In South Florida it should be easy, BUT keep in mind, many reds are hard to root. The cutting high on the trees that is soft, is probably a little dehydrated and stressed because of the heat and lack of rain the past few months. May and June are wicked months for plants because the sun is intense, it's hot and the rains don't usually come with any frequency until late June, July.

Plus the fact that the tree was in an abandoned lot, it probably hasn't been fed in a long time. South Florida soils are sorely lacking in nutrients. Can you post a picture of the blooms? Someone here can probably identify it for you then give you better info as to whether it is hard to root.

Regardless, I would cut the ends off evenly with a sharp knife or a fine tooth saw. Cut all the leaves off except for the little ones at the tip. I cut blooms off, some people leave them on because they want to see what it looks like but since you already know, I would cut it off to push the energy into the rooting process. Don't cut the leaves off really close to the branch and don't tear them off. The little stem you leave will fall off in a few days on it's own Soak them for a few hours to overnight in water and Super Thrive or Super thrive with a little Seaweed fertilizer diluted to 1/2 strength. That will help hydrate them and give them a boost. Take them out, let them dry. Dip the ends in Dip n Grow.

http://www.dipngrow.com/

Most people in South Florida just lay them in the shade for 2 weeks and make sure they don't get sun or they will get sunburned and if it rains, bring them inside or you can just lay them inside for 2 weeks and let the ends callus.

After 2 weeks you can lay then up against a shaded South wall or stake them in a small hole or trench. This is how Bud Guillot has always done it. He stated that most of his Plumerias have never seen the inside of a pot and he's done this for many years. The soil must be native and fast draining. Wait for them to root, you will know when they have 2-3 good big leaves. Or... you can do it the hard way, root them in cactus soil & perltie in a clear water bottle, There are many other ways but those are the 2 easiest. The main thing in South Florida is keep them out of the sun. They will burn, I've lost more cuttings to sunburn than rot down in the Keys. Water them once in the trench or bottle, then do not water again until you see leaves. If they begin to dehydrate, shrivel, mist them. Warmth and humidity is key.

The main thing...... is don't water until they have a decent amount of roots. Once the leaves start, then water and feed them..

How big are the cuttings and how may tips on each? The bigger they are the faster they root. I have never lost a really big(small tree) cutting, NEVER! and they root fast. How far South are you in Florida. If you can post a picture that would be great. I would love to see it.

Hope this helps and I'm sure others here will assist you as well. We are very lucky in South Florida because we can usually root them by just sticking them in the ground, UNLESS it is the rainy season, then you have to be really careful or start the roots elsewhere.

This post was edited by powderpuff on Sun, May 19, 13 at 12:48

Thanks, powderpuff for the reply! I'm in Ft. Lauderdale (Wilton Manors).

You are a wealth of information. I have been scouring the net about plumerias and noticed that "reds" were harder, or slower to root.

The cuttings are one foot, to two and a half feet. I have the cuttings in the garage to callous (is that the correct terminology?).

I have rooted one other plumeria. It is three years old. I stuck it in the ground (sand), and came about fine with three days of callousing. It is top heavy so I have staked it because it would flop over. A nice yellow a neighbor gave me with the fragrance of peaches.

I started fertilizing the yellow this Spring weekly with a high phosphorus fertilizer. I feel there is absolutely no nutrients in the sand here. On the other hand, the yellow cutting survived, and with neglect since we hadn't moved here full time at planting.

I'll charge the battery in the camera and attempt to post. It has been a long time since I posted a photo to Gardenweb.

Thanks again!

Jim

Jim, there's not much to add to the excellent advice Powderpuff gave you, except that most of us would give our eyeteeth for a gorgeous red with a gardenia scent! Well-spotted!

Btw, your yellow with peach scent could be Aztec Gold, a wonderful variety for new plumeria growers.

I hope your yellow IS Aztec Gold, unless you want it to be something else! :)

My Aztec Gold started blooming this past week and I am in looove. My husband says that AG smells like a peach tastes close to the seed??? Whatever, but I love it! LOL

The inflo is huge and I also have another one that will begin opening blooms very soon. These were some of the first cuttings I bought and I was so upset with the lady (ebay) they came from. It was suppose to be a 2 tipper but she sent a single tip. When I notified her she promised to send another 2 tipper. I had to pester her and she finally sent another 1 tipper. Then she disappeared.

Hmmm, Moonie, maybe the Ebay vendor thought shipping a tip, and then another tip, equalled ......two tips???
Cyra

Thanks Mooney and Jandey. You all have been so helpful with your responses.

It has been years since I've posted to GW. and formats have changed. I promise to try and post photos when I can.

Jim