect from the direct rain. What i have done in the past... when i have a few cuttings, i would place them under the outdoor patio table to protect from the rain and keep them on the pool concrete to have the bottom heat that is so beneficial to rooting.

Everyone has different ways of protecting them. People out in CA and places that dont receive alot of rain can leave their cuttings in the open. We here in VA can have rain every other day!!! Everyone has different weather so you have to just see what works best for you. I remember the first cuttings...I placed an umbrella over them to protect them from the rain.. That is when my DH's eye allergy started!! LOL.... (eye rolling..) : )

The Plumeria pic is a favoritte of mine. It is a Daisy Wilcox. This one is a beauty!!! Thank you!!

Cuttings come in different shapes and sizes!!! Multi tips etc. Just depends on the size of the tree when they are harvested. I have had some really large cuttings...LOL and i have rooted some that were only 4-5 inches...

You can tell which way the stem should be by looking and seeing the "claw" (Up) and the cut end... Cut end down also look at the where the old leaves were on the stem. Make sure the "smiles are up" look at the stems again in the pics...see where the old stems were? They look like smiles... this is helpful to know if you have a center cut.

Some cuttings can be different color than green and have darker looking stems. So many different varieties and different colors. Green stems are good but so are the older colors too!

Keep the smile up...

frown smiles are not good!!!

Hope this helps...

Take care,

Laura

So, the reason you don't want rain aiming in cutting mix is to prevent root rot, right?

Once roots are established, are Plumes placed in an open area or still kept sheltered?

How on earth did you DH acquire an eye allergy? LOL. Sorry, don't mean to laugh, but what are the odds? Thank goodness, plants do not effect my dh in the least. He'd have to go. lol. Heck, a few of my plants were purchased before he and I met..lol

This is going to sound really dumb, but are all Plume cuttings affixed to bark?

You said, cuttings come in different shapes and sizes.
Next spring, I'd love to find a large cane that grows variegated leaves.
Don't know if it's possible, but come March I'll be on the hunt.
Since I haven't looked for Plumes in years, I don't know how difficult this task will be, but definately worth a shot.

I never came across a cane over 1' tall. The average was a 7". It's going to require work, but when it comes to plants, I don't care...it doesn't seem like a chore.

Well Laura, your Daisy Wilcox is a true beauty. Good luck with your cuttings, Toni

LOL... When i talk of my DH's "eye rolling" it is done with a smile on my face. He has put up with my Plumeria addiction and has even helped me haul so many cuttings across the country. I just like to laugh about his "eye allergy" because lots of us here have our other spouses give us the look sometimes..LOL He is very tolerant of my love for plants. Probably because he knows how i love to tend to them and how addicted i am to these babies!!!
My kids used to say, that when i'd come home, the first thing i would do was to check on the trees...(i think they were almost right.. : ) But, they all know that family comes first... (did i just say that?) LOL..... OK..Plumies come first!!! : )

I will try to answer your questions....

I hope that some of my friends will chime in and give some advice if you wish!!! : )

You are correct about the rain on the new cuttings. They need to stay on the dry side and not stay wet. This will cause root rot.

Once you see the leaves form on the new cuttings, some like to say... 4-6 inches, give them a little water. I will take mine out from the protected ares once the leaves start to get 6-8 inches and then i can see the roots in the bottle. I dont worry then because i know that they have successfully rooted. I leave them in the bottles for a couple more weeks and then i will pot up in one gallon black nursery pots.

Once the stem ages it will harden off and look more thick and have thicker bark. The new growth of a stem has that green coloration. I will also post a pic of a tree that someone gave to me this summer. It is a Miami Rose and has a huge base. I even hauled this huge tree in my car ...
Thank you... : ) I love this tree!!!

When you ask about cuttings and the size. One can cut a cutting any size they wish!! A friend of mine gave me a cutting that was so large i had to cut it down to be able to get it on the plane!! : ) You can cut a one foot cutting, three feet..etc. Another Plumeria person on here has pictures of huge cuttings that he has rooted and sticks them in bottles and then puts them in buckets and ties them to a stake and leaves them be. You can have any size cuttings, people just dont want to cut that much from a tree and usually sellers wouldn't send that large of cutting via mail. Especially when they sell them. The average would be 9-12 inches i would guess...

You will pay more for multi tipped cuttings as well.

Good luck with looking for cuttings. I know you will enjoy looking at all of the beautiful blooms

Hi Kathy,

Glad to see you here and nice to see you!!!

Im so glad to see your enthusiasm Kathy! We all started out asking questions and i remember all of those people that have helped me along the way, I am still learning and im always interested in seeing and reading what others have to offer and teach!!! We all will learn through each other!!!
Here is a picture of those cuttings after i potted them up and they started to grow late summer. They went from the bottles after rooting to the one gallon black nursery pots.. (The smaller ones are those newly rooted)

Take care,

Laura

Some of my other older trees.. on my deck

Another pic of cuttings...

I also provided a link for you to see what the recipe for the gritty mix is... if you need more info let me know..

Take care,

Laura

Laura, Some of your Plumes are huge. Trunks are super thick.
I bet your yard smells like heaven when they're blooming. Your pool is so nice. It probably increases humididy??

Laura, still confused about cutting definition. When you say Plumeria cutting, do you mean the cane or leaves? lol. Silly question, but something I should know.

Oh I see..hey, your dh has the same problem my dh does, lol.
Oh well.
I had plants years before we met, so he accepts. If it comes to plants or dh, well, guess who goes first?? lol

He tolerates my babies even though they're all over the house. lol.
Three hobbies I had when we met were plants, pets and Numismatics.
He collects/ed stamps and guitars. His hobbies are far more 'dear' than all my plants put together.

So we accept each others hobbies.

Of course he gets a tad nervous when I think about getting a different plant family..lol. Toni

LOL...no worries about asking questions!!! If we didnt ask, where would we all be? I don't mind... I just hope that i can give you the right information!!

I hope others will pipe in and help contribute to this information if im not giving the right info to you or explaining it clearly...

You ask about canes, cuttings , stems. Most of us call them cuttings. Stems as well. I am not talking about leaves...im talking about the long stem that you are going to root!!! : ) Some will come with multi tips. Some come as a long single tip cutting. You can also have three tipped cuttings...others have had multi tips with five or more. Which is usually rare. Someone in CA had a multi tip that had at least 10 tips or more...i cant remember exactly how many he had, but it was more than we had ever heard of!!! : ) Only in CA!!! LOL....

Yes my DH puts up with my hobbies!! He is a good sport and knows that im a happy camper when im messing around with my plants!! : )

My yard does smell wonderful during the summer when i have my Plumeria blooming. I really love these trees!!!
My pool probably doesnt add any more humidity to my area since i live so close to the water and you can hardly breath here in the summer due to the humidity here in VB. Temps get really warm and with the humidity it can be unbearable sometimes. But, the Plumeria love these conditions!! Which is good for us!! We definately dont have the hot dry air here!!!

Trunks are huge on some of the older trees. I have seen some really large trees in Hawaii and the largest bases i have seen are in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. Some of those trees are 50 years old and are massive!!!

Hope this helps...

Laura

Laura, after seeing your Plumes, you can only give correct information. If my Plume/s grew .25 times as nice as yours I'd be proud. :)

I snapped pics of the cane/cutting?. lol. My question is, would you, or anyone else, call it a cutting?
I never once thought of it as anything but a bare-root cane, like the Subject of Posting states.

Two pics of the same cane/cutting...

Okay, cane or cutting OR cane and cutting? lol

I don't see a long stem unless you mean the cane itself. I think that's where the confusion lies.
When I think of a cutting, an image of a piece of stem w/leaves or a single leaf comes to mind.

Laura, do you have a closeup photo of a multi-tip cutting? Or what one would look like at maturity?

Well, think of it this way. When hubbies know we're happy, they're happy, too. lol. Less nagging, lol.
When I work on plants, take to the sink for a shower, dh says, 'you taking plants for a walk again,' lol.
He even has a few plants at the office. Problem is, when one starts looking bad, he thinks I can perform miracles, brings them home for me to 'fix.' LOL.
I can't tell you the number of times he brought home his tropical Hibiscus when it started looking bad.

He has a heart-shaped Philodendron that was startd in a 4" pot. It's over 15-years. The vines grow around his office.

