Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
xerophytenyc

Egg Rooting : Preliminary Observations

xerophyte NYC
10 years ago

I have 4 different Plumeria cuttings that were started about 3-4 weeks ago. They range from 12-16" long. All were treated pretty much the same: dipped in rooting hormone after unpacking (mail order), planted into pots filled with about 80% perlite, 20% mix of recycled substrates from elsewhere (turface, garden soil, peat, etc.).

The varieties are Celadine, Lani, JL Haleakala & JL Bleeding Heart. Lani has 3 tips, the others 2. All the tips are about 3-5 inches, so they must have bloomed within a year prior to branching.

For the Lani & JL Haleakala, I also added a raw organic brown egg in the mix.

These have been in my garage, which gets to 85F+ on a sunny day, down to about 65-70F at night. There is a fan for circulation, and a 1000W Metal Halide lamp nearby. About once a day I spray the stems to simulate some humidity. I have not watered the mix directly at all.

As of today, all are well on their way into growth at the tips: shiny, green and red claws with juvenile leaves. In addition, to my surprise, both the Lani & JL Haleakala are pushing inflos - despite the branches being just a few inches in length - and both of these have the egg...is there really something to it, or is it just coincidence??? There was no evidence of inflos whatsoever when the cuttings were first started.

This is not enough of a sample size to draw any conclusions, but nonetheless, I am impressed.

Lani's Beauty

JL Haleakala

JL Bleeding Heart

Celadine

One of 2 inflos on Lani's Beauty. The other inflo is slightly deformed.

JL Haleakala inflo in its earliest stages

x

Comments (23)

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    I feel it IS the egg and there REALLY is something to it...I have been doing all my new cuttings with the raw egg under for the last 2 years now and for me it works great, inflos and all...glad to see someone else has chimed in finally that they feel there is something to it....some people have used raw eggs for years with cuttings. roxanne

  • Kenny
    10 years ago

    That's a nice selection you have there. May I ask where you got your Lani from?

    I personally have not tried the egg method as I have no problem rooting most cuttings the traditional way. Plumerias go dormant in the winter months (even in Hawaii). As the growing season begins, inflos are often formed before leaves are even emerged. This is a photo taken in Hawaii as the tree is coming out of dormancy:

    Hope you'll see roots soon on your new beauties!

    {{gwi:1166768}}

    Kenny

  • xerophyte NYC
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Kenny

    I just tried posting the source of Lani's Beauty and I was warned by GW that the vendor has been spamming so I can't give you the name...but it didn't say I couldn't spell it backwards LOL!

    sairemulptsuj.com

    just $15 + shipping, no problems at all with this vendor

  • PRO
    the_first_kms2
    10 years ago

    I would say its coincidental as far as the inflos go. Those cuttings (with short tips) are from a mature tree's canopy which is exactly where inflos would have been forming over winter for this season. You can tell they are from the mature canopy by the proximity of leaf scars and the shorter tips.

    As far as the rooting piece of it...I haven't used the egg method but it does seem like there is something to it. Best of luck with them.

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    I bought Lani in a 5 gallon already rooted from Island Plumeria....he does not ship though BUT great selection and great prices....he is in Northridge, Ca. roxanne

  • derft1
    10 years ago

    Here are 11 cuttings that I am rooting. Two weeks in pine bark mulch to callus the ends. Potted in gritty mix (4-3-2) with an egg in each pot and watered well. No water since potting. Today is the end of week three.

    On a heat mat for about 14 hours a day. Direct sunlight from west in late afternoon only for about two hours.

    Three have inflos and all have leaves starting. Three are a little slower than others. I don't know if the egg helps determine inflos or initial rooting. I do think it helps in growth of inflos and roots after they have started.

    Fred

  • Kenny
    10 years ago

    xerophyte,

    Thank you for the link! I'll look into getting a Lani soon! Maybe after the PSA plumie shopping spree in June. LOL

    Kenny

  • Minderella
    10 years ago

    I thought I had gotten a Lani's beauty and a celedine from the backwards name but Celadine was mis named Lani's Beauty. I have a wonderful Celadine and the other one rotted, Treated same way.

