Hi, everyone! A friend gave me a plumeria cutting. Can I just stick it in the ground, or should I put it in a pot?
Plumerias in Houston..
Marilyn, is it already rooted, or is it just a cutting? If it's not rooted, let the sap on the cutting dry for a few days then put it in what you think is way too small a pot, stake it to keep it from falling over and set it in a warm area. Heat from the bottom really helps the rooting, but it should root fairly quickly in a warm shaded location. Leave it in the pot until next year then you can either report of put it in ground. Be aware that a freeze will kill them so you may want to be able to move it in during cold snaps, but I have two in ground in semi sheltered locations and they've done fine for several years without being brought in or protected.
Hope this helps.
Crow
Thank you, Crow. That's perfect. :-) It is not rooted. I need to get some perlite and then I'll pot it up.
Thank you!!!
Wow, Crow, I wish I'd asked you when my neighbor gave me two cuttings. I stuck one in the ground and one in a pot. They don't appear to be dead even though I left them out all winter. I'm worried that I planted them upside down. I couldn't really tell which end was up! Time will tell!
Elphaba, don't worry about them being upside down, either end should root. You can tell if it got freeze damage one it starts greening up. The very tip ends of the branches (or cutting) will be darker colored and slightly shriveled. If that happens, cut the tip off. You may not have blooms this year if you have to do that, but it will recover.