Summers in IL are hot and very humid, but once late autumn/early winter comes around, air dries. In winter, I use 2 humidifers, 2 indoor fountains, mist, shower and sometimes boil water until the windows steam up. lol. DH isn't aware I boil water for plants. lol

As I sit here typing, large snowflakes are falling from the sky. Everything is white. We had one snowfall the end of 2011, but just a bit. It melted fast.
Snow has a few advantages. 1. rooms are brighter, 2. humidity increases, and 3, although I'm a summer person, falling snow is pretty, especially around Christmas.
But give me 90F degrees anytime, lol.

Laura, I can't remember if it was you who posted pics of their yard on another forum. The yard was filled with various tropicals..Do you recall posting this picture?

Laura, I have to laugh. When I worked at Rentokil Tropical Plants, a couple guys would come in to take unwanted plants off our hands.
One guy was from Mexico. This was in the mid-90's. He used to laugh when he heard Plumeria prices. He said they were weeds in Mexico. He couldn't understand why anyone wanted a 'stick,' and pay so much $. lol. He admitted they were beautiful when awake, but once dormant, he couldn't stop laughing, and looked at me w/unbelieving eyes..lol.

Too funny.

Anyway, thanks again. You've been a big help. When you have time, will you let me know about the pics I posted? Thanks, Toni

Admittedly "cane" would be a better word for a plumeria cutting as they do just look like sticks and not the green leafy cuttings we take from other plants like hibiscus or sage. I think "cutting" is used generically for any plant piece you intend to propagate or clone. For plumeria, cloning by cutting is the only way to perpetuate a cultivar--they don't grow true to seed.

Longer cuttings generally root more reliably than shorter ones, as do fatter cuttings over skinny ones. You may want to remove yours from plastic and put it somewhere dry until you're ready to pot it up. I also think there's no harm in just poking it into a pot with dry perlite until spring. Some cuttings have been known to root over winter like that with no added moisture. They store a lot of water already, like a succulent.

Here is a photo of a 6" (my shortest ever) cutting after it has rooted and put out leaves:

Here are the tiny beginnings of leaves (claws) on a center-cut cutting or cane that is trying to root:

Those leaf nubs will eventually elongate into branches.

And here is the first root on a tiny, thin cutting that I had little hope for, but that seems to be of a hardy cultivar, Slaughter Pink:

Here is a very large (two-foot long) two-tip cutting that is trying to root, with claws beginning to grow:

The round "eye" at the fork is where the flower or inflo stalk was, which is where it branched after flowering.

Here is a cutting tip whose claw is starting to grow into leaves:

Hope this is useful and not confusing!
Jen

Jen,

Your a sweetie!!! Thank you for posting and those great pictures!!! I have been working all day and i just finished and im tired, but of course i had to come and visit the forum and i saw that you posted and wanted to say "Thank you!!!" You have helped!!! : )

Toni,

Seeing Jen's pics of her multi tipped cuttings (canes..LOL) you will be able to go back and see in my other pics above and spot the multi tipped cuttings that i was rooting in the bottles especially the thick ones in the blue crates. It is right under the Daisy Wilcox picture. Look at the two cutting in the foreground. They both have three tips with the claws very active

As far a mature trees...the ones around my deck are the most mature trees with muliple branches.. if you look at the pic of the trees on the top deck in the left corner you will see one of my Noid Pinks that is about 8 feet tall. It has several branches with other branches forming from where the inflo was and that is where you will see more branching...(Like Jen mentioned) Most branching is formed when you have an inflo, or when you cut the stem and then you will see other branching (Jen's pics)

When one decide to take a cutting from the tree, it would look like a "cutting" as you say with leaves attached. Like Jen mentioned, we like to strip off the leaves up to the claw for transporting and to reduce stress. When the leaves are removed...i agree it does look like a "cane" or some call it a "stick" whatever you choose to call it.. we all understand what you mean..most of us call them cuttings when we take them to share and root.

When you ask about my yard and other pics that i have posted, it could have been mine. I do have lots of Palm trees in my back yard. I do think in another thread (forum) that you wanted to move in with me!!! LOL...dogs too! I do like my Palms and they are another love that i have!!! : )

I just went back and looked at the very first pic that i posted for you. Look in the black crate and you will see in the back row in the left corner a three tip cutting . Then in the very front on the laft side you can see another three tipped cutting that i have rooting in the bottles.

We all need to keep our DH's happy!! My hubby likes to hunt and fish...so he has lots of things that he brings into the house Just last night he came in with three 40 # Stripped Bass that they had caught off the coast near Cape Henry. Its Stripper season here and they are really catching them. He was happy, he saw the Whales all around and the birds (seagulls) working all around the fish. It is like a hurricane of seagulls when they are working over the water fighting for pieces of fish that the larger Strippers are feeding on. It is really beautiful out there this time of the year. Sooo... i dont have my "eye allergy" act up when he brings in these huge fish home and wants me to help cut and bag them for the freezer!! LOL... All i can think about is how "tasty" they will be later..LOL

The description of the snowfall sounds beautiful!!! I love the snow and seeing everting white. We dont see to much of that in VB, but i do love to see it when we do have a few inches. The whole city shuts down and people start to panic and go and buy all of the groceries. It is quite funny!!!

I certainly hope that some of the questions have been answered!! : ) Whew... Thanks Jen!! I really apperciate the help!!! : )

Go backk and look again at the pictures of the cutting that are in the crates and of some of the newly planted trees that are in the one gallon containers on the side of the greenhouse. That is where i call the Plumeria nursery once they graduate from the bottles!! : ) Then once they get larger and strong they will find a place on the deck or against the fence. I do tie them to the railing so that when the winds pick up they wont tip over and cause any breakage of the branches or "stems" LOL...

The picture of your "cane" or "cutting" looks good!!! I hope that you have success in rooting your new Plumeria.
Call it what you want...again, we all know what you mean. LOL...we all enjoy our Plumies and we dont worryy about what they call them. We do make sure that the named varieties are correct. Like Jen said, only cuttings will carry the true name.

Ok, i'm getting sleepy!!!

If i left out anything, just ask!! LOL... : ) thanks for the nice compliments on my trees!!!

Take care,

Laura

Yeah, I don't get it either. For once I would agree with how northerners make fun of us on this one issue.

The best cuttings are from reputable sources. They also sell larger cuttings which tend to hold their moisture longer and root better.

All that said, yours could root just fine!

~dave

Jen,

Thanks so much.

Unfortuntely, there are people who either won't respond or throw a fit if certain names are/aren't used. Two examples. 1. Common instead of Botanical plant names. 2. Terms: Cuttings, Claw instead of canes and leaves.
There have been times newbies were balled-out because they used common names. (Not this forum) Scared some away; the baller-outers were/are hurtful and egotistical.

Cloning..I'm a Long way from cloning. Sowing and rooting a plant is my limit. As far as Plumes, well, don't know, yet.
Are you and others on this forum into cloning Plumerias? Sounds very interesting and exciting discovering what flowers will look like afterwards.

Jen, if the cutting is placed in Perlite, does it need watering? You said, place in dry Perlite.
If no water is needed, how long will the cutting remain in Perlite and when/what do I do when it's time to root?

What about light/humidity/temp/drainage holes while in Perlite?
I like the idea keeping in Perlite than a plastic bag.

Gosh, Jen, your cuttings are vivid green, like Lauras.
In Pic 2, did you cut off the top/tip? Looks like a straight cut was made..
Darn, picture of your 2' cutting won't show. Round eye?

What do you consider a large vs small cutting? Inches/feet?

Also, what type of medium is your 6" cutting in? Do you keep moist/dry...allow to dry between waterings?

One more question, :). Do established Plumerias prefer being and promote flowering when root-bound or in larger containers?

Thanks again. Although you didn't post many pics, the two rooting cuttings look great.

Laura...Howdy,

I scrolled up, saw your multi-tipped 'cuttings/canes,' lol. How cool is that?
Of course, I'm confused again. lol. What is inflo?
Was it you who said not to cut off tips?

You added, 'Most branching is formed when you have an inflo, or when you 'cut the stem' and then you will see other branching (Jen's pics.)'

Are you talking about cutting an established Plumeria?

LOL, move in with you...2 dogs, 4 birds and 350+ plants..lol..

I don't recall palms, but that was some time ago. So, you're into palm trees, too? Which types and are they in containers or in-ground?
I have a bunch of Spindle Palm tree seeds that need sowing. They're sitting beside B. luxurin seeds and the Plume cutting, lol. Must set up a mini-gh w/heating pad.

