Hard to say for sure. It could just be dehydration. If that specific area is discolored then I would be more concerned. Any chance to post a picture?

Hi Bea..

like K mentioned, it would really be helpful to see a picture of the cutting to get a better perspective of what it's doing.

We will always try and help when we can and I'm sure we as well as others can get a better feel once we see what and where this soft spot is. Hard to tell you to cut if there isn't much of the cutting left, so I would like to see a pic. Before giving any advice.

This is a hard time of the season for most to root, but I still have cuttings in my greenhouse on a heat mat and I do see signs of roots, so I finally can breath, but this particular cutting is known to be difficult .

We will be looking for a picture... ;-)

A lot of us are trying to get our trees ready for dormancy.. You are lucky to live in Florida!!

I have been away out of town and it's hard to get here when I'm at work... Sorry!!

Take Care,

Laura

My opinion, assuming bea knows the meaning of the word "soft" a pic won't help much. That soft part should be discarded. That will leave not much to work with but the soft part is basically rotting and it ls progressive, so it has to go. When you cut it, slice it a little at a time. Discard anything that is brown inside. And, good luck. El Bee

Hi Bea.

Thanks for the pictures and extra information!!!

It certainly helps to understand what could be happening with your cutting.

i did read again that your cutting is about 10 inches long and you say that the soft part is in the middle and is about four inches.

Its always a good idea to let it callus before you pot up to root, some may pot up immediately.. But IMO it's best to dip and seal as soon as it's cut to prevent it from losing it latex. If you choose to not dip, I would turn it upside down to let the latex stay in the cutting instead of draining if it's upright before it seals itself from its own latex. Let it sit for a week to ten days and then pot up to root.

Sometimes newer growth ( green cuttings) are a little more fragile in trying to root verses the older hardened woody cuttings. That doesn't mean that it can't be rooted. It's true that this isnt the best time of the year to root, but if you use a bottom heat source like a seedling heat mat, it will give it a better chance to root. Even in the best growing period ( early to mid summer) it can take 6-8 weeks to see roots form, so trying to root now with the cooler nights can take longer.

Your friend was very kind to give you this cutting and I'm sure you would love to see it root and have a beautiful tree, so let's try and save the cutting and get you started!!!

Others have their opinions and ways to root. We could hear all sorts of ways of rooting and being down in Florida will help!!! if you can keep the cutting warm and most of all having bottom heat that will be a great way to start.

Growers such as Jim Little in Hawaii likes to root in 100 percent perlite and my friend Bud Guillot roots cuttings ( after they callus) and will stick them in the ground during the best growing season in California. He also uses containers to root. Another mentor uses clear water bottles.. You mentioned your friend who has a nursery told you to plant it in sand? Did you put this cutting in a container filled with sand? Then you said that you watered it... If it was my cutting, here is what I would do..

i would take a pin ( sewing pin) and gently prick the soft area and see if it has white latex that will ooze from the slight prick into the stem. If you do see white latex then I would proceed with trying to root the cutting in a better fast draining mix.

I would also advise you to even root it in a clear cup (I like clear solo cups or a medium size cup from Starbucks) that way you can see rooting activity with out poking or pulling on the cutting when you get curious if the rooting process is working. Makes sure you cut drainage holes in the bottom of the cup so it can drain properly when you do give it moisture. Keeping the mix on the dry side is always best and giving it a little moisture is alright . I will give my initial cutting a good watering and then I will let it dry out and wait until you see some activity. It is alright to mist the soil to give a little moisture during the hot months since it will need it. But only a little . It will not like to be in a wet mix and it will likely lead to root rot .

keeping the cutting in direct sunlight isn't necessary because you really just need bottom heat. Sometimes if you put it in direct sunlight while rooting , you will have issues with sunburn on the cutting. ( been there , done that!! ) Once it produces leaves, then I would start to acclimate it to direct sunlight. This can take 8 weeks or longer this time of the year to see a cutting root.

I have cuttings rooting throughout the summer and I still have them rooting in my rooting bin. ( just a few now and they have roots) They are on a heat mat in my greenhouse that isn't heated . I don't have the heater on at this point in time. I will bring them inside once it gets cold and place them on heat mats since the greenhouse will be used to store the dormant trees.

We do advise once it is potted up to start the rooting process ...we always say to leave it alone and give it time, however.. If it is a wet and sitting in a wet mix or even sand, I would take it out check out the bottom of the callus. See if it is free of fungus and free from any signs of rot.

If the pin prick test shows brown ooze or even no signs of any white latex, it could be a sign of stem rot. You could always wait to see it it does harden off if you decide to repot the cutting and put it on a heat mat. The odds of it rooting if it has mid stem rot is really low. It really is a small cutting to cut but if you see that you dont have any option to save this beauty, you could start cutting to eliminate the soft area and cut until you find clean white tissue. Always make sure to clean your cutting tool in between cuts with isopropyl alcohol to keep the cutting tool clean to prevent further exposure of any fungus, bacteria etc. You want to try and keep the new end clean from the rotten area from where you are separating it on the stem.

i like to use several mediums to root my cutting in my clear cups. I like to use a mixture of Firbark, Perlite and a peat mix. Or you can use a Gritty mix which works well too. Or you can use perlite like Jim Little... Just make sure it not a heavy mix that will hold to much moisture.

Good luck with your cutting., if it doesn't work out, don't be disappointed because we all have had cuttings that didn't make it. When I first started I did have a few that died on me and everyone will have the same trials until you get a good feel as to how to keep the cuttings happy ( bottom heat etc) the biggest mistake that most people make is leaving them outside with the rain when trying to root and also peeking at the cuttings by poking and lifting them out of the container to check for root growth.

Living in Florida gives you a great advantage because you have many gardeners who grow Plumeria and we all like to share cuttings. I live in Virginia and we can't find any trees around here. So I relied on friends from around the U.S. As well as nurseries in Florida, California, Hawaii and Thailand. It would seem that nurseries north of the Florida border don't stock them like the other places I listed.

See what you can do and if it doesn't work, I'm sure we can find more cuttings for you to start this spring. I'll be more than happy to send you a few little beauties if you are interested.

Remember when starting any new cutting that is cut from a tree, remove the leaves from the cutting . Always leave new leaves that form from the rooting process.

i hope this has helped..

Here are a few pictures of my cuttings in the rooting bin and another to show you how I keep the stem secured in the clear cup so it stays stationary. The leaves you see in the picture are new leaves forming from the rooting process. The cutting were clean and free of all leaves . You want to secure them so there isn' t any movement to prevent any roots from breaking when the rooting process starts. ;-) I use pieces of styrofoam that I cut into cube pieces. You can find thes 8x8 pieces at Michael's Arts and Craft stores. I like the soft pieces and not the hard styrofoam. Just stick them inside of the cups or container and make sure they are secure!!

Good Luck, Bea!!!

Laura

I would suggest starting out with a Miami Rose, Celadine . Those are easy to root and you can find them in Florida!!

Have fun!!

Remember that we all have losses.

Laura

Bump for my friend. ;-)

laura