Kris

so awesome to see a new grower jump right in. that is pretty awesome they sent a couple extra.

Is the tip completely broken off? Maybe you could contact them and see if they will send a replacement.

Mike

if you do the bottle thing...make sure there are plenty of draining holes....a gatorade bottle works well after adding many holes...roxanne

Hi Mike,

It's not completely broken, maybe about halfway. I guess I could email him. I'm just not one to complain especially considering how generous he already was!

Kris

You may be able to tape it back on and it might re-connect...maybe someone with more experience can chime in here.

If it can't be re-connected, i would cut it off and let it callous over and also try to root the broken tip, you have nothing to lose if the tip doesn't take, but it very well might!

I think rooting them in clear bottles on a heat mat is a great idea! If you can get them near a sunny window that would be great too. I can't speak for the gritty mix but I'm sure others can give you advice on that.The most common mistake is not enough heat / too much water so I think you've got all the right ideas.

For about 6 bucks you can buy some rooting powder - you can wet the end of your cutting with water & then dip in the rooting hormone if you'd like. Many people use it but many people don't so it's up to you.

I've seen many people rooting in water bottles - I recently used a Powerade bottle and a Simply Juice bottle - I don't think the plastic is too thick but I wouldn't use much thicker. I think all of those are fine. Initially we were trying to burn holes in the bottoms but my bf eventually got a small drill bit and it worked much better.

After potting them up I water mine really well until the soil is saturated and then in most cases I don't water again until it starts getting a few true leaves. If there are no roots there is nothing to absorb water, so I don't know if gritty mix would change any of that - it doesn't really retain any moisture but I don't know if that's necessary or not. A lot of people like to mist the tips though, that doesn't hurt anything.

Also, I know it's heartbreaking to do so, but honestly if I were you I would cut the inflos off when trying to root, they drain the energy out of the cutting. Some people leave them on, it's up to you.

Glad to see you got a bunch of cuttings to start, how exciting! Please keep us posted on your progress!

Welcome Kris!

Sounds like others have given you very good advice! I agree with Emily that you should try to bond the almost broken tip with tape (electrical tape will do just fine). I'd do it as soon as possible while it is still fresh. I've read people use honey to heal cuttings before (also in grafting), you may want to apply some honey before you put the tape over the split.

Derrick always sends out nice beefy multi-tipped cuttings so chances of breakage often occur. There's at least one cutting in each shipment I got from him that has broken tip. They'd root just fine as I have successfully rooted them indoor over the winter.

I'd like to add that if you are placing them on a heat mat, make sure you use bottles with flat bases so they don't get knocked over. Don't forget to drill plenty of holes at the bottom for drainage :)

Kenny

I have had success before with taping a partially broken tip.

Was the AG one that you paid for or a freebie? That would determine if I would notify Derrick.

Kris, I had a tip do the same, only break halfway through, and I gently pressed the break closed and taped it over with plain masking tape. It ended up callousing and the tip has never skipped a beat. If it does end up coming off even after taping, you should at least see a calloused area after several weeks--that will make your chances of rooting much better.

I use gatorade bottles (20oz or larger) and a soldering iron to melt the small holes for bottle rooting. However, the large holes (.5 to 1 inch) for plumerias in pots, drilling works much better.

Hi Kris,

I just potted up a cute Cutting called "Tipsy" in the Gritty Mix yesterday. Like Emily mentioned, I let my cutting sit in water for a few hours, then dipped in Roottone and potted it up in a water bottle. Using the Gritty mix is really easy and it holds the cutting in place pretty well. I water once and let the water empty through the mix then I let it be. Put it on a heat mat and under lights if you have them. It won't hurt to mist the stem every few weeks when rooting, just lightly. Some people use straight perlite to root, so I wouldn't worry about the GM. I posted last summer a pic of the same two cuttings from the same tree one rooting in the Gritty Mix and the other in a cactus mix with perlite. The GM roots were much larger and I was just amazed at the pic.

Nice to see you here on this forum... Great group of people and you will receive lots of help here!

I also agree about taping the cutting and cutting the inflo at this time of the year, especially rooting in the winter. You might have a better chance to leave the inflo during the summer if you had leaves pushing along with the inflo. But, to ensure the success rate in rooting, I would cut. Just my opinion.

Remember... Once you pot up , water and place on the mats.. Leave it be! It needs to be left alone.. Try and avoid lifting it to check to see roots... It is hard to do, but believe me.. We all know that this is the hardest part of rooting.. Patience! :-)

What a cute name.. " Tipsy". Lol. Thank you to the sweet lady who gifted this cutting to me.. What a sweetheart !

