This is what a number of growers do. It really pisses off the growers that sell cuttings but it appears to work. I have heard that it is important to find a rooting stock that is similar in growth or you will have a big base and a smaller stem growing from it.

tdogdad: Well, I'm just a little ticked off when I've been sold a very green hard-to-root cutting, when I could have been sold a more mature one.

I think a private individual can do anything that is best for them. I understand the gripe of the grower that has invested years to develop a new variety and then is undercut by someone doing multiple grafts and then reselling the parts.I really do not like people selling green cuttings. This can be such a negative for a new plumeria collector because of the high rate of failure. Hope it was not a professional grower who sold it. You have every right to be ticked off. I have had better luck starting greenies in pure perlite and spraying instead of drenching. I can't speak for grafting success since I have done so few.

Dave,
I would just send it to Luc at Florida Colors to graft. If it's big enough, he will make two. If you're an expert grafter, then go for it yourself. By the way, how long have you been trying to root it? Is the bottom even showing the slightest signs of rooting potential?

Tony

I forgot to say how much I enjoy your art work.

Thanks, kind folks, all for the help. I actually have better luck grafting the 'greenies' than rooting them. But I will try tdogdad's technique of pure perlite. That's what makes this forum so helpful. Everyone sharing their experiences.

By the way, tdogdad, I think you were the one who mentioned electrician's tape for grafting. I got some at Home Depot and I think it's gonna work great! It's inexpensive, lightweight, thin, sort of stretchy, waterproof and comes in different colors. I did one graft a week ago and I'm very optimistic. I had a near perfect stem-diameter match and the electrician's tape really has a nice feel to it. It's even easy to unwrap.

Oh, and I don't think the plumeria growers in Hawaii have to worry about my selling plumerias and undercutting them! I'm in Virginia  hardly a plumeria grower's paradise! I'm just trying to get some nice looking plants into bloom for now!

Oh, and Tony, I guess I'm too cheap to send it off to Florida Colors (LOL)! But, that is a good suggestion. I really enjoy grafting. I just need to create more rootstock plants on which to graft. I think this cutting got sunburned on its side when we had a week of 90ºF+ weather. At first I thought it was stem rot from too much moisture, but now it looks like sunburn and is not getting any worse. The cutting is still firm. I cut off the tip and grafted it. I'll keep trying to root what's left of the cutting. Patience.

Dave- I notice that charlie's greenhouse is selling this stretchy, breathable grafting tape that I here is really good stuff. It is what many use rather than the electrical tape now. Some grafters use masking tape which falls off about the time the graft is done, but the stretchy tape is preferred. Tape is used to hold popcicle stick along the graft of larger sections to hold in place. Charlie's also sells the grafting knifes which I love mine and grafting wax which I have not used. (www.charliesgreenhouse.com) The grafting knife is excellent to make those 45 degree super-clean cuts at the base of cuttings you are hardening over to plant. Dip in alchohol between cuts. A highly recommended tool if you do many cuttings. By the way, just spray sunburn with pruning spray and it will be fine.
Here is your next drawing challenge. First a 2'x3' oil catcher tray from an Auto Store. Holds 24 one gallon starts (pots 7" tall, cuttings from 5" to 20" above the pot). Now come up on either the ends or the sides outside the oil tray with four 36" 2x4 legs and make a 2x4 rectangular frame like a table top on top of the legs. Fill in with a small wood (like 1" ) grill so you have a wood strip then a half inch gap, repeat across the frame. You could also use a cheap lattice tacked on the frame. Now morning and afternoon sun come directly to your plants from the sides, but the mid-day sun is filtered as the sun moves overhead. This will greatly cut sunburn and other heat related problems. If the legs are attached with two wingnut bolts each, the table can be disassembled when the leaves fill in or leave it for reds and pinks. If you have winds, you can bolt in a 2x4 flat on the ground going a few inches beyond each pair of legs that are closest together. Unless you have a tornado, this should hold your frame over your plants. So, there is your drawing challenge- can you sketch it?

Well, I could draw that, but it would take a lot of work!!

I've found another good spot for 'sensitive' cuttings. Under the glass table on the deck. The glass is thick and almost always has a very thin layer of dust/pollen, etc. on it (LOL!) so the rays of the sun are reduced at least by 30%. Underneath the cuttings are kept dry from rains and air circulation is good. They can get just a bit of morning and late pm sun. They're also up off the ground away from any bugs/rodents.