My "indoor greenhouse" for starting Plumeria Cuttings

sorry so long... I have had several people ask me what I have done so I thought I might explain and provide some pictures.

I found waterbed heater mats from the local free cycle and buy sell trade. I paid about $10 for each.. I now have 3

I just put the waterbed heater inside plastic bags to protect from excessive water.. heavier ones and laid it on the floor. I made a table the size I wanted out of 3/4 inch plywood... you can probably use an old table if you have one. I bought an inexpensive 4 foot flourescent light fixture and grow bulbs at Walmart. I attached hangers on the underside of the table to attach the light right up against the wood or at least very close... some of my plants are already almost touching it! I mounted it on opposite corners so it provides good light coverage in the entire area. I bought vinyl sheeting from the fabric dept ... again at Walmart... and put it over the table draping down to the floor to create a more humid enviornment and keep heat in.

I then put a water resistant sheet on top folded in several layers. I think a towel or something absorbant might work also. That way when you water, any draining out will just be absorbed and as it is heated, will evaporate and create humidity for the plants. I then put the potted plants on top. These cuttings and plants are in black plastic pots with flat bottoms. I stick the sensor into one of the pots to regulate the temp. I have a plant thermometer I bought at Harbor freight for under $10... it works great.

One corner of the plastic is kept open and I have a small ceramic heater there that comes on when the temp is below 75 or so. It keeps the area under the table about 80 to 85 and does not run very often yet... it is not cold here yet.

I also have some cuttings on another heat mat on top of the table I made and are doing them a little diffferently since I made my pots the cuttings are in out of used soda bottles... 1 and 2 liter ones. Here is a pictrure of the bottles/pots with a cutting in it. Since the bottoms are not flat, I was concerned that I would not get the maximum effectiveness from the heat pad since there would be air spaces on the bottom... it would take more electricity to heat and be inconsistant. So, I bought a long low flat storage bin at WalMart for under $6 and a bag of industrial sand at home depot for about $3. I prepare the mat the same then put the plastic storage bin on top... a layer of sand about 3/4 inch then put the potted cuttings in and pour sand around all the pots to about 3 or 4 inches deep. Place the sensor in the sand and keep track of the temps at the edges and center areas to determine the best setting for the thermostat. This provides a more consistant heat to the cuttings. I am about to hang another 4 ft flourescent grow light above them.

This set up has given me double the space for starting and maintaining my plants through the winter.

This is the bottom of my home made pot. I use a heat tool with a point to melt the holes in the bottom. A soldering iron will probably work also.

Here is the table with everything set up and my seedlings and cuttings underneath. The vinyl covering is clear so really does not show up in the pictures but gives the plants a 'watery' look.

This is the end where I have the heater. It does not stay on very long... less than a minute to warm it up in there so I don't worry about it being near the vinyl but it is set up so it does not direct the heat right at the vinyl but in toward the center of the area. I check the soil moisture in the pots nearest it more frequently and they get more water. The tall plant near the front in the larger pot is about to move on to the top of the table due to quick growth since I set this up. It was a rooted tall stump that now has 11 points of growth along it... 6 around the top where it was cut off, 4 near the middle where more had been cut off and one near the bottom. It is probably a Celdine... white and yellow. Good thing about using the flourescent lights, they do not produce much heat and the plants can grow right up to them without any damage. So, the only limiting factor is the height of the table and I have already thought about raising it up a few inches on sturdy blocks.

This message was edited Nov 14, 2006 4:27 PM

This is the top of the table ... the heat mat is under the vinyl draped over the table. This plastic bin is full of cuttings in my home made pots. You can see how deep the sand is around the pots of cuttings... providing even heat to all.

edit: I realized when I looked at the picture again that the light on the underside of the table is visible. That is the white thing you can see just under the table.

This message was edited Nov 14, 2006 4:15 PM

Great set up but I don't see where the drink bottle pots are. I really like this idea. Doesn't look expensive either.