Do you grow plants other thn Plumerias an Palms?

Our dh's need hobbies, too..of course if my dh brought home fish/deer, etc, he'd HAVE to go, Thank God he has non-living hobbies. lol.
I enjoy certain seafood, but highly allergic.

Laura, your area sounds absolutely gorgeous. Whales! No whales in Lake MI, lol. The scenery must be a true haven. We've never been to VA. Maybe one day, although it's difficult for me to travel. You see, I'm semi-agoraphobic, so vacations are pretty much out of the question..though I'd love to visit other states. You're so lucky..perfect climate, too.

Snow...as I said, snow is beautiful around Christmas. Currier & Ives painting.
Not the best pic, but you're thinking:

In reality, the results. Our sons car...

AND

Yep, snow is lovely...lol

Laura, I've looked at your pics half a dozen times, and can keep looking..including those on the other forum. Even showed dh. Maybe he'll take the hint IL isn't for us. lol.

Thanks again, sorry for more questions..lol..

KMS, which issue do you mean?

Dave. Oh boy, hope you're wrong, lol. I bought the cutting from a seller on Ebay who has 100% feedback.
At the time, my only concern was shipping when temps were in the low 40's. Since the cutting was and is firm, doesn't that mean it's okay? Fertile? Toni

I can't imagine anyone who loves plants being impatient with a newbie's questions. Seriously, this stuff should make one MORE patient, not less! This plumeria group is very kind, though, so please don't hesitate to ask. We've all been there.

Okay, so to answer your latest questions:

1. "Cloning" only refers to growing a plumeria from a cutting rather than from seed. Cuttings are the only way to ensure that you get the exact same DNA in the offspring, which is why we call it cloning. Plumeria seedlings, like human children, may have most or none of the traits of their parents--it's a crap shoot. Your cane/cutting will grow into an exact replica of the parent plant it was cut from, same flower color, growth habit, etc. because it will be a "clone".

2. I only mentioned the dry perlite as a possibility--you can just stick it in a regular plastic pot with no water, light or heat since the cane is dormant--and only to store it until the days warm up, maybe April for you. Over winter we all either store cuttings dry on a shelf or in a dry medium, or we go ahead and pot them in very light soil and water once to try rooting in earnest. Trying to root overwinter is best done with a heat mat under the pot, so watering the medium initially is important.

3. Pic 2 is what we call a center-cut, where a large cutting was chopped into smaller pieces. This one came to me with no growth tip or top, so the claws on the side are coming in to form new growth tips or branches. Center cuts should really be angled at the top, but in this case it wasn't.

4. Let me try a different photo of an inflo "eye". You can see the two new growth tips forming just above it:

And this is what we call an inflo, just a cluster of flowers from one stalk:

When the blooms are spent the stalk will dry up and fall off, leaving a round scar or "eye" where the new growth tips start.

5. I would call any cutting under a foot long small. With cuttings generally the beefier the better.

6. That 6" cutting was rooted in a mix of probably 70% composted shredded wood, fairly coarse stuff, and 30% perlite. I watered only once when I potted it in March and left it completely alone until I saw all those leaves in May. That's how many leaves you want to see before watering again, believe it or not, tempted though you may be to water in between!

7. I don't believe they like to be root-bound. In fact, they should be root-pruned every 2-3 years to reinvigorate them and replenish their soil. With root pruning they can grow very well in remarkably small pots, like 5- or 7-gallon for a 6-foot or bigger tree.

I've got lots of time to post since I can't go outside now--allergies are at their worst for us in the dead of winter here, even as our days are near 70 degrees and sunny--so here you go with another long answer!

Looks cold in IL. Brrr...

I love the snow and how beautiful it can be, but when it starts to cover cars? Ohhh My!! : ) I do agree that i amm reminded of a favorite when ii see the snowfalling in the forest and everything is quiet ... "Stopping By woods On A Snowy Evening" A favorite poem by Robert Frost

Your pictures are beautiful.

The whales here of the coast of Virginia are Humpbacks!! They have been a pod of four or five that have been feeding here at Cape Henry. We are at the mouthh of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Since the fish are so plentiful, i think everyone is happy that they are here and hanging around for a while. The Bottlenose Dolphin are always here and the fishh that we all love to catch and have for dinner are in season . We do have a limit that is strickly enforced with these beauties. They have to be at least 17 inches long and only two per person per day. We and everyone here are respectful of these laws. That is why they have come back and are so plentiful in the Chesapeake Bay. When you see the birds working and the fishhitting the lines, it is so exciting. I can only reel in one fish myself, especially when they are so huge. My arm will be numb after only one but i will get that one fish in the boat even when my arm feels like its on fire!! LOL.. It is so much fun!!!

Thank you for the compliments on my yard. Here are a few pictures of my palms.
I do collect others plants and trees . Mike and ANdrew have given me a start on my C & S collection and i am so pleased with them. They are great guys!! I also have citrus and DR's as well. Palms in the ground and Container Palms.

This forum is quite relaxed and very friendly. We like the Scientific names as well as common names. Noone is critical when we are trying to learn. All of us have been newbies and can remember what it is like. I know what you mean about some of the other forums. Someone snapped at me for using Abbreviations instead of writing out the whole name. LOL Like DR instead of Desert Rose. we are not like that hear. Thats why i like these guys and gals ...

The names of my palms. Sabal Palmettos AKA Cabbage Palms Pindo Palms (Butias) AKA Jelly Palms Windmill Palms (Trachys) Container...Bottle Palm, Christmas Palm Pigmy Date Palm.

Infloresence is a goup of blooms we call it "inflo"

I just had a graft that didnt work on one of my trees. But the rootstock decided to keep living and is producing stems (back budding) like you would when you prune. Like Jens pic of her center cut . Same thing.

Stay warm and hope all is well.

Take care,

Laura

I purchased the Walmart and HNL kiosk ones as an experiment. Two of each. Both Walmart items rooted. both Airport Kiosk Items died, and the three North Shore varieties are either rooted or rooting. As it stands right now I would say anyone who wants to buy an unnamed variety as a gift or for fun to do it at Walmart.

Hopefulauthor,
The "issue" is how northerners make fun of how we seem to freak out with a small amount of snow. this was one inch of snow/ice last Feb and it probably caused more missed work days and delays than your foot of snow. the roads were clear by noon or so. Note the dark color skid marks just to my left. I think it says it all.

K,

That is what VB looks like when the city shuts down too!
Schools close when we have flurries and they send the kids home. The bread, milk and water are the first to go. It is so funny that everyone thinks that they will be in the house for a week or so...

My first cuttings came from Hawaii like that. I bought mine at the ABC store and at Dole. They all rooted for me except one. That is the oldest one that i have it is the Noid Pink and the only one that has produced seedpods for me. It is the most sentimental of them all since it was my first tree.

The Stripped Bass are great fish!! I need to find a pick and post. They are beautiful and especially tasty!!! MY favorite fish are Bluefin Tuna a close second as well as Flounder and Dolphin (Bullnose not Bottlenose Dolphin) AKA Mahi.

Toni,

I forgot to answer a question after i went back and reread the post that you left.

When i say dont cut the ends, i mean the bottom of the cutting that you are getting ready to root. We also never cut off a perfectly good claw (top) of the cutting either. The only reason one would do this is when you may have black tip (rot) or because it may have been damaged (breaking off a branch) after a tree would tip over and then you would recut the top at a 45* angle . The other reason would be like Jen mentioned if you had a center cut.

Example of a center cut...I was given a cutting from a nice person that was probably Three feet long and had multi tips on it. I couldnt bring this huge cutting on the plane, since it looked like antlers from a huge deer or moose : ) So the only way i could bring it with me was to cut it in several places to get it to fit into my carry on. Which they were still hanginng out everywhere..LOL!!!
THis means that you have a cutting from the top that has claws and then you have center cuts that have to be rooted. Trees can take a year or so to finally bloom. We try not to cut off older stems and that is why when i have an older tree, i was taught to stagger prune so i will keep older branches that will bloom. I will cut the next larger stem (branch) the following spring. If its to llarge to bring into my house. They do get pretty tall!!

