Wow, the FAQ section is almost too good --like trying to take a sip from a fire hydrant.
Can anyone tell me if there's a particular type of plumeria that's best to use as root stock?
My Aztec Gold pictures, from which I've planted many cutting, but someone has told me they don't develop great roots...
so, a plant of any species started from seed is better than a strong-rooting species started from a cutting --got it, many thanks.
not necessarily because you have to consider the variety that the seeds come from. for instance, i would not use seeds fro a red variety to graft a plumeria cutting.
Does a red seedling not develop the better taproot Dutchlady mentions above?
Or is it some other characteristic that makes them less desirable as rootstock?
Many thanks for any further insights.
dutchlady is correct that all seedlings develop taproots. however, not all seedlings are good rootstock. reds are known for being temperamental and more sensitive to cold temps. therefore, you would not want to use seeds from a red plumeria.
I will remember that --thanks!
seedlings of madison white, key west white or celadine are your best bet.
New seed stock is being tested for higher success rates particularly among dwarf varieties.
That's good to know, thanks, Maelstrom.
If a plant is ultimately to be planted outside, is there a particular point in the seedling's growth when it has to go in-ground to ensure the tap root benefit?
i wouldnt place them in the ground until at least 12 inches tall to help prevent damping of disease.
Please go on more about the damping off. I would think that planting it would be better. Air flow, etc.
Damping off disease is a mold pathogen affecting many young seedlings or young plants that havent established themsleves.
Once they reach a certain age they seem to be immune to it.
Then its plain ole rot to look out for ;)
Bake or nuke your dirt very well, kills pathogens. A small fan for air circulation, 14 hours of light and enough heat to make you break a sweat. I was looking for the forum that says to use charcoal in the dirt. Can't find it.
Hello Worm Food,
I have heard that too about charcoal, but I have also heard the activated carbon from fish filters works, but I have not tried either myself...just what has been circulated on a few other groups.
Davie
Bake or nuke your dirt it kill everything all the good. They have a place not far when a oil spill happens they burn the dirt to clean it. They sell it cheap you really have to pour the fertilizer to it to get anything to grow.
A seed has enough nourishment for the plant up to the first set of leaves. Then I'll pot them up into their own pot with dirt. dbrooks, I think the story I was reading mentioned the robust, healthy looking plants coming back after the California fires. So I tried it today with the remains of my fire pit and I can scrape the charcoal right off the half burned stick. Cheap is my middle name.
WF, it may not be the charcoal which makes the plants you are speaking of healthy. There are certain plants, which seeds need a fire(either smoke or heat) to germinate. I would be careful putting ashes around all your plants before you know what it will do. just my two cents.
Davie
It's just to keep any fungus from growing but after nuking I had no fungus. I keep my soil wet (for seed growing) and have a small fan for air circulation. One of my containers had fuzz growing but I took out the 5 large seeds, nuked the dirt some more, then put the seeds back in. If they were tiny seeds I would have ended up throwing the whole batch out. Maybe charcoal can work in a situation like that. Don't know yet.
I tried the Manzanita (sp?) and a pine tree by burning the seeds, Tried different degrees of burning. None of them took.
JPlunket, I'm still getting caught up on threads that I missed while I was gone. Just to add my two cents -- when I discovered how quickly I could have a growing plant from a graft, I grafted nearly every cutting that I could get my hands on: no more waiting 90 days for a cutting to get a root ball.
I had started a slew of seedlings at that point, seedlings of which I had no idea of the parentage, and I needed root stock. I basically used all my one- and two-year-old seedlings as root stock. I would graft the new cutting (scion) to the seedling root stock and then re-root the top part of the seedling. Sometimes, after that seedling re-rooted, I would use it again for root stock and re-root the top part yet again.
When I didn't have seedlings to use as root stock anymore, I would use a rooted white or light pink, like 'Cancun Pink,' basically because I ended up with a bunch of that cultivar. I've now made so many multi-grafted trees that I've used just about everything as root stock.
My advice to you is to use whatever you've got. You are in such a desireable climate that I don't think you can go wrong. I've only very rarely had a root stock rot on me, and usually it was due to extenuating circumstances.
Pictured below is one of my multi-grafted trees with 11 different cultivars grafted onto it with 3 inflo's.
Thanks, Clare!