Jeri

I was posting at the same time as you. I see now. Sorry

This message was edited Nov 14, 2006 4:19 PM

Finally, last picture. This is the table top bin with the cuttings view from overhead. You can see the sand between the home made pots. I learned by trial and error. Put the pots in first on top of the small layer of sand then fill in with sand between them. I used one of my smaller soda bottles without holes in the bottom to scoop up sand and was able to squeeze it almost closed to direct a small stream of sand into the smaller areas between the pots. You can see that I did get some sand into some of the pots.


I hope this has helped some of you with ideas of what you can also do to help start cuttings in the winter... or actually, any time of the year.

The best part is double the space and you can make it any size you want. My plants are really happy. The cuttings on top are new ... about 2 weeks old and some are already showing signs of waking up... not visible in the pictures. About 1/2 I just potted yesterday.

Tammie

Tammie

In the last picture the 2 plummies up front look like they are in a clear product. Is that the picture or are they in a different medium?

Yes, I thought I would try to "water root" them. They are in polymer gel. The first plumie cutting I had was from one of those little stands in the garden dept. of Walmart. I did not know any better and put it in polymer to start it.... It started growing almost immediately and was doing teriffic until I started researching and saw that you were not supposed to start them in water... so, I took it out and potted it. It promptly rotted and died! I now have enough cuttings to start trying different things. The difference using the polymer and just water is that the polymer does not have any free water and has air spaces between the crystals. Just an experiment.

I use the large crystals. I actually sell them so I have lots to "play" with.

Tammie

I have never had the crystals but I was wondering about trying to root some that way. Would you mind letting me know how these 2 do. I don't have alot of cuttings to experiment on.

Jeri

Sure will keep you updated. I just put them in there yesterday. The cuttings are from the wonderful offer Suki made. They just arrived yesterday.

Tammie

Another DG'er & I had done a swap earlier in the year and she shipped her cuttings in the gel. This got me to thinking but I never did any thing. When I saw your last picture I thought that's what you had used.

You're so lucky. I'm waiting until after winter to get going. I put up a shelter for my patio plants but they filled it up.
I don't have a garage just an open carport. So I'll give it a rest for now.

Jeri

Tammie, wonderful job on the pictures and instructions! All your plummies look so healthy!
:) Donna

Great photos and explanation. Think I'll keep my cuttings till after Holidays, then get serious about rooting them. Sandi

Tammie,
Thanks for the great posts for rooting plumies. What soil/medium do you find works best without rotting the cuttings? How long does your setup take to root most cuttings?

Louise

Actually, I am new to this but I do a potting soil mix with perlite.. actually it is more the other way around.. more perlite than potting soil. I put a little pea gravel in the bottom of pots to make them a little heavier also. That way, when they have leaves, they will not be prone to tipping over before they are big enough to need larger pots. I did have some rooted cuttings showing signs of life within 8 days of getting them potted and inside my little greenhouse... they had full leaves within 3 weeks... they started with very tiny roots though. I have some cuttings I potted 20 days ago.. started with 10 cuttings both tips and center cuts. One or two are starting to look like they are waking up. One rotted but it was a center cut and had a large open pocket like area at the top. I think some water got in when I first watered them... it actually rotted from the top down. the base in the pot was still firm and looking good but I only have about 5 inches left after cutting it. We will see. One, 3 tip cutting is looking a little dehydrated but is still green and firm. All the others are looking good, firm and healthy... just not growing yet but again, it has only been 3 weeks. Time and patience are very important. I have a center cut large one that was the trunk of a tree that I potted about 9 weeks ago and is growing fast. I had to move it out to the top of the table today because the leaves were bending under the table... I guess I am doing something right. Hope I can keep it up.

Tammie

Tammie,
Thanks for the advice. I'm new to plumies also and want to keep from doing the wrong things. The pictures of everyone's blooms are such an inspiration for me to have patience and hang in there when there doesn't seem to be anything going on with the cuttings. I've bookmarked this thread and will go back and read it several times!

DG is full of so many helpful people - worth much more than the subscription price.
Thanks, Dave for making this possible!

Louise