I hope this clears up some more questions. The picture that i posted of the strang looking cutting with the newly forming buds, is from a thread that i posted several weeks ago about a cutting that didnt want to give up.
My Makaha SUnn cutting was grafted onto rootstock and one of the two MS trees that i had didnt make it. The top of the graft (MS) started to root and it was toast!!! I cut off the top grafted part and had to cut into the rootstock to prevent the rot from getting down further into the bottom stock. That is the pic that i posted. You can see that it is back budding like any other tree that you would prune back hard to promote new growth. This little tree was so cute that i had to post. Especially this time of the year since it is really not the time for my trees to produce new branching. This was special. Look at the poor little tree and see why it is so special. It really wanted to live!! : )

Take care,

Laura

K,

That is what VB looks like when the city shuts down too!
Schools close when we have flurries and they send the kids home. The bread, milk and water are the first to go. It is so funny that everyone thinks that they will be in the house for a week or so...

My first cuttings came from Hawaii like that. I bought mine at the ABC store and at Dole. They all rooted for me except one. That is the oldest one that i have it is the Noid Pink and the only one that has produced seedpods for me. It is the most sentimental of them all since it was my first tree.

The Stripped Bass are great fish!! I need to find a pic and post. They are beautiful and especially tasty!!! MY favorite fish are Bluefin Tuna a close second as well as Flounder and Dolphin (Bullnose not Bottlenose Dolphin) AKA Mahi.

Toni,

I forgot to answer a question after i went back and reread the post that you left.

When i say dont cut the ends, i mean the bottom of the cutting that you are getting ready to root. We also never cut off a perfectly good claw (top) of the cutting either. The only reason one would do this is when you may have black tip (rot) or because it may have been damaged (breaking off a branch) after a tree would tip over and then you would recut the top at a 45* angle . The other reason would be like Jen mentioned if you had a center cut.

Example of a center cut...I was given a cutting from a nice person that was probably Three feet long and had multi tips on it. I couldnt bring this huge cutting on the plane, since it looked like antlers from a huge deer or moose : ) So the only way i could bring it with me was to cut it in several places to get it to fit into my carry on. Which they were still hanging out everywhere..LOL!!!
THis means that you have a cutting from the top that has claws and then you have center cuts that have to be rooted. Trees can take a year or so to finally bloom. We try not to cut off older stems and that is why when i have an older tree, i was taught to stagger prune so i will keep older branches that will bloom. I will cut the next larger stem (branch) the following spring. If its to large to bring into my house. They do get pretty tall!!

I hope this clears up some more questions. The picture that i posted of the strange looking cutting with the newly forming buds, is from a thread that i posted several weeks ago about a cutting that didnt want to give up.
My Makaha SUnn cutting was grafted onto rootstock and one of the two MS trees that i had didnt make it. The top of the graft (MS) started to root and it was toast!!! I cut off the top grafted part and had to cut into the rootstock to prevent the rot from getting down further into the bottom stock. That is the pic that i posted. You can see that it is back budding like any other tree that you would prune back hard to promote new growth. This little tree was so cute that i had to post. Especially this time of the year since it is really not the time for my trees to produce new branching. This was special. Look at the poor little tree and see why it is so special. It really wanted to live!! : )

Take care,

Laura

K,

That is what VB looks like when the city shuts down too!
Schools close when we have flurries and they send the kids home. The bread, milk and water are the first to go. It is so funny that everyone thinks that they will be in the house for a week or so...

My first cuttings came from Hawaii like that. I bought mine at the ABC store and at Dole. They all rooted for me except one. That is the oldest one that i have it is the Noid Pink and the only one that has produced seedpods for me. It is the most sentimental of them all since it was my first tree.

The Stripped Bass are great fish!! I need to find a pic and post. They are beautiful and especially tasty!!! MY favorite fish are Bluefin Tuna a close second as well as Flounder and Dolphin (Bullnose not Bottlenose Dolphin) AKA Mahi.

Toni,

I forgot to answer a question after i went back and reread the post that you left.

When i say dont cut the ends, i mean the bottom of the cutting that you are getting ready to root. We also never cut off a perfectly good claw (top) of the cutting either. The only reason one would do this is when you may have black tip (rot) or because it may have been damaged (breaking off a branch) after a tree would tip over and then you would recut the top at a 45* angle . The other reason would be like Jen mentioned if you had a center cut.

Example of a center cut...I was given a cutting from a nice person that was probably Three feet long and had multi tips on it. I couldnt bring this huge cutting on the plane, since it looked like antlers from a huge deer or moose : ) So the only way i could bring it with me was to cut it in several places to get it to fit into my carry on. Which they were still hanging out everywhere..LOL!!!
THis means that you have a cutting from the top that has claws and then you have center cuts that have to be rooted. Trees can take a year or so to finally bloom. We try not to cut off older stems and that is why when i have an older tree, i was taught to stagger prune so i will keep older branches that will bloom. I will cut the next larger stem (branch) the following spring. If its to large to bring into my house. They do get pretty tall!!

I hope this clears up some more questions. The picture that i posted of the strange looking cutting with the newly forming buds, is from a thread that i posted several weeks ago about a cutting that didnt want to give up.
My Makaha SUnn cutting was grafted onto rootstock and one of the two MS trees that i had didnt make it. The top of the graft (MS) started to root and it was toast!!! I cut off the top grafted part and had to cut into the rootstock to prevent the rot from getting down further into the bottom stock. That is the pic that i posted. You can see that it is back budding like any other tree that you would prune back hard to promote new growth. This little tree was so cute that i had to post. Especially this time of the year since it is really not the time for my trees to produce new branching. This was special. Look at the poor little tree and see why it is so special. It really wanted to live!! : )

Take care,

Laura

Couldt have been me... : )

LMAO...

Laura

Jan, I read your post 4 times, lol...So much to remember.

Oh, I should have been more specific about people unwilling to help newbies. There are more people who enjoy helping but every so often you come across one who refuses to answer or suggests getting an answer elsewhere. Very rude.

So, cloning basically means to root from a cutting, 'so cutting has parent traits?' That's easy enough to understand. lol.
I guess this applies to most/all plants?

Although there are other options over-wintering my dormant cutting, think the Perlite is the best idea.

Is Inflo an abbreviation? If so, what does it stand for?
The cluster of flowers or Inflo? have beautiful colors. Are they flowers or buds, 'pic 2'
Looks like blooms will be bi-colored, but just a guess.
They resemble a certain Bromiliad species. Gorgeous.

"When the blooms are spent the stalk will dry up and fall off, leaving a round scar or "eye" where the new growth tips start."
What? lol. Is the eye where new growth, the following season or year grows from?

It's unfortunate a cutting 1' or taller produces healthier/more flowering/growth. The chance of finding a cane that size is almost impossible, (especially variegated,) however there may be some for sale next spring. When I want a plant, I don't give up without a fight, lol.

Your 6" cutting. Will your Plumeria remain in the ingredients you listed indefinately? Well, until repotting or pruning.
Approximately, how long will it take before it reaches 5'?
Does the cane grow or only foliage? Sorry for more questions. :)

Jen, so in your opinion, after a Plumeria is fully established, container size should be quite large..How many inches larger between inner pot and rootball.

LOL, Jen, you're jumping the gun..lol..Think it'll be a long time before my cutting is 6' tall, lol.
Are Plumerias slow-growers?

What do you think about planting Plumeria cuttings directly in outdoor soil/ground, weather permitting, then digging up before the cold?
I've done this with Banana and Brugmansia. It worked for both plants..the banana grew way too large, 18' in 1.5 seasons..too large to bring indoors. The Brug lived many years until I gave it away after finding it was extremely toxic to birds.
The Brug was a 7" cutting. By autumn, it grew about 3' tall. After digging up, 'several roots broke,' and planted in a pot, the Brug was then over-wintered indoors. The next spring, it went in the ground again.Put on another 4 or so feet. Because it got tall, it was kept in a pot, until I gave it away.
Just a thought?

Laura...

To me, anything under 65-70 is cold..lol. Our temps change daily. The lowest at night was 6F, not counting windchill. A night no one wants to go outside. lol

Climate has changed a lot over the years. Last week I took pics in the garden. Perennials that should be dormant were awake, some even flowering. Arum, Primrose, Lamb's Ears, and a few others.
Poor plants don't know what to do. One day it's nearing 50, another 5F. lol.

I wouldn't mind if it snowed and/or cold a few months, but some winters are warmer than others, but then summer is too cold. Before I'd bring house plants outside in May..those days are over. The only plant that is placed outdoors before May is my 17-yr-old tree Gardenia. Even then it's in and out, depending on night temperatures.

