How to Start a Love Letter
Q&A for How to Grow Plumeria from Cuttings
Coming soon
Search
-
QuestionWhen is the best time to do cuttings from Plumeria?Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014.The best time to take cuttings from your plumeria is during the late spring or early summer.
-
QuestionI rooted my plumeria cutting, after it sprouted leaves I planted it several weeks ago. There are no leaves; however the cutting is still firm. How long should it take before producing leaves?Community AnswerPlumeria are sensitive to the number of hours of sunlight each day. You can "force" them with a grow light in northern latitudes but it will start growing when it gets about 10 - 12 hours of light per day. It will be fine while there are long summer days, but may lose its leaves when the days get too short. Don't panic it will grow again the next summer. It is not uncommon to have to wait two years for flowers in northern latitudes.
-
QuestionWhat if my plumeria starts getting soft in the middle of the stem?Community AnswerThis probably means that your cutting has started to rot from the inside. Some other visual signs of rotting are wrinkled grey sections that are easy to press and mold.
-
QuestionI have cuttings that are about 2 months old. Can I still plant them?Community AnswerAs long as they have not totally dried to a crisp. If your cutting is only 1" to 2" though, it might be too late. The best way is to get the biggest branch possible and let it dry for about a week and then put it right into the ground. The bigger the better, since they take so long to grow to a large size.
-
QuestionWhen do I transplant the cutting and into what size pot?Community AnswerTransplant it to a medium size pot. The pot is not the permanent place for the plant; it is just for a short time until the plant grows enough to be planted into the ground.
-
QuestionCan I plant directly into the ground instead of a pot?Community AnswerNo. The cuttings are too small to be put in the ground, and they would be vulnerable to dangers like the wind. The pot allows the cuttings to develop a root system. After they've been kept in the pot long enough for those roots to form, you can plant them in a bigger pot or directly in the ground.
-
QuestionDoes plumeria grow in the winter?Community AnswerThis depends on how cold it gets -- it is not frost hardy. If there is frost or freezing temperatures are occurring, then it will be killed as it is a tropical plant.
-
QuestionShould I soak my Plumeria in water to start the growing process?Community AnswerNo, you should let the cuttings dry for about a week before planting them in potting soil. You can dip the cuttings in water and rooting hormone powder before planting though.
-
QuestionMy plumeria has a six foot stalk. Can I cut it back to three feet without killing it?Community AnswerI gather you can as long as you retain the lower rooted part of the plant. However, it may take longer, up to two or three years, for the stalk to develop shoots. I don't think you will be successful in planting the top three feet and expecting the plant to survive. Take cuttings of the top shoots, let them scar, and plant them; as soon as they start growing, the growth is quite vigorous and you will soon have a good size plant.
-
QuestionCan I cut a very tall plumeria and plant the blooming stem in the soil?Community AnswerThe chances of success are not great. Any cutting surface needs time to scar to avoid necrosis (fouling up) when planting. Then the plant first needs to grow roots to grow in length and produce flowers.
-
QuestionIf the top of cutting dries, can I cut the dry part off?Community AnswerYes. You can propagate from the middle of a cutting if need be. Just be sure to seal the fresh cutting on top with a silicone sealant from a hardware store. This prevents rot, which will in turn allow new growth.
-
QuestionMy plants have a small amount of a white power lookin substance that does not wipe off at the plant ends where the new leaves start. Is this a problem?GEttingerCommunity AnswerNo, this is not a problem. This is most likely the sap that all plumeria plants secrete.
-
QuestionHow do I know if my cuttings are scabbed over enough for rooting?Community AnswerThe scab will be withdrawn where the cut occurred, and you will see the dry scab recessed up into the bottom of the cutting. Sometimes the scab appears as a concave recession.
-
QuestionOnce my cutting starts to go soft, can I save it?Community AnswerIn my experience, yes. I've had a soft cutting in the past, but I planted it just like the others into pots that had some rooting mix at the base. It took a lot longer, but eventually the cutting that was soft grew new leaves. They're tough plants!
