Well, here are some non-definitive suggestions:

1) Rootone is not necessary, it's just helpful. It's also pretty cheap at places like WalMart if you have one in your area.

2) Cactus soil is good, though extra perlite wouldn't hurt.

3) It's better to use a black plastic pot, especially during rooting, because it keeps the roots warm and is less damaging when it's time to repot. Also, it cuts down on the watering once the roots have formed. You can put it in a terracotta pot, but preferably by sinking the plastic pot into one for cosmetic reasons. The gravel is optional, but be sure to keep the pot from sitting in standing water to prevent rot.

4) In your area, the southern balcony should be better, especially if you're near the coast, as plumerias love the heat while they're rooting.

They're really easy plants, but don't count on the flowers right away. But if they grew faster, they would be even more addictive!

Hi Nancey,
Welcome to the plumie forum. Question, do you have a cutting no roots? If so sorry, your ceramic pot is too large, will be nice for another plant. If its a cutting of the size you mentioned, a 2 gallon size is enough, plastic only. Roots stick to terra cotta, can set a plant into it.

To grow a cutting it primarily grows in perlite, very little soil. 2/3 pearlite, 1/3 soil. We have experts on the board, that will come in and tell you how to plant your plant, so it will grow.
Karen B

I rooted my first with instructions from Plumeria 101 and everything went perfectly - at least until the new puppy who had to grab the pot and zoom around the yard. My cuttings were off someone's trash pile and I wanted to see if I could do it; even with the puppy incident 3 of the 4 are now blooming.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plumeria 101

Yeah, Plumeria 101 is definitely the best site for those starting out with these plants. There's very little chance of rot and other problems if you just follow the directions illustrated on that site.

Hi again!
Thanks for all the input.

I will follow the directions on Plumeria101 and see how it goes.
There's no walmart or target that's convenient from here so i'll just bite the bullet and buy the rootone at my garden center.
The website also says 1 gallon plastic or clay pot - but if the consensus is that plastic is safer for the roots, i will go for it. What size is a 1 gallon pot? all the nurseries around here do it in inches.

Karen - my pot is only 7 inches, so it's less than 1 gal. I think size is ok, but i will go pick up a plastic one.

Also - what is the purpose of the pea gravel used on Plumeria101? is it important?
my only thought is that it prevents the soil from blowing away, but i'm not sure.

My south balcony has a iron mesh floor, so no chance of the pot sitting in water, but I'm wondering if that also means it's not as warm as the other balcony with a cement floor. (South balcony gets more sun than semi-sheltered east balcony).
Should I still go for the south?

Thanks again - you guys are a tremendous help!

Nancey

Nancey,
Pea gravel is optional. Its primary purpose is to stabilize the cutting. I have never found it necessary. It also can be a problem if the gravel touches the stem as it can get hot enough to burn the stem. TDOGDAD uses styrofoam pieces to stabilize cuttings. Cut pieces that will fit between the pot lip and the cutting. Cut a V into the end that touches the cutting. Put 2, 3, or 4 pieces depending on the size of the cutting to stabilize it.

Cuttings need bottom heat to root more quickly, so your south facing balcony is best. Solve the problem with the iron mesh floor by placing a concrete paver(s) under the pot so it/they are warmed by the sun and transfer that heat to the pot bottom.
Mike

Hi all!
Just wanted to give an update and have a few more questions!

SO - last weekend I picked up a 1 gal black plastic pot and some rootone, and followed the instructions on Plumeria101 for starting a cutting (with the exception of the pea gravel because it didn't seem to need it)
I gave it a good watering and placed it on my south balcony.
I've gone out there during the day and felt the pot and it's hot to the touch so i think it is getting enough sun to warm those roots!

2 questions:

1) when I do water it again (not until it's totally dry or I see leaves - correct?) Should I use any type of fertilizer or bloom buster or anything like that?

2) is there any site that has photos with descriptions of the terminology everyone uses on this site?

for example, my "stick" splits into 3 at the top and has a nub at the top of each split and each of those has a claw looking thing on it. (i think the "claws" are getting longer)
What would this be called? what exactly does an inflo look like in its early stages?
photos with definitions of things like that would be greatly helpful!
I've googled around but have been unsuccessful as of yet - tho i have found dozens of pictures of plumeria disease!
Hope I never need those!

