I was given two cuttings from what is an apparently very healthy plumeria. I want to grow the plants, and need advice for starting them. Currently, they are in a container of water, and have alot of leaves. I purchased a pruning repair spray that I have not yet applied, and some perlite for potting.
1. Should I remove the leaves?
2. Should I bother applying the cut repair spray (it is not RootOne)?
3. What is the best soil mixture and rate of watering for starting?
4. I live in North San Diego County (Escondido), and am debating between planting or potting the plumeria, any suggestions are welcome.
New to this and need advice on how to handle/grow a cutting
Yes, if you are going to root the cuttings, then you need to remove all the leaves. You can cut them off at the base, and the little stumps that are left will fall off on their own. You can also just break off the leaves where they meet the stem, but you will have more latex bleeding by removing them that way. You should have just a stick when all the leaves are removed.
There is no need to apply the cut repair spray to the bottom of the cuttings, but you can apply it to the tree that the cuttings came from. Let the end of the cuttings callous over for a few days. Put them outside in the shade in a place which gets good ventilation.
You want a very well-draining soil to root your cuttings in. Some use a mixture of potting soil, cactus mix, pumice, and perlite to achieve this. Some have used all Perlite; some have used all sand; some have used regular potting soil. As long as it drains well, it will be suitable for rooting cuttings. See this link for more information: http://www.plumeria101.com/cuttings101.html
What zone are you in in Escondido? If you are in Zone 10 or higher, you can plant your plumerias in the ground, but since you have cuttings right now, I would start them in one-gallon containers to root them and keep them in one-gallon containers until next spring, and then they will have a good start before being planted in the ground in the spring. If you are in Zone 9 or colder, you must grow them in containers and protect them from freezing temperatures in the winter. You can also grow them in containers and plunge them in the ground. See this link: http://www.plumeria101.com/plunging.html This link has a lot of great information about growing plumerias: http://www.plumeria101.com/ and this link does too: http://botanictreasures.com/psa/PCB.pdf/plumeriacare_bulls.pdf
HTH
Clare,
I usually cut the leaves a little ways back from the branch as not to loose so much sap and things seem to root a bit faster sometimes unless they are expensive ones and those will root when they a good and ready.
Roger
Me too, Roger. I do that too, and then the stumps fall off on their own.
LOL about the expensive ones. I'm sending all expensive ones to Luc these days to graft for me. He now has 25 of mine as I just sent him the nine that I got from Thailand. If I try to root them myself, my nerves will be frazzled by the time winter comes:-)