-
QuestionCan I start a new plumeria plant from a broken branch?Geeta VCommunity AnswerYes, I have done this myself. I planted it directly in the ground though, as I wasn't aware of drying the cutting first and growing it in a pot until the roots develop. The plant has flowered a few times; however, there are no signs of it growing taller into the small tree that it should become. My only thought is that direct planting into the ground is too harsh for the cutting to develop well.
-
QuestionCan I plant a fresh cutting off the tree if it has leaves?Community AnswerYou can try if the leaves are very small, but your best bet would be to clip them off prior to drying the cutting. Plants lose moisture through the leaves. The bigger and more numerous the leaves, the more can be lost. For a plant with roots, this is a normal part of its day to day life, but for a cutting of any kind, leaves can dry it out before it can support the leaf growth. Think of cuttings like seeds. Before you see leaves, the plant will need to work on roots.
-
QuestionHow many roots do I need to see before I plant them in soil?Community AnswerIf you tug on the stem lightly and it doesn't move, you can transplant them.
-
QuestionI have a single stalk Plumeria plant with lots of leaves and it is approximately 36" tall. Will it fork out to have more branches? Or do I have to do something to force it to branch out?Community AnswerOurs began to fork out during its third year quite nicely! For the first year, it was a single branch about two feet tall. At the end of the first year, a small fork began to develop. Now at year three, I have two main forks of three branches on one and two on the other! We bring ours in and put it under a grow light for the winter!
-
QuestionI have a cutting in water, leaves are growing but no roots. Should I dip the bottom in root hormone or let it dry first?Community AnswerDo not attempt to propagate plumeria in water. It will rot. Make a cutting at a 45 degree angle so that the parent plant does not collect water and rot at the cut. Leave the cutting on the ground out of the sun for a week. Plant no deeper than 3 inches.
-
QuestionWhat can I do with the seed pods that are on my plumeria?Community AnswerPlace the seeds in between paper towels and keep them very moist in a warm place. Within 7 days, they will have roots. Plant them in potting soil and you will have new trees.
-
QuestionWhen I bring plumeria inside or into the garage for the winter, do I take it out of the pot or leave it in the pot but don't water?GEttingerCommunity AnswerYou can leave it in the pot, but still regularly water it even when it's in dormancy. The most important thing is that it isn't exposed to freezing temperatures.
-
QuestionHow do I prune my plumeria?Community AnswerWhen pruning a healthy tree to maintain size, it is important to prune only in the winter or early spring to avoid causing damage to the blooming cycle.
-
QuestionCan I plant my cutting into sandy, well-drained soil?Community AnswerYes, they need well-drained soil. They are heavy feeders, so be sure to fertilize regularly with a fertilizer high in phosphorus (middle number) for best results.
-
QuestionWhen is the best time of the year to transplant the plumeria from the pot to the ground?Community AnswerTransplant in spring as soon as nighttime temps rise above 50 degrees. These are heat and sun loving plants.
-
QuestionCan I grow a plumeria in a large pot?Community AnswerYes. I started my plumeria from a cuttings I got in Hawaii five years ago. The pots are 18 inches across. The tree is now about 8 feet tall and doing fine. But I live in a cold climate and need to bring them in in winter. I am trying to learn how to prune to keep them smaller. The pot growth is easy.
-
QuestionCan I start a new tree from a cutting with multiple branches on the top? Or must it be a single top only?Community AnswerYes. You can be successful with either method.
-
QuestionMy cutting is growing well, but it does not have any branches. It is still just a single 2-feet tall stalk. How do I get it to branch and look like a regular tree?Community AnswerPlumeria branch at the point where the flower, typically three branches. The more sun the plant gets. the more flowers and branches will form.
-
QuestionHow fast does plumeria grow outdoors?Community AnswerMy cuttings in Central Florida will grow about a foot per year. They drop all leaves in the fall, so don't worry.
-
QuestionI purchased a plumeria cutting in Hawaii. The directions were to soak it in water until roots appear. It flowered but no roots yet. Now the stem is starting to look wrinkled. What should I do?Community AnswerI'm going to suggest it is rotting. You will lose it. There are many outlets in the continental US where you can buy cuttings.
-
QuestionI have had my plants for about 3 years but they have never bloomed. How do I get them to bloom?Community AnswerThey will bloom eventually. I have some cactus that took 3 years to finally produce flowers.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit