Jandey,

Thank you for writing that out. I'm 0 for 4 so far and might be 0 for 5 soon... so I can use all the help I can get.

George, how should I handle it if the cuttings are store bought and I have no idea when they were cut? Do I soak them first then dip in RootTone then follow the other steps?

Thanks!!

Hi Houstontexas123,
if you plant freshly cut cuttings directly into perlite/soil, the propability that they will rot is very high. There is no way the egg below will keep the soft white core of a freshly cut cutting from rotting. People dry the cuttings for three weeks before planting because the drying seals the soft white core and minimizes the chance of rotting when planted. Note that it just minimizes the chance of rotting, it does not eliminate it. Some cuttings will still rot.

The only way to assure that no cuttings will rot when planted, is to callus the cuttings in mulch beforehand. I have rooted hundreds of cuttings with this method and I have yet to loose one to rotting. You see, with the mulch you can control the moisture level of the mulch by mixing wet and dry mulch to create ideal conditions to callus the cuttings without rotting. It really works well. Try it. You will be surpprised!
tc
George

Hi No-Clue,
store bought cuttings have been dried already for at least a few weeks. I would not cut them again because every time you cut them they loose liquids and reduces their viability. I would dip them in rooting powder (do not wet them) and burry the end in mulch for two weeks. Callusing them in mulch for two weeks will not reduce their viability.
tc,
George

Ok got it... here is another question.

I'm moving soon so by the time we're settled it will Sept. Is that too late to try to root a new cutting? Should I wait until the spring? Thanks!

Hello everyone,
This is about using egg(s) but not necessarily for rooting. I tried using an egg with cuttings, but it didn't make much difference for me. Then I repotted an older Samoan Fluff last year (which I do every year: root prune and back into the same pot). Well, last year I put 2 eggs into the bottom and man, did that make a difference - a lot more inflorescences. This year, just to test this theory, I left the eggs out and I am back to my "normal" nuber of inflos.
Has anybody else experienced something similar?
Iso

HiIso,
the unflos you get this year were made the year before. Branches that bloom last year very rarely will bloom this year. So, the inflos you saw when you put eggs had nothing to do with the eggs; they were made the year before, when you had no eggs!
tc,
George

Hi No-clue,
you are in zone 10. You can root cuttings in September. I have rooted cuttings in October in zone 9. However, if you are buying cuttings to root, I would wait till springtime to buy them. If you root them late in the season they are not going to do much anyway.
tc,
George

Thanks for bursting my bubble, George! LOL What a bummer. Now I have to try to remember what, if anything, I did differently the year prior. Guess it all boils down to your climate (slightly different every year), fertilizer and such. I'm only 3 miles from the beach, so some summers are a lot cloudier than others.
Iso

George,

This is great information on rooting! Thank you so much for sharing. I can't wait to try it on my next patch of plumeria cuttings.

George, I'm doing some cuttings in fine pine bark right now. I dampen the bark and stuck them in. I checked them in the morning a couple of days later and the cuttings were dry but with no center pull up. Now a week later the pine bark seems to be dry. Is that ok or should the bark be dampen again? Should part be covered to keep the moisture in? I had to check them out and most showed signs of developing callus but a couple did not and one of them looked darker in the soft center. Do they ever start to rot and have to be recut using this method? Do some take longer than others? Sorry for all the questions. It's nice to be able to check on them this way before potting them up. Peg

Hi Peg,
the mulch you buy in bags contains more than enough moisture for this. Do not ever add water to the mulch; it gets too wet for this. If the mulch is too dry, you can take the cuttings out and add 10 to 20% fresh mulch from the bag and mix them well. Then burry the cuttings in it. You really do not need a lot of moisture. When water evaporates in the mulch, it re-condenses and moves back by capillary action. The mulch keeps the cutting end dump but not wet. If the cuttings are wet the mulch contains too much water.

