what's wrong?

I've killed about 5 cuttings this year. They just dried up in spite of watering and care per research. I varied watering thinking that was the cause, but they died anyway with high or low watering. The one thing that does seem to be working is liquid root stimulator.

Also, can you tell whether they are rooting by moving the cutting? Some seem well set in their spot but die, on the other hand, one that was pulled loose by some animal or a breeze seems to be ready to sprout a small leaf after I was sure it would die. There's lots of info on how to take care, but little troubleshooting info. Suggestions appreciated.

Andidandi, tell us a little bit about what colors you were trying to root and when you were trying to root them and what soil mix you used and where you got your cuttings from. It is important to start with healthy cuttings to begin with. Then heat is the next most important element in my opinion. Did your cuttings dry up or rot? If they rotted, the soil was too wet. If they dried up, the cuttings were old and not healthy.

Winter is the hardest time to try to root plumerias. They need lots of heat to root so spring and summer are better suited for rooting plumeria cuttings. That may have been the first problem. I lost a few this winter too even though I used a heat pad, rooting hormone, and greenhouse. I did manage to root about 40 other cuttings though. Plumerias need to be rooted in soil that drains well. Some people use 100 percent Perlite or 100 percent sand. They must be kept very dry until the appears of leaves. Plumeria 101 site tells us not to water at all until the appearance of leaves.

It is best not to move a cutting while it is rooting because the roots are fragile and will break. If a plumeria cutting is firm, then it is healthy and should not be disturbed. If a cutting is wrinkled, soft, or squishy to the touch, then it is rotting.

If you can post a picture of your cuttings, we can have a look to see if they look healthy. Here's a link about rooting cuttings: http://www.plumeria101.com/cuttings101.html

Here are some of my rooted and unrooted cuttings below.

Thanks. I don't know the colors or varierty, I think that they were pink. Since they were my first start with them, I wasn't picky about type.
I think winter was part of the problem. They sort of shriveled, although one turned black. I have one that is in 100% perlite and seems to be doing fine, I'm just not sure how or when to move it to soil. The others I have are in soil mix, and aren't dead, but aren't sending up leaves either.

Andidandi, you can move the one in 100% perlite to soil when you have some leaves growing out from the top. You'll have to be really gentle with the roots because they can break easily when you pot the roots in a potting soil/Perlite mixture. If the others are firm and healthy-looking, don't worry that they aren't sending up leaves yet. I have many cuttings that are still doing nothing. I would give them another month to show you leaves. Just keep them warm and dry, only watering occasionally or misting them. Some pinks are hard to root like the variety Plastic Pink. That one will rot very quickly, especially if you try to root it in winter. Other difficult ones are reds and rainbows. If you are in a hurry for blooms, you can buy rooted plants from Maui Plumeria Gardens or grafted ones from Florida Colors.