Plumeria cuttings came....

Ordered some from one of the references that CLare gave off of Ebay and they arrived today...

10 cuttings for 49.99 and 10.00 shipping.. they look healthy and great.. now I hope I don't kill them. This is what I got.

Kauka Wilder
Scott Pratt
Samoan Fluff
Angus Selection
Instense Rainbow
Nassau
Kona Hybrid
Plastic Pink
Sallly Moragne
Japanese Lantern

and I better sign off before my husband divorces me..lol.. got them potted up quickly and followed the Plumeria 101 instructions to the "T"..

How long before I see growth guys? and will they bloom this year? will take photos of them later.

Gourd.. depending on the cuttings and thir stage of growth at the time of cutting.. will determine alot of thoes diffrent times you wondered about.... Are you giving them some bottom heat... that's real helpful... Cuttings will sprout gowth claws... [ new leaves ] anywhere upwards of 2-3 weeks onward... as far as flowering.. same holds true... just what stage of growth of the tree from which the cutting was taken. and then cre and feeding... keeping the roots warm through out is about the best thing you can do for them .. like keeping the pots on a hot driveway will speed everything up.. and a bloombooster type fert will help... Gordon

Someone was incredibly kind and shared 2 cuttings with me. They had roots on the bottom but no growth on top. I planted them in 3:1 perlite:potting soil and put them in my hoophouse w/ shade cloth because it's been so hot here. Should I put them out in the hot sun on my patio pavers?

Have them outside right now and it has been cold here (low 50's at night), will get them and put them on a heat mat probably tomorrow. I used potting soil and vermiculite, did not have perlite.. Will that do? and used the pea gravel. They look great. I hope they don't rott. I used some cloning gel, did not have root tone.. They looked like they had callaused on the bottoms, so I figured they were okay to pot up.

Thanks for all the info. Whoo hoo.. I can hardly wait till I get a leaf..

edited to say: dstartz, that sounds like a good idea. I think that during the day, I will leave mine outside in a sunny area, they are on a round block bed right now, which does get sun during the day.

This message was edited Apr 4, 2005 7:18 PM

Antoinette, you scored! Congratulations! $6 a piece is a bargain! You would pay twice that for those named cultivars elsewhere.

GordonHawk is right. You should see leaves forming as soon as you have some roots starting. You may even get inflo's if the trees in which the cuttings were taken from were about to flower. My Kona Hybrid from that same seller has an inflo. I bought a Nassau, Kona Hybrid, Japanese Lantern, King Kaulana, and K. Wilder from him.

It's not cold when it is in the 50's at night! It is still in the 40's here at night, and all of my cuttings and seedlings are outside on the hot pavement! The heat mat probably isn't needed at this point, but if you want to put them on it at night, that will hurry things along. I would for sure put Intense Rainbow, Plastic Pink, and Scott Pratt in the warmest spot and on the heat mat because those can be a little tough to root from what I understand. I lost a Plastic Pink this fall when it rotted quickly. I didn't have my heat mat at that time, and temperatures outside were getting colder. I have nearly all those cultivars you mentioned.

Vermiculite is no good because it retains water. You need perlite or pumice or cactus mix. Cloning gel is fine. It is fine that they were potted up right away. Was the pea gravel at the very bottom? If so, that is good for good drainage.

Dstartz, yes, put yours out in the hot sun on your patio pavers! You should be getting leaves very soon since you have roots already.

Here is mine below:

Edited to fix spelling.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2005 12:40 PM

Some of mine are already rooted, but some are not yet, and some I just purchased:

Oh Clare,

I put the gravel on top (the last inch to the brim), and talking about the vermiculite, should take them out and repot them? HELP..

edited:

Clare your pots look wonderful.. wow..

I quit counting at 24.. they are going to look great when they bloom. Your dogs probably know that those are off limits. My dogs are pretty much trained to walk around my pots, but when I get company this summer, (my son, his spouse and 4 children and 2 more dogs) I am going to be a nervous wreck..lol

This message was edited Apr 5, 2005 1:31 PM

Clare, your plants look wonderful all lined up there. They look so healthy and happy soaking up the sun. We could use a bit of that today. We've got a southeaster blowing with lots of rain. The poor Magnolias especially are really taking a beating.

Sandy

Congratulations Gourd! How exciting for you! I can really feel your excitement.
Clare.. as always, everything looks just wonderful!