Yes, cuttings can rot in mulch if they are very wet. It rarely happens though. Since you catch it quick before it spreads you can clean out the rotting part with a sharp knife, until you find healthy tissue. Dip it in rooting hormone, let it dry overnight and do it again.
Post a picture of the cuttings and the one you think it might be rotting. By adding water to the mulch you might have gotten it too wet. The mulch needs to be on the dry side. Since this is your first batch of cuttings in this batch of mulch, I would leave it alone. Even though the mulch is on the dry side, it still keeps the cuttings ends at 100% humidity. Generally, you need to add some more fresh mulch if you do multiple sets of cuttings in the same mulch.
Post some pictures and I will tell you if they look right.
tc,
George

George that is very intersting, when I went to Franks house in May, he had alot of cutting just sitting in a square plastic pot in mulch. I had no idea what he was doing. So this would be step one. I might be finally able to root cuttings next year without having to hold my breath. I talked to Barbara Randolph today, she said it's not a good idea to root cutting this time of the year, that spring is the best time to root cuttings. I tried the egg method last year, and ended up with rotten eggs. The cuttings did not survive, but it was my fault. I started watering them as soon as they put on claws, I know better now. Barbra

Ok George, I hope you can see in these pics. The bark is what is sold as reptile bedding so is dry and not damp when you get it but I had it on hand. This is why I dampen it. I'm hoping you can see at the edge of the white core where it is dark, just before the cambium layer. Peg

Hi Peg,
what you are using is not mulch, it is bark chips. They are too coarse and do not hold much moisture. In addition, they loose moisture very quickly. These are used for decorative purposes.

You need get some hardwood or pine mulch. See my pictures of what it looks like. It packs well and holds moisture.

Your cuttings are fine. Do not re-cut them. Just put them in mulch and they will callus a lot better.
tc,
George
tc

Hi Peg,
this is what a cutting should look like after a week in mulch. The soft white center is wavy as it has started to grow. However, there is a well defined callus ring around the cambium line.

tc,
George

Thanks George. Will go out tomorrow and get some. Peg

I know one guy who swears by egg & one who looks at you like you are crazy. Since we have chickens and plenty of eggs I've been adding them to the pots. Nothing to lose.

I'll have to label the next ones, egg, no egg and see what happens.

Tally HO!

George,
Here in TX we're having 102 degree heat.
Would you set your mulched cuttings outside or inside?

BTW, I've tried both with and without egg, and haven't seen any differences in rooting speed.
Lonnie

Hi Lonnie,
I am in Texas also. Those callused cuttings in my pictures were done in July of last year, where the temperature stayed above 97F for the whole month. Heat does not bother the cuttings because their ends stay cool under the mulch. As a matter of fact they callus better in hot weather. You can burry most of the cutting in mulch to minimize shrivelling.

I keep mine under a smoke Lexan patio cover. They get bright light but it is like shade underneath. If you have an outside location that is protected from the weather (do not want the cuttings to get wet) is the best place.

Beachplant, nothing to loose??? That is waste of some really good eggs! You are like an alchemist trying to convert lead to gold, neglecting the laws of nature. :)lol

tc,
George

Thanks George.
I'll give it a try.
Lonnie

LOL! The girls are in full production mode, if you get near me I stick eggs in your car. I will probably never actually get an egg in the pot, I remember after I've potted up stuff and if I take the eggs out first the dog eats them.

Tally HO!

George,

I'm on my way utilizing your method. Most of these cuttings have already been sitting for a week before placing in the mulch. I'll check them next week and post updates.
Lonnie

Here is the pic.

Hi Lonnie,
that looks good. Good luck. Keep us posted.
tc,
George

Hi I have a question. I stick my cuttings in mulch too and have had great success. However, I just found out I need to go overseas for work. I recently stuck some cuttings in mulch. The cuttings will be in the mulch for 5 days prior to my flight. Would I be better off planting the cuttings in rooting medium after 5 days or just leave it in the mulch? Thanks.

Are they fresh cuttings or already cut and stored for a few days prior to placing in mulch?
Lonnie

Cheson74,
you are better off leaving them in mulch. They have to stay in mulch for 2-3 weeks to callus well, where they will not rot when planted in soil. They do not start to develop roots till after about four weeks in mulch. Just make sure they are stored somewhere where they cannot get wet from rain.

Lonnie,
you have to dry the cuttings for at least overnight before you place them in mulch. Drying them for a few days is OK. Drying them in air seals their cut surface, where they will not rot in mulch (which contains moisture) Drying them longer does not help; on the contrary, it might hurt them because the cuttings sustain damage drying in air and they get delay in callusing in mulch.

tc,
George

Sorry it took me so long to chime in here. First off, I just want to say that this is my experience and all though I have had great success, I cannot say that it will be the same for everyone.

