Hi Shubunkin, yes, I think that cuttings with bugs (beetle grubs) on the inside will look unhealthy on the outside. The will have holes, soft spots, brown spots, general discoloration, or all of these things. I think it is rare though for sellers to sell cuttings with grubs inside. Sue just happened to be that kind of seller and thought she could get away with it, and maybe she continues to get away with it. That's why it is important to only buy from reliable sources lest you lose your hard-earned money.
I can't answer your second question because I've never tried that particular method before. Michael roots things in his basement over the winter so maybe he will pop in and help you out there. Cuttings do need lots of heat to root, but water-rooting and heat together may be a recipe for rot if the water is too warm. It's hard to say. You'll have to try it and let us know!
Edited to fix typo.
This message was edited Oct 13, 2005 9:22 PM
Looking for named plumeria cuttings
Clare - Yes, I hope Michael will give us some direction. I will also be rooting cuttings. With the storms we had this week - 8 straight days of rain - seemed like a mansoon for days. I was not able to get the plants off the deck quick enough so I had a lot of broken branches. Today was the first day it did not rain so I tried to make clean cuts on the plants and now cuttings. I know I should wait a week or so before I pot them up.
My "plan" will be rooting them on a heat mat in one of my bathrooms. I set up the little singapores today on a table next to the window. I setup a extra light - just a daylight bulb until I can get some grow lights. I will convert the bathtub and counters into other spots for some plants. Don't know how many I can get it there. Question - I know the cuttings need heat but do the other plants that I am going to try to keep awake? The temp in the bathroom today was 75% - the lights and heat mats really do heat it up. Will I need a small fan? Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Shirley
Shirley, I'm so sorry about your broken branches, but it is great that you will be rooting them so you will have more plants! Your bathroom sounds great! It's pretty dry in a house so a fan probably isn't necessary, but the extra air circulation can't hurt! If it is warm during the day, you can also open a bathroom window, and it will be easy to mist if the cuttings are all in the tub. Your set up sounds good -- lots of heat and light. That heat mat should help quite a bit.
The other established plants that you want to keep growing need more light than they do heat. Heat is great too, but light is really important to those plants that have rooted already and are kept inside. Just for a comparison, my plants stay outside all winter, and sometimes it is gray all day, and sometimes it rains, but when the sun shines, it is bright out for about 10 or 11 hours. The temps are in the 60's and 70's during the day and in the 40's at night. They don't go dormant, and most don't even lose any leaves at all. The closer you can mimic an outdoor climate in a tropical area, the happier they will be. If you keep them at an even 60 or 70 degrees or warmer, they will do just fine.
There is a thread that Michael did here, I think, about his set up in his basement where he wrote about which lights he uses and how long he has them on, etc. If you click on his name of "Malestrom" and then click on "Find Malestrom's Posts," you will probably come up with that thread. I'll try to find it for you when I get a chance.