Antoinette, the gravel on the top will cause a burn on the cutting where it touches the cutting. The rocks heat up too much in the sun. Also, you want to be able to see when it is dry and needs water, and the gravel will keep moisture in when you really need those roots to be able to breathe. Gravel on the bottom is better. Yes, I would go get some Perlite and mix it in. If you don't want to repot all of them, just repot the ones which are most sensitive to root rot, which are the Intense Rainbow, the Scott Pratt, and the Plastic Pink. I would repot those in mostly Perlite with some potting soil or cactus mix mixed in. Pumice is good too if you have that at a store near you. Pumice acts like Perlite and is good for drainage, but it is heavier than Perlite and doesn't float to the top when you water. There is no hurry to root the cuttings as they will keep as they are for a very long time. You can take them out of their mix and stick them in a couple of inches of water until you see nubbies and then pot them up. Or you can pull them out of the mix and stick them in a cool dry place and repot them later when you get some perlite. Here is a good thread about water-rooting: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=674&hl= I've had great luck water rooting, especially during the winter with ones that started to rot in potting soil.

Antoinette, I would put those pots up high when you have all that company! You can't help but knock these things over when they are on the ground. I am very fortunate that Duke doesn't bother them. They are only on the walkway here temporairly until I get a chance to repot some of them into five-gallon containers. Then I'll have to find an out-of-the-way spot for them. By the way, my other dog, Dutchess, died this past January. She was the Great Dane and was nine years old. I miss her so much that I'd trade all my plumerias to have her back.

LOL that you counted my plumerias! I have 67 cultivars and 42 seedlings!

Hi Sandy, I'm sorry about all your rain and wind! We just had some terrible winds come through here last week. They were so bad that I had to take down my portable greenhouse early. According to Accuweather, they got up to 48 miles per hour with stronger gusts. Those winds shredded all the leaves of everything in its path so I know what you are going through. Those are no fun at all especially when rain is involved. I hope you get some sun soon.

Clare, I also got my cuttings from the Ebay source you mentioned. I got Scott Pratt and Irma Bryan. I have a concrete area in full sun where I will put my new babies. I also got the grafted rooted cutting Hilo Beauty from Florida Plumies (? is that name, can't remember exactly). I will buy from them again. Anyway, thanks for the tips and your incredible knowledge. Because of you I'm now the proud mama of 3 red plumies, yipee

Hi Nery! Congrats on your purchases! Your spot sounds ideal for them. Florida Colors is a wonderful nursery, and I have bought from them many, many times, and I'm sure I will again and again. I hope you can give us a report about how the three reds compare with one another in appearance and scent. I have Hilo Beauty (thanks to my dear friend Kay), but it hasn't bloomed for me yet. I'll certainly post a picture when it blooms, and you do the same if you can. Thanks for the compliment, but you give me way too much credit. My knowledge isn't really that incredible! I'm pretty much learning as a go too:-)

Clare,
I am so sorry about Dutchess..... don't know what to say. One of the (3) goldens just had surgery on her knee... I'll tell you, they are like children/family all rolled into one. Today her stitches came off, but she has to stay off it for at least 8 weeks, which means in a pen most of the day so that the other two do not bother her and hurt her.. I think they caused the damage on her back legs. The other leg will also need to be operated on. I am so sick over this. The ligament was 80 percent torn on the left side and 50 percent torn on the right leg.

I pulled all my plumeria sticks out and have them in a box in the kitchen. Tomorrow, I will give hubby a list of things I need. I can't leave Dusty alone with the other two. I tried to leave for a couple of hours and when I got back, they had helped her out of the pen.. I don't know how they did it.

This is Dusty.. my girl, with bad knees..

Clare,
I am so sorry about Dutchess..... don't know what to say. One of the (3) goldens just had surgery on her knee... I'll tell you, they are like children/family all rolled into one. Today her stitches came off, but she has to stay off it for at least 8 weeks, which means in a pen most of the day so that the other two do not bother her and hurt her.. I think they caused the damage on her back legs. The other leg will also need to be operated on. I am so sick over this. The ligament was 80 percent torn on the left side and 50 percent torn on the right leg.

I pulled all my plumeria sticks out and have them in a box in the kitchen. Tomorrow, I will give hubby a list of things I need. I can't leave Dusty alone with the other two. I tried to leave for a couple of hours and when I got back, they had helped her out of the pen.. I don't know how they did it.

This is Dusty..


edited: to say:: ooops, I did not think the first one had posted so I redid the photo.. sorry about the double posting.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2005 6:04 PM

Hi Antoinette! Thanks for your condolences about Dutchess. It really was a blow to me, and you are so right that they are like children/family. She was my girl and was so lovely. Duke is 11 and aging pretty rapidly too. The big dogs just don't live very long, and it is a shame.