When you're standing on shore, can you see Whales/Dolphins? God, if so, what a sight that must be! Lucky, lucky.

Hunting and fishing season has limits here, too, but since Dh or I do neither, we haven't any clue of the time. We don't go anywhere near the woods during hunting season. There have been too many accidents.
Laura, we couldn't harm 'Bambi and children,' or even Charlie the tuna, lol.
Dh and I laugh when we talk about living on a farm with animals. We'd end up with 1000 pets, lol.
In a way I feel hypocratical since we eat beef and pork, but like I tell DH, my roast/ham grows in the ground. lol

I was going to ask if your Palms were in containers, but those in your yard are a 'tad' too big, lol. They're beautiful. Would you happen to know the botanical name of your Bottle Palm? I have seeds for one type, 'can't recall name,' but by the time they're large enough to distinguish one palm from another, I'll be in my Golden Years. lol.

Yes, Mike and Andrew are wonderful guys. Mike sent cuttings a month or two back, but it's too late or early in the season, depending on your outlook, for new growth.

Laura, what is the flower in pic two? Brugmansia? It's so pretty.
I love your yard setup bearing islands of various plants/trees.

Laura, I'm confused, lol, about your rootstock grafting. What happened, and what type of rootstock is it??

You gals have gorgeous plants, and should be very proud of your accomplishments.

Since my computer's been freezing lately, I'm going to end this and finish looking/responding to your posts.

Thanks so much for your help.

Think I'll gete a notebook, jot down plant terms w/definitions and if need be, drawings..:) One way to remember and learn. Toni

You're right. The first package, 'you posted,' looks very similiar to my Plumeria pack.

Hearing this is disappointing and discouraging!
Now I don't know what to think. The Plumeria and Ti logs were sent from HI, and I assumed the seller grew plants as a hobby and/or had a nursery, not bought at a chain store or the airport.

If the cutting doesn't root, 'especially if it sat in a big-box store for months, and the seller had it for God-only-knows how long,' I won't know if it's my fault or the cane is old.
Which means I probably won't buy anymore cuttings.

Seller seemed like a nice enough and honest person.

KMS, our Walmart's don't sell rare plants. Forget Plumerias. Walmart's that have plant depts usually sell the same, old types. None different than our local grocery store sells.

Our nearest Walmart expanded last year. There's still a garden dept, but since, rarely have plants. We stopped there last week. That day was the first time Walmart had indoor plants. All were basic, plants I either have or am not interested in.
Around Christmas, the only two plants available were Norfolk Island Pines and Poinsettias..not one Christmas Cactus.

KMS, my DH is from TN. Another pretty state.
He was born in Tullahoma..small population, lots of land, a city without a snowplow..
Nothing wrong with that. Considering the cost of a plow, and the amount of snow TN gets would be a waste of money.

I think laid-back towns are cozy, and probably a lot more fun for children who don't see snow often.

We no longer get half the snow we used to. Still, IL is a state known for cold, snowy winters.

The weather-people call 4" a storm! Are they for real?
Nowadays, when flurries fall, Illinoisians make a big-thing out of nothing. People who lived here all their lives.
I want to scream, 'WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE, WE'RE IN IL, NOT FL!!!' LOL
Last week we got about, ABOUT 4"..there were more accidents in one afternoon than the whole of spring, summer and autumn, 2011.

People born and raised here act like snow is a new invention.
Probably the same people qho comments about southerners.
Don't listen to them, ignore their ignorant remarks. I personally never heard anyone talk about the south and snow.
If ever you hear someone talk bad about the south, tell them you watch the news, hear/see ALL the accidents when snow starts to fall..40-car pile ups. Explain these people should be used to driving in snowy weather conditions. Oh, this topic irks me!!!

Laura, had to laugh when you said your cutting looked like antlers, lolol.

I'm surprised the airport allowed greens no matter how big or small they were.

How many Plumes do you have, girl? lol.

To be honest, when you posted your Plumeerias on another thread/forum, that was the first time I'd seen such large Plumes canes growing in a container. Because I love tree-shaped/standards, it really gave me something to think about..You know I need more plants, right? lol

Another question. What is stagger prune?
Also, when you mentioned rooting different parts of the cutting. Is one part stronger/heartier than the other? Form more flowers?
Can the top part with claws be rooted?

Since we're discussing Plumerias. Has anyone here ordered from a seller, in the 90's, who sold 7-12" Plumeria, unrooted cuttings for 1.98 plus 1.00 shipping per cutting/cane?
I am so sorry I didn't buy more from this man. Maybe no one here would consider his Plumes rare, 'I wouldn't know rare from plain, lol,' but what a bargain! Beautiful colors, to boot. I especially liked Rainbow and Yellows.

Thanks again. I will have to keep a list of Plumeria terms and definations. lol..Toni

Yes, I would imagine cloning by cutting applies to all plants.

Inflo is just short for inflorescence. Here is the eventual bloom from my inflo pic:

And the inflo eye is just beneath where you'll see the new growth, as in the first picture of my previous post.

There are a couple of very good sellers on ebay who sell cuttings that are larger than one foot, who actually grow the mother trees themselves. They also sell these cuttings rooted, though you have to bid for any of these. They will cost more rooted but you will save yourself the trouble and get a jump start on the growth. I've gotten many beautiful rooted cuttings for under $20 (plus shipping), good-sized plants, and they have all grown wonderfully.

Funny thing about that 6" cutting: I got two that size from the same person who was giving away pruned bits of her trees. They are obviously two different cultivars--the colors and leaves are very different from each other--and were rooted at the same time. One has grown maybe a half inch since last summer and the other has more than doubled its height since then. Crazy, huh? The fast grower may only take another two summers to reach 5' while the other may not for five or six years.

Compact cultivars grow slowly and tall growers more quickly, like other ornamental trees. The trunk will continue to fatten and grow more woody as the top stretches out. And, yes, I keep them in the same soil mix they rooted in until I'm ready to up-pot them. Then I mix in slow-release fertilizer.

When moving them up you'll get a lot of root breakage so it's hard to say about the added space around a rootball. Generally I keep the smaller ones (under 18" tall) in a one-gallon pot, the two-foot trees in a 3-gallon and the three-foot and bigger trees in a 5- or 7-gallon pot. And, yes, lots of people put them in the ground like a brug and pull them up again every winter to store. However, when they're small and don't yet have a woody trunk I would recommend just keeping them in the pot all year.

And don't worry about your cuttings' origins. You may have two great cuttings that take off when the air warms up and that grow into very healthy trees. White and yellow plumeria tend to be quite robust, a good choice for newbies.

Sorry for the confusion.

I really want to help you as much as I possibly can.

I am going to give you my experiences with rooting cuttings from start to finnish.

Okay first off, I wanted to answer your question. "NR", my Nebel'e Rainbow, I recieved from the old Aloha Yahoo Plumeria Group moderator Mimi.

I tried rooting the 2 cuttings that I bought from her in a soiless mix. Now, I chose to make my own mix, but it wasn't the AL's gritty mix. I am not fortunate to have those ingriedients at my finger tips at all times. I ended up mixing MG potting soil with a ton of perlite. When I water, the water drains out of the container.

Anyhow, the Nebel's Rainbows refused to root in the mix I had them in. I posted these results to the old Aloha forum, and I found out that I wasn't the only one. I chose to put them into rain water with a few drops of liquid Root and Grow. amazingly within a few short days, one of them rooted, and within a few weeks, the other rooted.

Now I wouldn't encourage you to try this out. I did it because one of my cuttings started to rot and I cut off the rotted portion, and then I put it right into the rain water and root and grow solution. Most people will tell you that plumeria will rot if there rooted this way but I have found that varieties that do not root readily in soil, will root in water....most of the times. Sometimes you can end up with a cutting that just doesn't want to root.

Laura seems to think that I am gifted with my rooting capibilities but honestly, I think I just got lucky with some. Last year I rooted the most amount of cuttings I have ever had...around 40 or 50! Some I did root over the winter BUT I placed the cuttings under my 600 watt HPS light(High Pressure Sodium). Now you had asked me if the water increased the temps of the water..that would be a YES! IT raised water temps to about 809 degrees, and I think this is what made my Nebel's root so fast. I had my cuttings on a table about 8 in away from the light. The air temps in my room are arounfd 85+ a day and night depending on how long I run the light(ave. about 12 hours a day), and how high i have my base board thermostat set. I hate the cold too and often the heater will stay set at 70.

