Hi Kathy,

You are doing your best and it sounds like your cutting is really wanting to grow and root for you!!! Congratualtions!! The soil seems to be a heavy soil. You do want a fast draining mix for your cuttings, but i would see what this cutting wants to do. Since you say that there is some activity, i would leave it in that pot.

I would keep it in the same pot for now and not disturb any of the roots that may be forming. You could always put it inside another black pot to keep the pot warmed by the sun. I would keep it on the concrete to gain that heat as well. Last year, I also cut a piece of a tarp and put my cuttings on the black tarp for awhile until the heat of the summer was here, then i removed them and placed them directly on the concrete. Just remember to keep them dry and protected from the rain. Keeping them from moving in and out will also help. They like to be left alone when rooting. This helps from breaking the fine roots that will form. I always try and keep my inflos..so breath.. : ) Dont sob!!! : ) If the cutting isnt producing leaves with the inflo, you may have to make that terrible decision. But if my leaves are forming along with the inflo, i let it grow!!!

Keep it dry and dont let it get wet while you are trying to root this baby. You can mist once a week if you really think it needs some moisture, but im sure you dont need to do that. Your night time temps are still low, but i think if i were you, i would bring it outside...protect it from rain and let it grow. Remember it takes 6-8 weeks to see leaves form. We also water lightly when the leaves are 4-6 inches long. (rim method)

You could always repot later if the soil seems to heavy and water retentive. But if you think it is growing for you now...let it be and keep it dry. Dont over water....

Hope this helps!!!

Good Luck!!

Laura

Hi Kathy,
Laura is one of our seasoned experts here so following her advice will really help you..

I did want to ask you though...are you sure what you have is an inflo? Can you actually see the blooming stem, buds?

I have to agree, watering is a big no no when your starting cuttings...it really irks me but I remember getting cuttings from a local fair here, and they too recommended watering them every week or so. My only explanation to this is that if the grower came from Hawaii, they probobly can get away with watering when there rooting. Well, I should say it like this. In Hawaii, rain showers are frequent(except for on the dry side of the island. The high temps, and trades winds help to dry the moisture from the rains, so the un rooted cuttings wont rot. I had a friend that had a plumeria forum(sadly, she got rid of it)and she lived in Hawaii. She told me time after time of this scenario.She kept quite a few cuttings all at various stages of root development, and she cerainly didn't move them every time it rained!
What stinks to me though, is that these growers that sell there cuttings on the mainland don't think about the diffrences in weather, and that's why there rooting instructions are not right for the rest of us.

At least I hope this is the case!! I just bought 3 Lani plumeria cuttings and they came from a grower in Hawaii. They were sold on a TV show, and they told the viewer to not only water them after potting the unrooted cuttings, but to continue with this every few weeks until they rooted!!

When I read the customer's reviews on these cuttings, most of them said that there cuttings never grew!!

NOW HOW COULD SOMEONE CLAIM TO BE GROWING PLUMERIA FOR MANY YEARS AND SAY TO WATER THIS WAY?

I actually posted a message in there review area that these cuttings should not be rooted UNTIL LEAVES ARE AT LEAST 3-4 in long.

Now, as far as inflos go, it really is up to you. Personally, I do not like to remove inflos on unrooted cuttings. IF for some reason the cutting fails to root, you will at least have the chance to see if you really liked the flower, AND if you do, you may be more inclined to try rooting that particular variety again. Now me, I removed an inflo off of a particular un rooted cutting, and I lost that cutting before it bloomed again. I did get another though, actually 2 and they both rooted.

Now for soil, I again agree with our expert Laura. She told you that soil was too heavy and she is 100% right. When it comes to plumeria trees, I try to see them as a cactus. Cactus have to be planted in a very porous soil. Laura along with many others here use what is called Al's gritty mix. IF you end up really liking your plumeria, and you decide to buy more, (which trust me, MOST PEOPLE DO! Most people end up getting hookedlike I did). you may want to look up the gritty mix.

For now, I would just mix your Miracle Grow potting soil with the perlite. I like to mix it at a 50/50 ratio. I haven't had issues with mine rotting with this mix, and the ingriedients are easily found, and pretty cheap.

As far as heat goes, I again agree with Laura. Plumerias LOVE heat as much as they HATE cold! I live in xone 6 and I wont leave my plumeria out over night until temps stay in the 60's. Day temps in the 70's are good. You will see though how the colors of the plumeria are affected by the temps. I have seen more intense colors with higher heat.

Good luck Kathy! Your in great hands here, and if you end up getting hooked to this awesome group of tropical trees, don't say I never warned you! LMAO!

Andrew

Kathy, I totally agree with everything Laura said. The important thing now is to give it all the bottom heat and sun possible and leave it alone. It's trying to root and as long as it doesn't stop growing suddenly, it should be fine.

If your forecast is for cold and wet, then bring it inside, but otherwise at this time of year it's best to leave it be, and certainly don't water until you see lots of big leaves. I would leave the inflo on, too; I doubt it'll stall your cutting if the leaves are also growing.

Best of luck for your 11-year-old's souvenir!

Thank you, all, for your advice and warm welcome! I really appreciate the help and information.

I've decided to keep it in the pot and see what happens. Since our days are warming up, I kept it in the window all morning, then moved it outside to the concrete once the sun warmed it up. There was definitely heat coming up from the concrete (and through the window all morning), so hopefully my little friend liked it. :) The forecast is for lots of sun and warm temps all week, so I'll keep it as warm and dry as possible and hope for the best. Fingers crossed!

Andrew, I'm guessing it's an inflo based on the photos I've found -- the top of the plant is a square-ish area full of little tips (about 15-20 of them), which I'm assuming are flower buds. The entire area is being elevated from the top of the plant by a light green stem. Then, around the base of the rising stem are several "claws" that I'm assuming are future leaves. Does this sound about right?

Kathy

Yep, that's an inflo alright! Very exciting!

Kathy, if you need to keep moving it in and out, stake it or wedge it tightly in the pot so it doesn't wiggle every time it gets moved and you break those little hair roots it's trying to push out. Best to let it sit still in one place if you can, though.