    I am thinking of putting 4 other cuttings from other places in with an egg. Does it have to be organic or can it be just a normal white egg you buy at grocery store?

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    I have always used reg. white eggs from the generic store. roxanne

  • mimalf
    10 years ago

    Wow! So plumerias are not vegans LOL!!
    Do you place the egg actually whole in the ground or how do you do this? I might need to know this for near future. :)

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    google: Raw egg rooting method....roxanne

  • mimalf
    10 years ago

    Ok, thanks.

  • Minderella
    10 years ago

    Thank you Roxanne.

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    good luck, I have done tests with 2 different cuttings from the same tree on 3 different occasions and the egg wins every time. roxanne

  • desamecyra
    10 years ago

    I've nary a clue, as to whether egg -rooting has merit, or not. I've no conclusive proof, either way. I will state 3 things, however :

    Someone I regard highly introduced me to the idea, in her (now defunct) forum. I tend to listen to people whose opinions I respect.

    An egg is relatively inexpensive, and a small price to pay to hedge ones bets on a plant one most likely already invested more than the price of an egg, into.

    An egg under a rooting plant will not harm it. I use them under all my plumeria cuttings, now.

  • ANNAMARIA VECCHIO
    10 years ago

    I'm also a firm believer that "The Egg" makes a definite difference in the success of growing Cuttings, I have four Plumerias that I've started from cuttings with the "egg method"!! God Bless MIMI for EVER, she gave Golden Rules to all of us from the Aloha Plumeria Group!!!!

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    I was able today to re-plant 2 of the cuttings from Derrick in May of this year today. Honey Rose and Wailuku both had leaves big and laying flat. I tipped upside down to loosen out and put into normal mix and a bigger pot. the egg still whole but hollow, roots all over and not just from the bottom side of the 45 degree angle. You see, my 84 year old friend that got me into this, has me barely score the surface all around with a razor blade before dipping into rooting compound. This works for me and I have experimented with all kinds of ways. So, 12 more cuttings to go from this spring but some are hard/slow and so will probably stay in the same rooting pot till next season, we shall see. Moral: try different things and see what works for you....mahalo, roxanne

  • derft1
    10 years ago

    Roxanne. I have 4 cuttings that I will be potting Friday. A couple of questions. Are you scoring before callusing or after callusing? Also, how many scores? (10, 20) Thanks in advance,

    Fred

  • daogirl - SoCal Zone 9
    10 years ago

    Roxanne,

    Do you have any pictures of your method?

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    No I don't have photos, sorry for that. I have been doing it like this for 3 years now with such an increase in rooting, that I was not afraid to try some hard to root ones.

    After the callusing and before you dip into rootone or clonex or dusting sulfur...I put on my close-up glasses :-))) .....and VERY carefully, not to draw white milk, I score so slightly all around, maybe 6-8 in total number, depends on the thickness of cutting...this is maybe 1 inch in length and all the way to the edge of the cuttings end.... Then into water with Superthrive in it (I have not been able to find Clonex) and then all over with the rooting powder of choice, I use a paint brush to get up and into the cracks and on real thick. Then into the potting medium that you have taken your fingers to widen a hole 3-4 inches deep and as wide as the cutting is. If you just jam the thing into the soil, as I have years ago, you just wipe off the rooting compound as you push it down.

    Hope this helps and try all kinds of methods...mahalo, roxanne

  • mimalf
    10 years ago

    Roxanne, I'll have to try your method with scoring, it seems so logical and thanks a lot for sharing it with us.

    Now I'll just need a cutting to try it on. :D

  • mimalf
    10 years ago

    Sorry to intrude like this, but are you on Facebook too, Roxanne?

    Mima

  • rox146
    10 years ago

    no face book here....sorry...roxanne

Sponsored
RTS Home Solutions
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars3 Reviews
BIA of Central Ohio Award Winning Contractor