Now as far as rooting in soiless mix, I dip cuttings into root hormone and plant the cutting maybe 3 inches deep. I like using clear plastic conatiners. Juice bottles, half gal and 1 gal milk jugs, juice containers, water bottles, they help you see what's going on under the soil.

On the Aloha forum, I learned about the "Egg rooting method". What I was taught was to take a raw egg, and to place the egg at the bottom of the container. Then, you fill with soil, and plant your cutting. The egg is not cracked, or cooked, and no it really doesn't smell bad unless the egg is broken. Occasionally I will be in my room with my plants and I will here a "POP", and I can smell that nasty rotten egg smell. Usually it doesn't happen until summer time, and that doesn't happen unless I have my plumerias on the concrete side walk.

I found that I did see some excellent results. The raw egg did help with rooting time. Some cuttings rooted much faster, while some, it didn't seem to help. The major benefit for me was in root growth. In less than a year, some of the root systems had filled the whole pot. because I pot in plastic containers, I could actually see how the roots grew towards the egg, AND how drastically thicker they were!

You don't have to try this method but I am very pleased with it.

Rooting itself can take quite a while depending on variety. Liek I said earlier, I had some root in days(VERY RARE OCCURENCE FOR ME!) and some I have had for over a year now. The cuttings that have taken over a year are dark red plumeria. For someone reason they seam to just take much longer.

If you do not use a clear plastic container(I recommend it for newbies because there is no doubt when the cutting roots because eventually you will see roots.), you will see small little leaves in a cluster begin to grow. This is what everyone here calls the "claws". The claws will gradually turn into full grown leaves. Once you get to where those leaves are around 4 in long, you can water. I like to soak the pot because just because you don't see the roots in the bottom of the pot, doesn't mean there are not roots growing towards the bottom of the pot.

Once you have a rooted cutting, just keep your plumeria in full sun, and somewhere warm. I like to use my concrete side walk, or large flat stones. I should have mentioned this in the cutting care portion of this post earlier. I apologize.

As far as ferts go, I would check that here in the older posts. Everyone has there favs. I like Spray and Grow, I also use Superthrive, and I also have a time release that I use. I could give you a page full of info on just feeding plumerias!!

The inflorescence(Inflo for short), will grow right out of the tip of the plumeria stem. I have had unrooted cuttings produce inflos but usually I snap those off, as they will steal nutrients and energy from the cuttings reserves.

When you do get your first inflo, it is quite a thrill, and PLEASE, DO NOT REMOVE THAT INFLO, once that last flower has dropped!! With some plumeria, they will grow new buds, or in some cases, that old inflo, can actually turn into a branch. I have a Desert Sunrise that did that this fall.

Now for winter care, thats a whole diffrent story, and once you get there, I will give you more info on that.

If you have anymore questions, PLEASE let me know, and if I don't answer here right away, just email me.

Take care,
Andrew

Now

Andrew

Andrew

Jen, when I think about TX, 'dry air,' comes to mind. Years ago, we stopped in Amarillo TX, stayed over-night. The motel was surrounded by sand. I was a kid, and didn't think much about soils. (although, thought it exciting, feeling we were in a desert, lol,) Is it dry in your parts?
I thought Plumerias needed high humidity. If they do, how do you manage keeping air moist?

Yes, it's very strange your 6" Plumeria is two different cultivars!! How is that possible? Is there a chance her tree was grafted?

Jen, flower colors are gorgeous. (pic you posted) Even the bud colors are nice-looking. Deep red buds, beautiful!

Inflo..lol. Yesterday, I spent several hours Googling/Wikipedia Inflorescence. Clicking one underlined word, then clicking several others. Learning terms can take years. Wonder if there's a book, Plant Terms for Dummies. lol. This old brain doesn't work like it once did.
I'm still unclear on Inflo though. Today I'm going to spend more time on Wiki. Hopefully, it'll sink in..lol

Then there's correct pronunciations and species, not to mention cultivars..............Sheesh!

I'll see how it goes w/the cutting I have now. If it roots, come spring I'll check Ebay.

Like KMS said, my cutting is probably generic..He/she might have meant infertile, too, but didn't want to hurt my feelings.
However, I'll look for a rooted, large cutting, don't want to take chances.

Guess once spring is here, I'll be back asking more questions. lol.
I didn't know Plumerias grew different heights. Small, tall. This is all new to me.

After seeing everyone's pictures, my favorite is the standard look, although smaller Plumerias are very very pretty too. What's the chance of locating a 3+', variegated Plumeria? lol.

One problem with a larger cane: Winter. There are probably several ways to over-winter, dormant plants. For instance, leaving in container, or placing trunk, 'bare-root' in a bag...now I'm jumping the gun..lol. Still, it's something to consider..space is an issue. Not only space, but space with proper conditions. Too cold, it might rot..I think?? More to learn.

Jen, yep, you are SO right. When I dug up the Brugmansia, 'first year,' many roots broke. Thankfully, the breakage didn't cause harm, but Plumerias might not be as hardy.

Wonder why white and yellow Plumes are more robust. Hardier than other colors.

Jen, thanks again. I'm getting excited about Plumes now, lol. Can't wait until spring.

KMS. Sorry, it was my fault. I knew what you meant when you said Island Walmart. Just wanted to explain my local Walmart's, 'with nursery depts,' sold very basic plants.

I have to send before my puter freezes.

You described several rooting options..out of all, which do you prefer? Or does flower color/species matter?

The egg method sounds interesting. You know I'm into 'the old ways,' so placing an egg under soil is something to think about.

I had no idea Plumes could take a year to root. If that's the case, instead of leaving in Perlite, maybe I should start rooting now.
On the other hand, let's say a miracle occurs and the cutting roots fast. 'if it roots.'
The house is warm and dry in some rooms, very cool in others. Artificial lights are in two chilly rooms. Probably not suitable for Plumes. Which room would be better for rooting?

Which soils/soil-less mediums do you use for cuttings AND rooted plants?
You mentioned MG and Perlite..How long was your Plum in this mix when you noticed rot?
After you placed in rain water, it rooted? How baffling is that?

You said, some varieties won't readily root in soil. Problem is, how do you know which varieties root better in water/soil? lol

I agree clear is best. Last year I ordered clear, plastic pots in various sizes. Problem is the smallest is 6" from rim to bottom..no tapering. 6" would probably be too large to start, right?
What size/s do you use?

Before I forget again, what pH do Plumes need, and what's the chance of Spider Mites after dormancy, 'while plant is still indoors?'

Andrew, you said water temp increased to 809 degrees. Was that a typo? Boiling water temp is, I think, 200+. Wouldn't roots scorch?

I'd really love my cutting to root, grow and flower. I don't care how much work is needed.
Unfortunately, after all the help, I still have questions.

1. Since I'm in Il, when should cutting be rooted?
2. Which rooting medium/or water?
3. What type of soil/soil less, after cutting roots?
4. Temps and humidity before and after rooting?
5. pH?

Andrew..You said, Laura thinks your gifted. I agree. I've seen your plants, 'minus a zillion Plumerias, lol,' all are doing fantastic.
Thanks for your help. One day I'd love to see pic updates.

Peg...Very impressive.
According to the dates, your cutting rooted, 'big time,' in two months?

What is the white powder in the center of the container? It's more noticeable in pic 1.

What type of soil did you root in and in the green container? Also, what size is the green pot?

Your yellow/white flowers are gorgeous. However, I'm confused about the dates. Cutting in plastic is posted 7/20/2011, shown with flowers, 7/5/2011.

Peg, was this Plume your first attempt rooting?
Thanks for your help.

Toni

We're actually a very humid state with the exception of places like Amarillo and El Paso, which is what most people think of because that's where they driven through on the way to someplace else. I mean really humid, like 83% ave. am; not quite New Orleans, but not far off! If you keep your plumeria out of the direct scorching summer sun, they really love it here.

Those 6" cuttings were taken by a collector of many varieties, so they were clearly from two different trees. I believe she gave away over a hundred cuttings that spring. One of those two is completely dormant now, and the other, under grow lights, is leafy and has grown since fall.

Plumeria are definitely more cold tender than brugs. Brugs will freeze to the ground in areas around here and come back from the roots but a plumie definitely won't in a zone colder than 10.