Your Dusty is a doll! Did she have the cruciate ligament repaired? If so, that is a fairly common injury. Duke has had cruciate replacement done on both his back legs. I sure hope she recovers quickly and takes it easy until she heals. I think the vet used some sort of nylon thread to replace the ligament. He said that, usually when one cruciate ligament goes, the other one does too because then that leg is favored. I think we had to keep Duke calm for a few weeks after the surgery, and boy was that tough! It will definitely be tough to keep Dusty confined for two months! Give her lots of kisses for me:-)

Thanks Clare,

Well, I took out my cuttings last night and today emptied the pots.

Gotta tell you though, my mom thinks I lost my mind.. I heard her telling my brother that I did not know what I was doing, (first she pots things, then she unpots them, I think she makes alot of mistakes, maybe she is sick)...lol. Maybe we are all a little bit crazy (plant crazy)..

I have Dusty laying right be me..at the computer. She is fine wherever I am. If I leave she wants up. Last night I slept in the same room she is in (she has like a play pen in there), but she wants company.. usually they all sleep on their own beds in our room.. believe it or not, they all fit.

My perilite will arrive tonight and I will pot the up again.. good thing mom will be at the senior citizen center in the morning.. can you imagine if she saw me doing that again in the same pots and they look exactly the same.. she might have me committed. Thanks for all your advice, I am sure I would have lost them without it.

You are such a good mommy to Dusty. She is probably loving all the care and attention she is getting from you. Duke sleeps with us too -- all 145 pounds of him. It's a good thing we have a California King-sized bed!

That's is funny about your mom. I'm sure others would think the same thing if they watched me too closely when I am in the garden. The first year here, when I was figuring out how to landscape the garden, I planted things and then dug them up and moved them! LOL!

If you just mix in the Perlite into your mix, I'm sure it will be perfect. Don't worry about trying to remove the Vermiculite because it will be fine as long as the Perlite is there. You can put the gravel on the bottom if you wish, but it is really not necessary. Just make sure that you water them in (with Superthrive if you have it) and then don't water again until you see leaves forming. Let us know how it goes!

Clare, sorry I haven't come back to post.. Sat. our oldest Golden Retriever passed away and it really had me bummed out. So it was hard for me to be normal... don't know if it will ever be the same again.


I got all the cuttings potted up and they look good. I forgot to water them with superthrive, I do have some.

Also have a question for you, What is a inflo on the cutting? Is that another arm? Also, I have five more seeds that germinated out of the 12 that I soaked.. so hopefully they will grow up to be gorgeous flowers..

Thank you for all of your help here. Antoinette

Antoinette, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know exactly what you are going through. Losing your Golden Retriever is no less painful than losing any other family member. When I lost Dutchess, I cried all the time for weeks. I am still sad that she is gone, and I think of her all the time. She was such as sweet soul as I'm sure your Golden was too. Take comfort in knowing that you will see her again when she meets you at the gates of heaven. Email me if you want to talk more about your grief and sadness. When Dutchess died, members over at the Brug forum really helped me and gave me their support and understanding. Let your friends comfort you at this sad time.

The Superthrive isn't that important, but the next time you water them, you can add a drop or two of Superthrive to the water.

An inflo is a stem that arises from the center of a branch and bears flowers on the end. A cutting will usually branch when an inflo is produced. See below for a picture of an inflo.

Congrats on the five seeds! Don't give up on the other seven seeds because some seeds just take a little longer than others to germinate. I hope you get gorgeous flowers too. What was the name of your Golden that died? Perhaps you can name your first seedling flower after her.

Your friend,
Clare

Thanks Clare,
Rocky was his name.. you are right about the people at Dave's, they have helped me to get through those first days.. I did post it on the Pet Forum..

Well, I will be busy in the next few weeks, getting custody of my Step Father who is in hospital and is 83 years old. My mom lives with us, so I have to make accomodations for him and her so that they can be together again. I may not post for awhile here, have to rearrange my house with medical things. Thanks for everything. Antoinette

Antoinette, I'm so sorry again about Rocky. Remember to take care of yourself while you are busy taking care of everybody else and shower your other two babies with love. They probably feel the pain of Rocky's absence as well. Post when you can.

Hugs:-)

((((Clare & Antoinette))))
I am so sorry to hear about Dutchess & Rocky-my heart goes out to the both of you.Prayers & hugs to each of you.
Colie

Thanks, Colie, for your sweet message to me on the other thread. I am so sorry for your losses also. Hugs back:-)

Gosh, Colie I did not know about your loss. I am so sorry also. This is so sad for me still. My husband said that the pope needed a good dog, so he took Rocky.

Thank you Clare & Antoinette.
Antoinette-what your husband said & did made me cry.
We all have been very blessed by our wonderful special little fur blessings.

Well I'm glad I re-read this thread before I starting potting up my cuttings WHICH ARRIVED YESTERDAY!!! Whoopee! 2 rainbows; 1 pink; 2 celadine.

