Question about graft and fertilizer?

Should I have removed the materials around the graft on my Plumeria I received from Florida colors? Or was I supposed to leave it on. I took it off when I potted it and now I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do.
I potted it in Miracle GRow cactus and succulent mix, which I read here should be good. The bag says it fertilizes for up to 3 months, but I am wondering if I should still give it some Dynamite? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
I also want to show off my first bloom on a noid from a local greenhouse. I am so excited that I got to see a bloom already!

Yes, they leave it on so it will be extra secure during shipping, but you can remove the plastic strip and rubberband when you unpack it.

MiracleGro Cactus and Succulent mix is okay, but it generally doesn't contain enough nutrients for a plumeria so I would add the Dynamite to the mix if it were mine. It is slow-release so it won't be overdoing it. When you transplant next, I would switch to regular MiracleGro mix or a different well-draining professional potting mix.

Congrats on the lovely yellow bloom!

Thank you so much for the advice. Now I have another question. Shortly after posting my first question my 1 yr old destroyed my grafted plumeria! She grabbed it, before I could get to her, tipped the pot over and the graft split off! The top had two branches and one broke off. Can I do anything to save it? I was thinking I could try to root them, but they are probably hard to root or they wouldn't have to be grafted in the first place? Please help me. : ( I can't help but think I jinxed the plant by posting about it!

Meredith, what is the cultivar and where did it break and how long is the branch that broke off? You could re-graft it if you feel comfortable doing that, and the branch that broke off can be grafted as well. You can also root the top broken pieces, the success of which may depend on their length. I've rooted cuttings as short as 3 inches, but generally, six inches is the minimum. The bottom part can remain in the container even if it is just root stock. Florida Colors uses seedlings as root stock or one of their white cultivars so, if there are nodes on that root stock, they will sprout into branches, and you'll have a whole different tree. Sorry about that! Young ones can be hazardous to the lives of plumerias!

Okay I took a picture and placed the pieces on a square tile that is 12 x 12 so it would show the sizes. The cultivar was dwarf deciduous, after what you've said already I am assuming the smallest piece is too small to root but the other piece should be okay. Not sure about the rooted piece. I just reread about the nodes I am going to have to check it again for those.

You definitely have nodes there. I put the instructions on the picture, but as an alternative, since Dwarf Deciduous is a dwarf and as such, will root very slowly, I think that the best suggestion that I can make is for you to ship the two pieces back to Florida Colors and have them re-graft it for you. It will only cost you the price of $4 plus shipping to them and back to you.

I forgot to add that you should remove the leaves right away on the broken piece. Remove all but the very smallest ones. The leaves are causing the cutting to lose water, which will lead to dehydration.

Okay thank you so much. I am still trying to decide which way to go. I have a heat mat and rooting hormone, would those help if I decide to try and root it?

Definitely, but if it is hot outside during the day and evening, hot concrete in warm sunshine is probably the best way to root the cutting. You won't need to do anything to the root stock except pot up the base because it will sprout branches soon.

Okay my weather looks slightly cool, high 70's days and low 60's at night. Are these temperatures sufficient?

Yes, that's pretty perfect;-)

Oh great! Thank you so much for helping me with this. ^_^