I started using the raw egg method a few years back. I learned about it from Mimi Palmer who used to be the moderator for her old Aloha Plumeria forum.

I never had been able to root cuttings until I started using raw eggs. With the exception of Nebel's Rainbow, Hilo Beauty and a few others, I had cuttings that rooted in 2-4 weeks. I use plastic water bottles. I got that idea from Bill and I figured not only would it save me money, but it also gave me a great way of recycling the bottles.

After removing the top, I filled the empty bottle with 2in or so with a mix of potting soil and perlite. I mix about 60% perlite to %40 percent potting soil. I then add the egg and then the cutting which I too dip into rooting hormone.

Then I fill the rest of the bottle with my mix and place them under my HPS light, or if it's summer and warm enough, they go outdoors in full summer sun. I live in zone 6 so I think the fact that our sun is not so intense makes it where my cuttings wont sunburn, all though with our record breaking hot summer this year, I did have cuttings, and even established trees that were sun burnt.

After about a year(sometimes 6-8 months depending on how fast and how many roots form), I repot my cuttings into 1 gal containers.

My first observation after seeing just how fast the cuttings produced roots, was how fast the egg was used up! In most cases, after a year, there was nothing left, except for maybe a small piece of the egg shell. In over 30 of my cuttings, I actually only found the space where the egg was!

What really shocked me was the girth of those roots! Most of them looked like wires! In comparison to the cuttings that I didn't root with the raw eggs, those roots were much, MUCH thinner.

I also have to agree with Iso. Even though inflos are formed on 1 year old wood, I am a firm believer that the egg is some what responsible for larger inflos and flower buds. I saw it this year on my 'Thai Super Round' and most of all on my 'DSP'. My DSP produced 2x's the inflos it had last year, and yes the year before I had placed 2 raw eggs into the pot with it. This year I repotted it, and I used 3 raw eggs.

My DSP is 3 years old now, and is about 2ft tall, and over 2.5ft long and 1ft wide! This tree looks like it's on steroids!!! I am sure that this growth is nothing in comparison to what people in in warmer climates see. Especially people who live in areas where they can be grown in the ground.

With my raw egg experience, I am 100% convinced that(at least in my case) they do help the tree, especially with root development, especially on trees that all ready have nice root systems.

I am not sure if it is possible to see it now because Mimi's site is closed, but she had tons of research info on the the egg rooting method. She had tons of pics of her cuttings rooting with raw eggs. In fact, she had pics showing how the roots were actually growing towards the raw egg, and even pics of the roots wrapped around the raw egg, which I have seen both cases with my cuttings.

Andrew

So anyone want a dozen yard fresh eggs?
Obviously I need to go buy more plumeria since I have nothing to repot and all these eggs. I didn't go off the island on Friday to Emersons.
Tally HO!

Hi Beachplant,
I 'll make you a deal. You sent me all your cuttings and all your eggs. I will root all your cuttings and I will keep the eggs! :)
tc,
George

They are fresh cuttings. I'm fortunate to live in Hawaii so whenever I pass a tree I like, I just ask the owner if I can have a cutting or two. Nobody has ever said no.

Thanks for the advice. I'll leave them in the mulch til after my trip.

I live in Huntsville tx and i guess i have been doing this all wrong, I let my cuttings dry a week or so then stick them in the ground shaded by the larger plants. They all seem to root fine by the time I have to bare root for the winter. havent tried the root-tone and gonna stay away from the egg.

Thanks George, I guess I just got lucky last year as I had one break off last year and so I just stuck it into soil as it was too large and I did not want to cut it up in pieces. It ended up putting on more blooms than the parent plant.

Eared, I confess, I do the same thing, branch breaks, stick it in the pot with the other one or in the yard next to the parent plant. Most of them make it just fine.

George, we have a rooster, you may have a box of chicks if I send you eggs in this weather. Never made it to Emersons, instead I want to see Larry. Came home with a truck full of plumeria but no cuttings. Sorry. However! I did get a big box of 10 cuttings in the mail from Aloha plumeria yesterday. If I can get into photobucket I will download pics.
Tally Ho!

cuttings struck yesterday. 1:1 perlite:miracle gro potting soil. Dipped ends in water then rootone, mulch in bottom of pot, I add it to keep soil from falling out, layer of mix, an egg, more mix, hole for the plant, soil patted around cuttings. Watered well and placed on front porch in full am sun.

