how long can u store cuttings b4 they HAVE to be planted to root? and if so.. what conditions should i give them? example....dark, temp range, dry air??
cutting storage?
Hi shokwave, welcome to Dave's and to the Plumeria Forum! Cuttings should be planted right away after the cut has had a few days to heal and dry. This gives them the best chance for rooting. If they cannot be planted right away, they should be placed somewhere cool and dry. Heat will cause them to dry out, and it is hard to root dried out cuttings.
I have kept cuttings for several months before rooting them. Especially as winter approaches. I often have to trim the ones I have planted in the ground and dig up to put in the greenhouse so that they will fit. Our winters can have spells of cold and wet and I try to avoid rooting them in those conditions. I don't have heated pads and my greenhouse is rather crowded. I hold them until spring to root them. Some times I put them in a "community pot" of good potting soil with just their bottom slightly in the dirt. I don't do anything to them unless I see them shriveling up some and I will mist them. I do not water them. Sometimes I have had them root on their own.
Joe
This message was edited May 27, 2007 9:08 PM
thnx... i only need to hold them until the end of aug-mid sept. also thnx for the welcome clare.. i'll be hanging out in this forum and a few of the others on here.
Shokwave, that is a long time to wait, and this is the ideal time to root them. Is there no way you can do what Joe suggests and group root them standing up in a little bit of moist soil? With hot weather coming, they are sure to dehydrate quickly if placed outside in the heat. Perhaps you could put them in shade, like under a big tree, standing up in a group in a single container and mist them regularly. If you put them in sand or perlite, they will pull up easily, and it shouldn't be too hard to separate the root systems. It is not the ideal way to root them, but I think it might be better than letting them sit for three months, or maybe you can send them to someone to root for you? You could send them to Luc at Florida Colors to be grafted. He charges $4 for each graft, and you just have to pay shipping back to you. You should get them back in about three months so that could work out great.
Shokwave, I agree with Clare in that I would not leave them on a shelf or in the open outside for any long period of time in hot weather.
ok thnx.. guess ill be rooting some plumerias then.. lol