Thank you for the compliment on the flowers--that is one of my prized rare cultivars that I bought rooted and with buds last summer, very lucky! It was about 20" tall with three small branches and the one that had the inflo branched into two after the stalk came off. I, too, had never run across the term inflo, after many years of gardening, until I started reading the plumeria forums. But it is a good term to differentiate between single blooms and the cluster of blooms.

Because so many of us grow in containers and have to protect from freezing, compact and dwarf plumerias are very popular. I personally don't want to try to wrestle a tree that's programmed by nature to grow to 30 feet into a ten-gallon pot and keep it trimmed to 6 feet, so I always opt for "compact" or "semi-compact" when I buy.

Once they get some age and a woody trunk, many pro growers here in Texas will bare-root them hanging upside down in a garage. I've even heard of a lady who wrapped them in newspaper and stored them in her attic, but again, they need the woody trunks and stout roots that they get with some age.

And, not to be overly "enabling" with your new obsession, Toni, but the grower I got the flower above from also happens to have variegated 24-40" plants (cuttings grafted onto root stock in this case) for sale. Just sayin'...;) Just keep in mind that sometimes variegation disappears with age on plumeria.

Okay yes...809 was a typo. As far as what rooting option you choose, that really is up to you. I don't feel comfortable telling you to try one method over any other. You will find that certain methods work better than others for you. It truly is trial and error.

As far as the what varieties root better in water than soil(and visa versa), I can only say that for me(again may not be the case for everyone) rain water worked better.

I noticed rot after I pulled the cutting out after a few weeks. You are not encouraged to pull cuttings out during the rooting process. I am just impatient and I like to check to see if roots are growing. The only problem with this is you will rip those new tender roots if it is rooting.

I choose to mix Miracle Gro with perlite. It's inexpensive and works for me. Again, it may not work for you. All I can say is that you want a mix that drains freely...think of Al's gritty mix. If you can use that mix, than I recommend it. I just cannot justify it because at this stage in the game, I have so many plumeria it would cost me a lot to make that mix for the 60+ plumeria I have(not including seedlings).

I should have added this to the above paragraoh, you have to forgive me. I keep going back to your post to double check that I am answering all your questions...yes, certain varieties are harder to root in soil. I can only think of the dark reds as being more difficult to root, and I tried water only after I couldn't get roots to form.

As far as pot size, I have used everything from 3 gal nursery pots, to Aquafina water bottles. It just depends on the size of the cutting. As long as the cutting doesn't fall out of the pot, then your fine.

Humidity...yes, higher humidity does help. PH? Not really sureI can help ya there. You will have to ask someone else about PH. I haven't noticed any PH problems so I really haven't paid any attention to it.

The mix I use for seedlings, I also use for my cuttings when I pot them into larger pots. Like I said above, as long as it doesn't retain water, you will be fine.

Yes spider mites are a problem for me during the dormancy period. I used the FE that you recommended and that works just great to keep them controlled.

I honestly cannot tell you if you should try rooting now or not. If you do try, keep that cutting in a warm room. Temps should be above at least 70 degrees day and night, with full sun and yes, humidity above 60% would be ideal.

Well I hope that helps you.

Andrew

The cutting could have come from any number of stores in Hawaii. It is packaged and sold through retail outlets. there is a USDA/APHIS inspection process plants must go through. Only certain nursuries have the "phyto something-a-rather" certification to permit the item being sent to the mainland.

Unnamed varieties or unknown named cuttings can be very good growers and in my opinion make perfect gifts. They are more hardy than the much more sought after named varieties. You should not shy away from it because it has a "generic" connotation. I have generic pinks and yellows bought in a Hilo Hatties or someplace in 25 gal pots which are a prolific bloomers every year and routinely have seed pods. So while I ("he") did say unnamed...I certainly didnt mean its not a potential beauty. This one is from a gift store and these forgiving unnamed varieties is how I learned about growing plumeria.

I would start the rooting process in the next 2 weeks or so using the clear bottle method, sunny window sill or lamp, and a warming mat. Keep it warm, humid, and with dry planting media.

Andrew, I'm with you on the soil. I will phase in my own version of gritty mix on plants provided i can find comparable substitutes but it going to take a whole lot of time over several seasons. In the meantime wicking the pot helps drainage.

Laura,
I grew up sport fishing with my Dad. Mahi is second only to Seabass in my book.

I agree about Noids being some of the best. Most of us do have unnamed variteies that are absolutely beautiful and it is the best way to start your collection growing Plumeria.

My Noid Pink is a beauty and i have several yellows from HI that came packaged in the plastic. That was my beginning of the addiction and i will always cherish those cuttings. Still have them today!!! Where they were bought and what they remind me of is just as priceless as the named variteies that i have. Most of the cuttings that were given to me from friends mean more than anything. : )

Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean has been a great family tradition for many years. I was born and raised here and we do enjoy all that nature has to offer. We do enjoy hunting and fishing. It is a family affair. All of us are comfortable in the woods and in the ocean... That will always be a part of the living here on the coast (from the ocean) to the mountains of Virginia

I agree, Mahi is the best!! Stripper is too!

Toni,
We do see Dolphins from the beach as well as Whales (sometimes) not as often as Dolphins. The whales are spotted more often when you are off the coast in boats.

Ok ..trying to answer a few questions.

My best advice to help you would be to have you check out the books available on growing Plumeria.

Like K had mentioned, Jim Little has a book on growing Plumeria in Hawaii and around the world. Im not at home now, so i cant tell you the correct title. There are several books out that may answer some of your question that you still have.

Here is a link that some have found helpful too!
http://www.plumeria101.com/

Also you asked about my Graft. I had a nursery take a special cutting from a named variety to graft . It didnt take. The top graft decided to rot. Here is the link to what i had posted.

If you have question on grafting, maybe the books will help you. I haven't tried to graft yet!!! : )

There are so many things to learn and we all do things differently. So some of your confusion can be cleared up if you check out these books. They really helped me and we all have looked at the Plumeria 101 site as well!

Hope this helps...

Take care,

Laura

I had an allergy test. After it was completed and diagnosed, the allergiest said, 'Toni, I've been a doctor 40+ years, have taken thousands of allergy tests, yet I never met anyone who was allergic to everything.' lol.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I'm allergic to many allergy medications.

Worse, to add to the news, I'm allergic to cat and dog fur, and bird feathers. Pets I have and had since 18-yrs-old. Even though we have two dogs, four birds and an Iguana, I don't have problems.
Dry air is another story. I can't breath for one. So, I pity you. Hope you can take allergy meds w/o problems.

You can add one more person who deemed TX dry. lol. Your humidity is higher than IL..Our summers are very humid, but during winter, a house, without a humidifer, etc, averages 5% humidity. I have 4 hygrometers, all accurate. In-between humidifers, humidity ranged 5-7%.

Are winters humid, too?

Jan, maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought you said you were told the two 6" cuttings were from the same plant?

Guess you're in a Plumeria Garden Club. That's nice. Wish there were plant clubs nearer our home. I bet you were delighted finding out your Plumeria was a rare variety. It is beautiful.

LOL, don't blame you about a 30' tree. Unless you cut holes in the ceilings, it'd be a problem.

Thanks for the link. I added to Favorites. Come spring, I'll check out their plants. I really like the site. One way to learn names, by viewing pictures, of each plant.

I understand variegated plants can revert to green..If summered outdoors and given additional light in winter, do you think Plumerias would revert or is there a chance leaves would remain variegated?
It seems certain plants are more likely to revert than others.
Even if a variegated turned green, they're still lovely plants.
Hope your eyes stop itching. Have you tried eye drops?

Andrew...
Don't worry about suggesting rooting methods. I'm interested which way works best per person. Everyone has their own technique..not only w/Plumes but other plants, too.

I'd really like my 'one' lol cutting to root, but if it doesn't I won't give up. To be honest, I wish I'd have bought two cuttings, this way, I could have tried rooting in soil and water. It's too cold to reorder a second now, but once spring comes,................ lol

Oh Andrew, you're one of 'Those' who peek to see if a cutting is rooting? Shame on you, lol.
When I root, as long as the leaf/cutting is doing well, I feel it's rooting, so don't bother looking. Too much stress and roots can break.

Andrew, I do not use al's gritty mix. I make a huge batch of my own mediums that are well-draining, and contain nutrients.

I really wish I bought two canes. Don't have access to rain water, but there's enough snow to fill a small pot.
'Melted, room temp snow.'

If I was a pro, lol, I'd cut the cutting in half, root one half in water the second half in soil.