Take care,

Laura

Wow thank you so much for all the advice everyone! I am very excited to get started! The aztec gold is one that I paid for, but I'll probably just let it go. I taped it back and I'll see if it heals. Now, the "inflo", is that the long skinny part in the picture above? Ok I will cut it off! I'll be back with updates in awhile!

One more question, do I place the bottles directly on the heat mat? And do I put something under the heat mat to insulate it? Oops I guess that's two questions :)

Kristopher

Yes, put them directly on the heat mat - I like to take a cookie sheet and / or aluminum foil then the heat mat on top. Not necessary but kim319 and I feel like it keeps it just a bit warmer.

And yes, you got it, the inflo is the skinny thing in the center.

Keep up the good work!

People also recommend putting the mat on some kind of insulating material, like a couple layers of cardboard or a Styrofoam sheet to keep the mat from losing heat into what ever it is resting on. If you can find a bit of that foil sided insulating siding they put in walls when building houses, foil side up, it will really keep all the heat going to the cutting bottles.

Thanks! I have some leftover foam insulation so that should work well!

Kris

Another idea for insulating your heat mat is;
Find out what day your local pet store gets their fish shipment in.
They come in styrofoam boxes. I ask for the lids and they are usually happy to give them to you.
They work great under the pads. Peg

Hi everyone! I thought it would be a good time for an update. The 4 plumerias that I potted on march 2 are starting to show some signs of life. The celadine is starting to push out little leaves.

The moragne #23 looks like it pushing an inflo but I might have to sacrifice that once it gets larger unless I'm mistaken an its not an inflo?

I'm excited for warmer weather! The other celadine is not doing anything yet and the Aztec gold is getting shiny at the tips. I think they will really take off once the air temperatures start rising. Have a great weekend everyone!

Kristopher

That's definitely an inflo. Personally, I always leave them on, at least you get to see what the flowers will look like. Derrick's cuttings are always fat so they usually have enough stored energy to bloom and root both. If the cutting can't support the inflo, it will abort on it's own. If you cut it off, you may not get any blooms for a year or two.

What happened to the tip that was broken? I'm curious.

Mindy

Hi Mindy! I was going to write something about that and then forgot. Thanks for reminding me! The broken tip did not heal together, so I put it in a tiny container of gritty mix. So far, it hasn'tt shown any signs of waking up yet. But I haven't completely given up on it yet!

Kristopher

AWESOME!!!

Congratulations.. They look great, Kristopher...

I am like Del.. (Confession..). I also will leave the Inflos on until I think they can't handle it.. They are to hard to cut.. ;-)

Pretty work!!!

Laura

Sounds like you're off to a good start with your Piece of Paradise cuttings, too, Kris.

And about cutting inflos...I don't (can' make myself do it!) cut them. If I cut them, they'll bleed fluid, and I don't want my cuttings losing one iota of moisture, they'll need it to push new growth, before they can grow roots to absorb water.
At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it;)
Cyra

Thanks for all your advice, everyone! I think I'm already addicted lol, I just ordered a Divine from Jungle Jacks. And over the weekend I saw my very first plumeria flower in person. It was at a local nursery and it was a beautiful blood red color. Unfortunately the plant was so tall and lanky I couldn't smell it. I tried to get a pic with my phone.

Kristopher

Kristopher, is it just me or is that a dusting of snow outside your window in your 04 May post? The cuttings look good and best of luck with them.

kms2,

No it wasn't snow, thank goodness! We have a brick patio out back and it was just some light reflecting off of that. It does look like snow, though. Lol we haven't had much snow here this winter, just very frigid arctic temps, I think the lowest we got was 5 or 7 degrees F for a couple of nights in January. Not as cold as some more northern states, but to me once it gets below 10 it all feels the same. Lol

Kristopher

Kris, too bad the broken tip didn't mend, it was worth a try though! And congrats on your Divine purchase - I really think you made a great decision with that one! Mine is a blooming machine and with its compact growth you really can't go wrong!

Update time!

Today I discovered two of the cuttings that Derrick sent me have roots! Both of them marked as Celadine. I am going to wait until I see a LOT of roots before potting up. The roots in the gritty mix are big and fat!

2 down 2 to go. Still no growth from the tip of the Aztec Gold that broke off. It's looking pretty dry I might give it a tiny bit of water.

Kristopher