Want Them All

This branch was cut off a little over a week ago. I read that the branch should be allowed to callous over before inserting it in a pot to start the rooting process. Does it look like it's "calloused" to you guys? I know there are better media for planting, but I have some Kellogg Palm & Cactus Mix along with some Perlite, so I made up a mixture of 2/3 Kellogg and 1/3 Perlite. Is that a decent mixture for planting plumerias? It's going in a 5-gallon plastic pot.

Thanks,

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saltydad

A week should be enough time. I use perlite and potting mix in a 50-50 ratio, with a layer of pea gravel on top about 1 inch.. Be sure to go light with watering; they hardly need any. The biggest problem with plumeria cuttings is rot. Good luck; you have a nice looking cutting. Remember it can develop roots in 1 month or 10 months.What color/variety is it?

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Ueberwinden

It looks good to me, and your mix sound just fine. I like to use coco coir but that is a matter of preferrence. What's important is to make sure you stake it while is developing roots. Also it is important to keep it dry. I usually cheat and after about two weeks I'll just moisten the soil, but I will not water for two to four weeks. What you trying to avoid it rot. Once you see leaves developing, then you have roots and can start watering. Be careful not to overwater. you want the soil moist, dry, then moist again. Never marshy or boggy. Good luck.

Michael

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Want Them All

I don't know exactly what cultivar, only know that the flowers are a deep reddish pink. How deep should I insert the branch into the soil? The long part is 22". Should I leave the pot out in the sun all day?

Thanks,

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stumpy4700

How is everyone overwintering them? Do they need direct sunlight inside? and do you water like normal or cut back once inside?

morriss003

Aloha from Maui,
I have about a hundred plumeria trees, some in the ground and some in pots. I have found that waiting three weeks for the callus to form is okay, but personally I usually wait four weeks. If I pot them under two weeks, I lose a lot more. I try to make my cuts about Jan 4 and pot them about the first of Feb.
Stan Morris

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sandy0225

beats me. my first one I rooted was in a glass of water and once I learned that wasn't the right way to do it, it hasn't worked since! beginners luck I guess?

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Want Them All

I'm still confused about how deep to insert the cutting into the soil? According to info on this website Plumeria Propagation, How To Root Plumeria Cuttings , it's only 4", but mine's 22", there's no way it's gonna be stable if it only goes in 4", even with stakes for support. Maybe I should cut it down a little?

Thanks,

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Ueberwinden

Sandy,

Rooting plumeria in water isn't exactly wrong, I know people that do it on a regular basis. The tricky part is getting the roots to convert from water roots to soil or media roots. There are actually different types of roots and for a plant that doesn't like to be saturated it is tricky to get is back to a dry media.

Michael

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Ueberwinden

I wouldn't cut it!! you can use something to stabilize it like wire ties, or a metal coat hanger unwound and bent. If it were mine the last thing I would do is cut it unless I started to get rot, and that would be an action to save it. If you use bamboo stakes push them to the bottom of the pot, I have used plastic wire ties around the main stem and each one "pulls" outward to one of the bamboo stakes. you do not want to make it tight, just tight enough that it doesn't blow around and break newly formed roots. Plumeria root are very fragile then they are just starting out. If you need any other help just ask.

Michael

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Want Them All

Thank you! I'll stake it like you advised.

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morriss003

I put mine in 6 inches. Then I put a piece of newspaper around the cutting, then I put another inch of soil over the newspaper. Finally, I put rocks around the cutting, thereby making it more stable.

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stumpy4700

I put mine 4inches after dipping it in root starter. Then I used pea gravel around the top layer to hold it in place......How is everyone who is climate challenged overwintering them???????????????????????????????? I read that in winter they will go dormant and need no sun or water, but how warm should it be????????

Bananaman88

We are somewhat "climate challenged" here in Houston for Plumerias as they do not like our typical cool, wet winters. I have always dug mine up or left them in pots and put them in my unheated garage to go dormant. Last year I was given a good tip by a member here to go ahead a strip off all the leaves or else the leaves will just continually drop in your garage floor and you'll have a mess to clean up all winter long. I did this and it worked great. I do not give them any water whatsoever all winter, which helps to induce dormancy.

I have seen some people leave theirs in the ground all winter here. I guess this is OK if it is up against a brick wall where it can get some extra warmth and protection but I'd still be worried about root rot in the winter.

stumpy4700

Great site....PLUMERIA 101.COM Everything You Need To Know About Growing Plumeria.. They have a lot of anwsers.

stumpy4700

Would they be ok inside the house in a pot. It would be indirect sunlight ( the bananas have all the good windows taken ) and watered very little?????

snc

I stick mine in the laundry room- indirect light and a couple in the bathroom that gets some sunlight and pretty much forget about them. Last year after a month or so of neglect and no water mine bloomed. i do water about 1x a month. you will loose most leaves. spider mites love the plumerias indoors.



want them all......a 5 gallon pot only going to last 1 maybe 2 years before it is root bound. Any reason to leave it that "leggy"? I take 12" cuttings in the spring and they are 4'+ ft tall in 5 months. even starting them that short they are extremely top heavy at this point.

Steve L

Jeff, along the Gulf Coast, the general rule of thumb is plumeria need to be protected when the temps drop below 40. I also follow the practice of stripping all of the leaves off of the plant before storing for winter. Plumeria start showing leaf drop anyway here around the end of August and all through Sept and the sun gets lower in the southern sky and we have less sunlight. By stripping off the leaves, you are forcing them into dormancy and the need for water ends. Most of mine are in the ground so digging them up can be a chore, especially when some are 10' or more in height. I knock off the excess dirt, put a black plastic bag over the root ball and lay them on top of each other in my garage. I put a sheet of 6mm plastic on the concrete floor to keep them from actually touching the concrete. I'm not sure why I do this but I've always done it so I keep doing it. If the temps are predicted to go below freezing, I add an electric heater and cover the pile of plumeria sticks with frost cloth. This method has worked for the 14 years I've been growing them. No water at all. By spring, many are starting to show signs of bloom stems.

Steve

Ueberwinden

I had a nurseryman, I think he was from Durham nurseries, but anyway he claims that Plumeria are what is called a yellowline plants and can survive up to six months without light and water. I have never practiced it myself. What I do is keep them in my growroom which sometimes gets cool. This helps me control whiteflies and spidermites, they do love plumeria as stated in an earlier post. I water them every 3-4 weeks. What you want to avoid it rot which comes from wet cold soil. The leaves will drop once there is a reduction in light, water and temp, these are the triggers for plumeria. I have a plumeria that has been blooming on the same floret since December 2007. It did have a month or two where none of the blooms were open , but them suddenly I would get several buds open. They would last several days then were done. The floret is almost spent, my only concern it that this very long bloom cycle doesn't kill the plant.
Check out the pics on my post "a view from my growroom" to see the plumeria tucked in for the winter.

Michael

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Want Them All

OK then I'll use a larger pot. There's no reason to leave it leggy, that's why I'm also asking about cutting it shorter. What if I don't cut it, and use a 25-gallon container and stick it in deeper, say 12"? Do you see any problem with that? Do the roots ONLY come out the tip of the cutting, or do they sprout along the part that's submerged under soil? In my area, we still have lots of sunshine daily for at least another month, if not longer, so I'm planning on leaving the pot in the yard and bring it into the house, next to a southern facing window when the temps drop to 40s.

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