I just discovered that the rooted cuttings I received are grafted. The cuttings are tightly bound by tape. Here's my question. I should leave the tape on the cuttings, right? Otherwise, the grafting may not take? Or do I remove the tape before planting?
Is this common? To receive grafted cuttings through sellers on e-bay? If it doesn't take, then I've wasted money, and the seller was not quite on the up-and-up, was he?
I appreciate your input. Thanks!
Grafted rooted cuttings question
You should probably take the tape off. It was probably left on for extra support during shipping. The grafts should have taken prior to the sale. If you paid for a rooted plumeria, then a grafted plumeria is a rooted plumeria, but you should have been told that before you purchased. If it is a hard-to-root cultivar, then it would make sense that it is grafted. Most of the quality cultivars coming from Thailand these days are grafted. Grafted plumerias travel much better than cuttings. The Thai people are masters at grafting.
This message was edited Jun 17, 2007 11:12 AM
Thank you so much, Clare!!!
Yes, the seller should have told me they were grafted cuttings. But, it's good to know that the people in Thailand are masters at grafting. Now, it's up to me. :)
The union should be well-healed by the time they reached you if these are from Thailand. You should remove the tape right away, in fact, because moisture can building up inside and cause mold and rot. I'm sure it was just left on for added support during shipping. You should contact the seller if you have any doubt.