I too was going to put gravel on the top per instructions at the "101" site. Will add to the bottom for weight and drainage instead.

A-potting I will go. :-)

Kaperc, did you get an order from Aloha Palms? If so, their Rainbows seem to be tricky to root. Make sure you use a lot of Perlite in the mix and/or follow the instructions at Plumeria 101. I didn't realize that they say to put the gravel at the top. I suppose that is for stability so that the cutting doesn't move around, but it really shouldn't move around anyway if it is not being touched all the time. Gravel at the bottom is a great idea to help improve drainage. Just water once when you plant them and don't water again until you actually see leaves coming out of the top and then water sparingly until you have lots of leaves.

Thanks, Clare. The Rainbows are big and thick and all of the cuttings had some growth at the tips, if that means anything. I kept one each of the Rainbow and Celadine back in case I have a problem.

So, I put gravel in the bottom, mixed some perlite in the potting mix, then put more perlite in the center where the cutting was placed (kind of a mix of 101 and Aloha instructions), then watered with ST. Just to be on the safe side, I also staked them.

What I'm not clear about is when to start feeding with the bloom formula -- after I get lots of leaves (thinking positive here)? Thanks for all your help.

Kaperc, that sounds great! You should have no problem with the Celadine at all. They root the easiest of all plumeria, I think. Staking them is a good idea. I've had to stake several rooted ones lately that have been growing in a crooked manner. It is possible to straighten them out over time if one does grow crooked.

Kaperc, you may not get blooms this year from these cuttings unless they were cut from already flowering trees. This summer, they will spend their energy developing roots and putting on growth. I would feed them Miracle Grow or any other balanced fertilizer as soon as your cuttings have a well-developed head of leaves. This will probably happen in two to three months. The more bottom heat you can give them, the faster they will root. I put my cuttings in full sun on the hot cement. Here's a picture of some of them:

I found an old picture dated 05/01/03, two years ago today. They are of my first plumies from Aloha Palms. It looks like I have Perlite at the top.

I had them on a wagon earlier in the fall as you can see here, but that didn't give them the bottom heat as well, I don't think.

I think they are better off on the cement for now.

look like little soldiers. Clare you've got yourself a plumeria squadron! LOL

LOL, Nery! I have no idea where I am going to put them all when they get bigger! I guess I should have thought about that before I started buying everything in sight!

Clare, when you say balanced fertilizer, does that mean I shouldn't use the bloom formula until next year? The reason I ask is that on '101' it says:

"If you use a fertilizer high in Nitrogen then you will make a healthy but tall and leggy plumeria. Plumeria in general only branch when they bloom, therefore you must use a fertilizer that will promote the most blooms. Which in turn makes the most branches. "

Is this referring to an already established plant? So using balanced right now will just help them get established, then next year start with the bloom formula? Just want to make sure I'm understanding the logic.

I have mine on gravel where they get sun all day.

k

K, that is a good question. The bloombooster is very high in Phosphorus, which does encourage flower production, which in turn causes branching, but it is twice the amount of phosphorus of regular Miracle Grow. Regular Miracle-Grow All-Purpose Plant Food contains 15% total Nitrogen, 30% available Phosphate, 15% soluble Potash; and minor amounts of Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc (according to a web site I just went to), and Bloombooster is something like 15-60-15. I don't think it can hurt the plumeria if you use Bloombooster, but I think the regular Miracle Grow should be fine to use. I do think Plumeria 101 is referencing fertilizing established plumerias, but I will have to go back and search for what they recommend for fertilizing newly rooted cuttings. It may be the same, but usually, if a cutting is being rooted in the spring of this year, it won't have flowers until the following spring of next year unless it was cut from a flowering tree, and in that case, it could produce an inflo while rooting.

Darn it, Clare, my cuttings never came from Aloha Palms. I ordered 10 on March 22nd, they charged my credit card on March 23rd, and I never got anything. I have sent three e-mails, but no one ever answers. Maybe they're having trouble with some of the varieties I ordered, because I wanted two of the apricot plumeria and one each of the other eight they were offering.

Zuzu, I hear people are just getting their cuttings in the mail now. You should get yours any day now. It was posted somewhere here that the owner had a heart attack and subsequent surgery so his shipments were delayed, but I think he is shipping them now. Don't worry. They are a reputable business and won't stiff you. I am certain that you will get your order any time now.

Yes, I heard about his health problem in one of these threads and I have been communicating with Kathleen about it. She ordered hers later than I did and she has already received hers, so that's why I think some of the varieties I ordered must be the reason for the holdup. I'm really itching to get my hands on them. They're such gorgeous plants, and every picture you post makes me want them more.