Elena that has helped me i ave had very little success with cuttings thank you.

Good luck Kelly, I am terrible with cuttings.

Marie

Hi all! I'm terrible with cuttings too, so far only one out of five made it. Probably because I did it at winter. My question is what media is the best? Coco coir or perlite? And ,media should be slightly wet initially and than don't water till new grow? Would it be too dry in a few weeks? Or put it in a tray with water to keep it moist? My cuttings look too dehydrated after three days or so, do I still need to dry it for a week? Sorry for too many questions, here's my only cutting right now :)

Maria Elena - What medium would you recommend for cuttings, perlite, soil, coco coir ....? Thankyou.

Elena: Your cutting looks good right now but looks wet. Watch carefully for rot along the soil line. ADDENDUM: If you took this cutting during the winter, it's sufficiently rooted, so scratch the above. Looking good!

Agartta: The needs and what will work in each region will be different. I use my regular adenium mix ... ) 1 part potting soil, 1 part perlite, 1 part pine bark, a handful of course river / construction 'sand' (actually crushed rock). No water until I see new growth.

I keep seeing posts where some insist on adding water. A cutting with no roots cannot uptake water. It will only rot. You want to create conditions that will encourage the cutting to grow roots to seek water. After you see signs of rooting, do not water all at once. Begin with bottom watering very lightly or trickle water along the inner sides of the pot. That's it. When you see real growth, then you can separate that cutting from the rest, carefully repot it, and begin watering.

Bottom heat helps activate rooting. I recommend placing pots in a shaded area of the yard, on a brick, tile or cement surface that gets hot but has no chance of getting rained on.

Maria Elena

Maria Elena - thankyou very much for the info it really helps :)

Hello, I had read somewhere with plumeria cutting that you should not allow them to bloom the first season because this takes away energy the cutting needs to develop its root system. Does this matter as much with Adenium cuttings?

Hi, Rob -

I don't believe it matters with either. Cuttings are mature plants; genetically, the same age as the mother plant. I have rooted both and simply let them do their thing. They rooted & bloomed & rebloomed just fine; in fact, in unison with the mother plant!

Happy gardening!

Maria Elena

Thank you so much for your help! I do have mine outside and it just rained so I'm going to move them to a covered area.

Also, I only let them dry out for 2 days but it was in 80 degree weather but in the shade. How do we know when it's dry enough? What does a cutting that is sufficiently calloused look like?

Good morning, Kelly!

Cuttings will ideally be placed in the corner of a covered porch, away from rain and direct sunlight.

The reason why we dry C&S cuttings a full week is to be certain all areas are sealed against soil pathogens once planted. Don't be concerned with what they look like as much as planting them in the correct orientation. You planted your cuttings a week ago, so unless you plan on cutting them in half, it's a moot point. Two days may have been enough. Keep them dry until you see new growth. If you see any softness where the soil line begins, pull them out and prune them back again ... to clean white tissue. This time, allow them to dry a week, then repot.

It generally takes about 6 weeks to see good roots. I leave them 2 months, then repot.

Maria Elena