So, you 'sometimes' use big pots to root a cutting? Using a large container, for a small cutting, is something I have trouble understanding.

BTW, when you root in rain water, how much of the cane/cutting is submerged?

If lots of sun, high humidity and 70 degrees is needed to root the cutting, it will have to wait. By then I'll decide which way to go.
The cutting was inexpensive, so if it doesn't work, it's not a huge financial loss...however, it would be discouraging.
Jan posted a site that sells Plumerias, come spring I'll choose a 'rooted' cutting, preferably variegated.

Thanks Andrew.

KMS. Do plants shipped from HI need Phyto-Certificates? I've purchased live plants from HI before, but don't recall a certificate, and didn't have to sign when delivered.
Plants ordered from Thailand and China had the certificate attached, plus I had to sign upon delivery.

KMS, as much as I feel like starting the rooting process this minute, 2-3 weeks sounds good. Daylight will be longer, 'hopefully,' Feb can be very drab.
I have a heating mat and plastic dome, if needed. The setup can be placed before a south window plus artificial light. Room temp is 67-71, and a humidifer is in the room.

Your Plumeria is beautiful, too. God, I never realized how pretty Plumes are. flowers are amazing.

Hi Laura. It'd be heaven seeing whales and dolphins. You're blessed living where you do. The closest I've been to a dolphin was being a school room mom, taking the kids to Brookfield Zoo, lol. We went to a show where they performed..They're so intelligent. Tears of joy streamed down my face, watching these guys jumping through hoops, etc.

I understand what you mean about starting out with an inexpensive cutting.
I'd never spend a fortune on any plant I'm unfamiliar with.

Besides, I don't know one variety from another, lol..Whichever flower colors strike me as pretty, 'though all are beautiful, lol,' I'll get. Then again, variegated leaves are so nice..which means an increase in price. I think?

I have over 30 plant books...it's been a long time since I've browsed through them. I'll have to see if I have a Plume book.
Problem is they're older editions. I'm certain a lot has changed since they were published. Different varieties, etc, but care is 'probably' the same.

Thanks for the link. I haven't checked it yet, but will later. 'got to start dinner soon.'

Since Christmas, I promised dh I wouldn't spend on plants or plant related supplies, lol, but there's always the library. For now. lol.

That's sad about your grafted Plume. Wonder why it didn't take.
ME Graft??? No way..I've tried grafting Azalea and citrus, forget it. lol.
I considered buying a grafted Plume. Maybe it doesn't matter, 'like citrus,' as long as the cutting is good sized.

I will look into Plum books after dinner and the 101 site. Thanks much. Gotta start dinner for dh..

Thank you all for taking the time to post. hugs, Toni

I think you will be just fine to wait a few weeks before planting. I have three broken branches in my garage from a few weeks ago that I am going to plant in a couple of weeks. Cuttings can last 4 months or even longer under good conditions. It sounds like you have all the tools of the trade and know what you are doing.

Per Jim Little's book; soil ph for in-ground Plumeria should be acid to neutral. WHile he did not reference container planting ph I would assume the range would not be much different. I would further assume that ph has more to do with how (and what) you decide to fertilize your plants than by itself being detrimental or advantageous to the Plumeria.

Unfortunately, but the last 5 years, Texas has been bone dry. Even in parts of the state which are typically identified as Humid Subtropical. The Austin area (Jandy) and San Antonio area (me) are about 150 miles from the traditional start of the SW desert climate. Typical annual rainfall is between 30-40 inches. I think this year I ended with about 14 inches of rain and last year I had 9 inches of rain. Jandy's rainfall numbers are just as dismal if not worse for this year.

Sorry for the confusion, but the two 6" cuttings were "mystery cuttings" from the same person, but I know they must be different cultivars. They were sent from someone I met on a forum. I'll post pics of them when they leaf out this spring.

Kms2, honeybunny2 and I constitute our own Central Texas Plumeria Club, along with a few others who post here occasionally. We meet a few times a year to chat and share info, thus sparing our spouses the boredom of incessant plumeria talk for a few hours!

That beautiful rare variety I posted a picture of I paid a rare price for, too, at Brad's. I check there often for his more unusual cultivars. His plants are a good size and his seed selection is fantastic. The link I posted below is also a wonderful source for grafted plumeria, very kind people who love their customers.

According to Jim Little's book, variegated plumerias tend to revert as they mature. That's as much as I know about them.

Toni, hope you have a mild winter and best of luck rooting your new cutting!

Jen

Hope your winter has been a lot nicer than ours.

KM2...Do you mean the package the Plumeria is packed in or the shipping box?

I have the Plume w/plastic bag in front of me. 'No longer have the cardboard box it was shipped in.
The front/cardboard says, Hawaii's White Plumeria, with a pic of white flowers. Beneath, it says, from Hawaii, and Grow Hawaii Indoors.

The back has a 12-digit bar code. On the side, growing instructions.
In red it is written, Not valid for Arizona.
Distributed by: Kini Po-Po Creations and their address.

Wish I felt as optimistic as you as far as me knowing what I'm doing. LOL. If only that were true, I'd still have Plumerias from long ago. :)

You said you have 3 broken Plumeria branches you plan on planting in a couple weeks. Are broken branches still on the tree or in temporary medium?

Fertilizer. Actually, I was going to wait to see if the cutting rooted before asking which fertiliizer works best.

I've purchased special fertilizers from Stokes Tropical and Plumeria People for years. Eg. Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Banana, etc. Both nurseries sell Plumeria Fertilizer. Stokes comes in a round, plastic container. It's Controlled Release, 8-14-10 with minors.
Plumeria People special fertilizers come in a bag. Also Controlled Release, 5-32-5/very low salt index.

These special fertilizer work fantastic with Hibs and other plants, so I hoped, if/after my cutting rooted I'd purchase from Stokes or PP.
I'm not sure if either are the correct forumula. NPK.

Do you depend on rain to water your Plumes? Can you hose when dry or does your town have water restrictions?

Jan. Are your eyes still itching? Allergies and Sinus are horrible. This weekend, actually it started last wk, I had a major headache, stuffy nose, etc. Problem is I don't know if it's allergies, sinus, dry air or flu. I had a slight fever Fri and Sat, but also had fever w/sinus infections in the past. I dislike winters here.

Oh God, medications. Thinking about antihistamines gives me goose bumps. I almost died after taking one teas of Formula 44. There's no way I'd take a new med.

Why do you say I can cross Austin off?

Jan, no confusion about your 6" cuttings. You did say they were mystery cuttings, given by the same person from a forum, but I thought you also said, the person who gave these cuttings to you said both cuttings were from the same plant. But you discovered they were different species.

Your garden club sounds so nice, in spite of spouses boredom, lol. Sounds great getting together, talking about something you love.
Wish there were more clubs in IL. I did research and found one conservatory has a succulent club and bi-weekly meetings. There's also outdoor garden clubs, but I prefer tropicals and succulents. I do outdoor, too, though.

I can only imagine the cost you paid for your rare Plume. My dh would faint if I paid dearly for one plant. lol.
However, if I concentrated on one variety, ordered occasionaly, and most important, KNEW what I was doing, it'd be a different story.
But, Jan, there are too many other types of plants I love. I couldn't choose a favorite.
Since you're a pro growing Plumerias, your rare Plume is worth the expense.

Jan, perhaps I shouldn't have brought up grafting. The reason was, I prefer standard trees to bushy. I 'assumed' Plumeria would grow bushy if not grafted.
I like the way Laura's Plumes grow. They resemble trees. Know what I mean?

I'll check the link you posted after submitting this post. Thanks.
Also, thanks for wishing us a mild winter, and luck rooting the cutting. I can use it. lol.
As far as winter, it's strange. Last night we had a thunder-storm, with major fog..the good news is temps were in the 40's, not 4F like last week. Toni

You'll have to tell us all about your bulk mixing system then, because I was mixing a small batch yesterday and found my back complaining!

Hopeful,
I think its that red text you quoted on the store package. Maybe I still have the printed portion in my "bucket o' tags" to look at. The broken branches are not in any media. They are just waiting to be planted.

Barbra, if you're taking a Gladys O'Neal cutting would you consider a trade? You have some fantastic cultivars but maybe I have something here I can tempt you with :).

Looking forward to seeing everyone again!

I haven't heard back yet from K so don't know if we're still on for that date. I can't make the 3rd at all now but could still do the 4th.

Jen