86 degrees with 86% humidity at 0520 this am.

We have a few dozen eggs in the fridge and the guy I bought all my other plumeria from swears by eggs so I figured what the heck. Really I just didn`t want to make quiche tonight lol!

Tally HO!

Hi George or anyone ;)

I am going to go pick up a few large cutting today. There was a posting on here about a large tree that fell over. They were all cut a couple days ago, but I would like to do the method you explained above in the mulch. Do you think it would be okay to cut just a little bit off and stick it in the mulch? Or just let them dry a couple more days, some root hormone, and pot them??

I live in San Diego, but 20 miles inland where it's very hot and no marine layer.

Thanks,
Angela

I would just let them sit a few more days, root tone, & plant.
Lonnie

OK Tony, so it's been over a month. Any results from your experiments yet??

Day 11, all look alive, leaves are starting to open on them. Planted the ones from A piece of Paradise a week later, no eggs,soaked for an hour in diluted Monty`s Joy Juice (like Superthrive), potted the same way, on same table, same sun. Leaves starting to grow on about 75% of this batch.
Tally HO!

I noticed that 3 cuttings that I placed in rain water with vitamin B-1 mixed into the rain water are now all growing!
The cuttings are:

1. Psycho White
2. Slaughter Pink
3. Noid cutting from Hetty Ford. A new plumie friend I made this year. I bought twice from her and have been very satisified with what I recieved!

I initially also had a J.J. Tiger and another(forgot the name) also in the water but they began to rot.

IT has been about 2 or 3 weeks and so far, very pleased with the results. I think the other 2 didn't fry enough after being cut.

Water rooting is a great option for me this time of year. I dont always have good results from trying to root in soil during the fall unless they are under the HPS light.

Andrew

Hi Angela,
I would cut half to one inch off. Cut it square. Dip it in rooting horomone immediately after cutting. Let if dry overnight and burry the cut end in mulch. Let it sit in the shade for two weeks. It should callus very well in two weeks time. Then you can plant it in 50:50 perlile and poting soil. Water well and put in semi-shade.
Good Luck,
George

Okay they are cut and in the rooting hormone. I have always been told to take the inflows off, and the leaves to let the cutting concentrate on the roots, is that correct?
I'm a little worried about how late it is, but it was to good of an opportunity to pass up. It's still pretty hot here.
Thanks so much,
Angela

Hi Angela,
you need to cut the leafs and inflos off with a pruner, leaving a 1" stab. This will minimize fluids loss and preserve the energy of the branches.
tc,
George

Now that's a cutting!

Andrew, Hetty has a ton of knowledge and I have several from her too. Always statisfied with anything from Hetty.
Lonnie

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Tally - you're having a blast with Derrick, aren't you? :)

Another nice 2 batches from Derrick. So you're doing some with egg and some without?

I'm waiting for my second 12 to show up. I was looking closer at the first batch today in pots and I noticed that there is actually one with 5 tips and another with 6! Not a bad deal at all for around $6 apiece.

I ordered 2 batches of 12 and got 29 cuttings! Not a bad deal at all. I did the first batch, from Aloha tropicals with eggs. The first batch from Derrick with no eggs. This last batch(from Derrick) did rootone, miracle grow organic 1:1 perlite and watered w/ dynapro. They are now on the side porch where they get no rain but afternoon sun.

So far all of the ones from Aloha and the first batch from Derrick are doing great, no real difference, about the same number have claws, the same number leaves are already growing. Our humidity was lower for a couple of days, nights only in upper 70`s/low 80s and mid-80`s days. Back to hot and humid now though.
Tally HO!

Hi George,

Ok two out of my 3 cuttings have formed the callus ring after two weeks. Now my question is do I dip them in the Rootone AGAIN before potting them or not?

Thank you!

Ok, the plumie that was given the most heat and sun is now fully rooted. The egg plumie is doing well but way behind. The full heat/sun plumie became really dehydrated(wrinkled) during the process, but has since plumped back up...they are strong. The partial sun/egg plumie never got dehydrated but is very slow to root.

Tony