Blooming Plumeria flowers can fill your home with a sweet scent, but for an evermore-fragrant hospice, how about you plant Plumeria cuttings to grow more?
Listen to this article here.
You must properly store the Plumeria cuttings for rapid propagation, but there are side rules that you can grasp by following the article.
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Reasons to Grow Plumeria from Cuttings
Plumeria are woody flowering perennials that stay in your garden for a long time and can easily be populated.
No wonder it is a popular choice among the garden of celebrities like Austil Butler and Cheryl Ladd.
However, due to several advantages, stem cuttings are more preferred and effective for growing Plumeria plants.
- Plumeria cuttings take 1-3 years to grow and bloom, while seeds may take about 3 years to grow into a mature plant.
- Stem cuttings seeds stay true to their parent plant and give the same Plumeria variety as expected.
- Plumeria cuttings root in soil and water, but the seeds can only germinate in a potting mix.
- Seeds take 8-10 months to mature and are ready for planting following pollination, while the cuttings are available year-round.
- Plumeria cuttings take about 2-3 weeks to root, while seeds take around 4 weeks to germinate.
Best Time to Plant Plumeria Cuttings
Plumeria trees like Plumeria Rubra are not frost-hardy and remain dormant throughout the fall and winter. They may sustain frost injuries!
So, the best time to plant the cuttings will be throughout the spring and summer.
However, early spring may not be the right time as the ground may still stay frosty following winter snow.
Consider planting Plumeria cuttings in the ground when the root zone temperature is between 65°F and 85°F.
But a minimum soil temperature of 60°F is desirable to plant the cuttings after snowmelt.
Plumeria can survive temperatures as low as 32°F, but only for short periods of time!
How Long Does it Take for Cuttings to Grow?
The growth of Plumeria cuttings depends on the environmental condition and storage.
Stored cuttings root faster as callus or scab forms in the cut portion, which is important for roots to sprout and prevent rotting.
Similarly, the soil and surrounding temperature should be warm with enough humidity.
If all the conditions are fitting, the cuttings show good root growth within 2-3 weeks and develop new leaves soon.
You can also root the cuttings during winter, but due to low temperatures, the cuttings take about 12-13 weeks to root.
Best Containers for Plumeria Cuttings
Plumeria hates wet feet and experience root rot without a drainable potting environment.
Although Plumeria cuttings can be rooted in open soil outdoors, pots provide better indoor or outdoor seasonal maneuverability.
Additionally, you can also control the size of the plant, nutrient needs, moisture, temperature, and lighting with containers.
Clay pots can proffer excellent drainage, but Plumeria roots are notorious for digging deep into the porous surface of such planters, limiting the plant’s growth.
However, choose a similar container 1-3 inches wider than the previous one for repotting.
Best Soil for Plumeria Cuttings
Plumeria prefers fertile, draining, water-retentive soil that can hold nutrients as they are heavy feeders.
A DIY alternative is to blend equal parts organic perlite, coco coir, and sphagnum moss, but mixing perlite and sterilized commercial soil in a ratio of 1/2:1/2 will do just fine.
You can also amend the potting soil using bone meal, cow, sheep, or chicken manure that offers an NPK boost for the cuttings.
Do you know Pothos also has specific soil preferences? Without a proper soil mix, the plant can suffocate around the roots and die!
How to Propagate Plumeria Cuttings?
Before placing the cuttings in the soil or water, you must do some prep work. As said, immediate planting won’t ensure successful rooting.
Here are the steps to follow for Plumeria propagation via cuttings.
1. Selection of Cuttings
- Select a greenwood, non-flowering cutting about 12-18 inches long with 2 leaves at the top in late spring to early summer.
- Make a sharp cut below a leaf node using sterilized pruners at 45° to prevent rotting.
- Allow the cut part to scab or form a callus by wrapping the cutting with tissue paper and place inside a shoe box.
- Keep the setup in a cool, dry location for 1-2 weeks.
- Once the cutting dries, prepare to root it in soil or water.
2. Propagating Plumeria Cuttings in Water
- Fill a clean tall glass jar with 6-8 inches deep distilled water.
- If you have multiple cuttings, place them in separate jars.
- Set the jar in a warm, bright, and well-ventilated place.
- Change the water every 4-5 days.
- White and transparent roots sprout in 2-3 weeks.
- Place the cuttings in a suitable substrate mixture about 1.5-3 inches deep.
- Consider transplanting 1 cutting per 1-gallon container.
Add rooting hormone to water for ensuring quicker root growth.
3. Propagating Plumeria Cuttings in Soil
- Prepare a well-draining potting mix in a large 1-gallon plastic container, as mentioned earlier.
- Poke a hole about 1.5-3 inches deep in the soil using your fingers to plant the cuttings.
- Dip the cut portion in a rooting hormone powder, but it’s not mandatory.
- Plant the cutting individually in a hole. Use separate planters for each cutting.
- Lightly water the cutting such that the soil is moist but not soggy.
- Add an inch-thick pebble layer below the cutting on the topsoil to prevent puddling.
- After 2-3 weeks, check if the cuttings have formed new roots by gently tugging them. If they stay firm, consider it done!
Watch the youtube video for detailed ideas on propagating Plumeria Cutting.
Care Tips For Cuttings
After placing the cuttings, there are a few things to consider for encouraging new growth.
- Locate the cuttings under the care of direct sun for 6-8 hours daily.
- Water every 7-10 days to soak the topsoil.
- Use a balanced 15-15-15 NPK fertilizer every 2-6 weeks after the cuttings develop 5-6 new sets of leaves.
- Set the humidifier to around 40%-50% alongside the cuttings.
- Maintain an ambient temperature around 65°F-85°F.
- Employ rooting hormone with fungicides while lacing the cuttings to prevent rot and diseases. (not mandatory)
- Transplant the cuttings in a fresh potting mix after 12-13 weeks to recover nutrient depletion from the old soil.
Additional Safekeeping Tips for Plumeria Cuttings
Apart from basic care, Plumeria cuttings also require further lookout.
FAQs About Planting Plumeria Cuttings
Can You Plant Plumeria Cutting Right Away?
The cut portion of Plumeria cuttings must be cured (dried) for 1-2 weeks before placing them in the soil or water.
How Fast Plumeria Cuttings Grow?
Plumeria cuttings grow rapidly and can outgrow their new container within 90 days.
But in fall and winter, they tend to grow a little slower.
Can You Plant Plumeria Cuttings in the Ground?
You can plant the cuttings directly in the ground when the soil temperature reaches 60°F in spring.
From Editorial Team
Overwinter the Plumeria Cuttings!
Store the fall Plumeria cutting over winter and later plant them in spring and summer when the ground warms.
Doing so will heal the cuttings, and they show speedy root growth.
