I started something new this spring I mix up perlite/peat/garden soil/ Crushed Lava rock. So far so good. I was told the Lava would be tuff on the roots and cut them. But I think it holds water a little longer than the peat. The garden soil help adds some weight to the pot and also helps hold the water in a little more but make a good loose soil and just seems to be doing good so far the tell will be next spring.
Don

Slipperhead,

I find if the pots are full of roots and are drying out quickly, it's probably time to move them up to a larger pot. When I do that, I use a bit less perlite than I would for starting cuttings. I think you will find the plants will stay moist much longer. You have to arrive at a balance: with soils that retain a lot of moisture, problems can arise when it's cool and rainy for days on end -- especially in the Spring. Then you still need that good drainage.

It has been hot, hasn't it? I live in Vienna; where in VA are you?

I'm in Midlothian, just west of Richmond, VA. The plumerias are loving the heat but I'm watering each evening. I see two new inflorescences forming on two of my plumes that have just rooted!!!

Just a note...I'm finding a LOT of benefit from the recommendation I read on plumeria101. The "bloom-booster" type fertilizer is really doing the trick! Before I was using high-nitrogen fertilizer and was getting leggy, non-blooming growth. Now, I'm getting good growth PLUS many more blooms! I have never had a cutting bloom 2-3 months after rooting! Perhaps I happen to get good "blooming stock"!

I like the idea of the garden soil/perlite mixture. Now that my plants have rooted and leafed out, I need larger pots, more weight in the pots for wind/tip-over resistance, and a media that will not dry out quite so fast. I'll repot them this weekend when we get a break in the temps.

Thanks,
Garland
P.S. I grow a lot of paphiopedilum orchids aka "Slipper orchids", hence the User Name.

You can change from perlite to pumice which is just a little bit more moist. It is better to be on the dry side and to have quick drainage than to be caught with root rot because of sudden cool down in weather. You might be surprised to find that your plant does not need constant water and can take a much longer dry period. Watch your leaves- they talk.

My plumeria are just about my only plants that are enjoying this weather. I'm outside of DC and we've been in triple digits for a week. I rooted all my cuttings in 3 gallon or larger pots and haven't needed to transplant anything in three years although I rooted some in community pots this year. I guess those will need to be repotted into individual containers or something much larger. Most are planted in a mix of soil, perlite, aquatic plant soil and orchid mix. I really like the aquatic mix for drainage and it's supposedly a neutral pH. I haven't needed to water much more often than usual.
Karyn

Another idea is to 'plant' the pot a few inches down into garden soil. Roots will grow out of the holes and anchor the plant, preventing it from blowing over in the wind. The adventurous roots will find water, so if the potting soil dries out, the plant will still be able to get water. Some also use a re-bar spike driven down thru the pot and down into the ground to anchor the plant.

can you tell me where to find this Plumeria 101...I am in the Central Valley in California and have never had a plumeria before and my gardening books are lacking info of any value on this plant...I posted about how I got it and the make up of the soil...matter of fact the large one in the garden ( 7+feet by 5+feet with 8 stems[trunks]) was in what looked like it may have been a planting box about 4-feet square that had collapsed with time...the sandy soil was damp and cool two inches below the surface...This plant had not been watered by hand in 20 or more years. I am only offering up this because of what you were saying about the rapid drying out...It has been 115 here and the plants I brought back from their that are in this somewhat sandy soil I am not having to water but every other day instead of every day...and now that we have a breather from the heat I have only to water them once a week or less.
But please let me know where this Plumeria 101 site or article or whatever it is ..is located.
Thanks
Dauphinee

http://www.plumeria101.com/

I am also reading a book from my public library called:

The Handbook on Plumeria Culture by Richard & Mary Helen Eggenberger

hope that helps you some.

John

Well I guess I'm lucky since I just mix a well-draining soil with beach sand. Someone brought back a red cutting from Hawaii (probably from the airport) and I started it in the soil/sand mixture as an experiment and it's rooted with no problems and growing like crazy. I ended up repotting all my plumies in this mixture. I find that sand is the easiest and I get the best results. No rotting and lots of blooms for all my plumies!