Thanks again
Nancey

Hi Nancy,
Don't water your cutting again until you have some good sized leaves. You can mist the tips (ends of the branches) with a spray bottle. Continue to keep your cutting as warm as possible. It usually takes about 6 weeks (for me anyway) for my cuttings to root and that's with having them on a seed mat. Your plant doesn't need fertilizer until it has roots. There are a number of different fertilizers that people like. Look through the posts. What most of us do use is Superthrive and B1 in addition to fertilizers, especially when transplanting or when a plant is under stress. I also use kelp extract and epsom salts for my plants. The claws are sometimes sticky which is normal and most will unfurl to become leaves. There will probably be a number of small claws that just dry up as the leaves are growing. Here's some young inflo pics and a plant whose leaves are just developing with no inflo.
Karyn

Wow - great pictures Karyn - thank you!
So the claw thingies are the leaves and the inflo comes up between them?
I can't wait! (i know i know it could be 2 years)
How do you guys do it?

Hi
Hi Remember Plumeria 101 is not the best way to plant your plumeria cuttings. It shows to plant in perlite and then drown. That is fine if you are in 100 plus temps. You water that much and your cutting will rot.

Its put on here by our experts to keep the center of the pot where the cutting is..totally dry. Thusly, water around the edges lightly. I did the watering like the 101, not paying attention, and my cutting rotted. So some of the info on there is good, not all to your temps and your area.
Karen B.

Karen I like the directions Bill gave for using the small bottle (I use a baby bottle) to make a space for the cutting in the potting mix and just water under that. Prior to that I was watering the entire pot (per 101). I didn't have any rot problems but prefer the other method. I think as long as you have the proper potting mix the amount of water you give it doesn't matter as long as it's only watered once and not again until it has rooted. Bottom heat seems to be the biggest factor with rooting for me. I have great results when I use a seed mat 24/7. The only problem I had with the Plumeria 101 rooting directions had to do with the pea gravel. A couple stems burned almost all the way through from hot pea gravel being against them. I use the styrofoam blocks if I need to stabilize a cutting now.
Karyn

Hello, Karyn, you are right about plumeria 101 instructions: it is not good for every region.. i used the 101 method and two of my cuttings rotted all the way thru within in couple of weeks. another cutting - I can't tell if it will survive or not. i am trying to save it by following the advice from the various threads I have been reading here. all of you are so great and generous with sharing your experiences and knowledge. i just want to say thank you.

Hi Karyn,
on the watering on the cuttings, I am not using a seed mat for warmth, only putting the cuttings outside. for me..can be a cool night or foggy morning, not warming up enough. If I do the watering through soil wet, I will probably rot..as 101 shows. Yes.. the regions are important, how hot..etc. later on in the summer will be different. 101 on cuttings does not say what time of the season the guy did the demo, was in PHoenix, think was mentioned.

I did totally Bills way, 2/3 pearlite and 1/3 cactus soil.. no water in the middle at all where the plumie stick is..watered around the edge lightly. The ones I payed attention and did just that way, they are starting to put out leaves and high claws.

Couple, did water, just found that one rotted, other is questionable. One of Evelyns has a funny side thing, is soft..not sure on it.
Growing Outside is different..think.
Karen B.

Outside conditions are just too variable for me, especially in my zone. I do all my cuttings inside with bottom heat. That way I don't have to worry about excessive humidity or cool temps. Inside I haven't lost any but outside was a different story. It's the same thing with my passiflora cuttings and I water root most of them but they do better with the constant conditions inside.
Karyn

Well, not sure what to do now!
I followed Plumeria101 as suggested by all the earlier posters - and many others on this forum.
And did the full initial watering.
I potted it last Sunday - I have not watered it since, and wasn't planning on doing so for awhile.
so far so good it looks ok and I think the "claws" are getting longer (wish i had taken a "before" picture)
I tend to think it would be better for me to leave it as is and watch things closely than dig the poor thing up and re-do the potting again.

Any thoughts?

Hi Nanzey,

You live in an ideal climate for plumeria. I would leave the cutting as is. As long as you have good drainage and follow the watering guidelines for cuttings, you will be fine.

Philip

Zone 10 would be gardening heaven : ) No schlepping plants in and out, no worries about providing bottom heat, no freaky late/early frosts. Can you tell that I want to be in zone 10? lol
Karyn

Hi,
yes zones 9 will be ok, we are in the 80's now, high 60's at night. Not sure where zone 10 is.

Can understand where you are Karyn how you have to use the warm mat. how warm are you now?.
Karen B.

In Southern California, Zone 10 is a very narrow strip along the coast. I left my plumeria and other tropicals outside all year without any protection when I lived there. I lived in FloridaÂs Zone 10 when I was a child, and can tell you that the USDA zone scheme is not a very accurate way to describe climate. Some plants that are happy in FloridaÂs Zone 10 will die a slow lingering death in CaliforniaÂs Zone 10 because they donÂt get enough heat or humidity to meet their needs. Most heliconias and gingers fall into this group; they donÂt freeze, they just fade away.

Our daytime highs have been in the 80's & 90's for a while now but even when it was 85 during the day we could have nights in the low 50's. We also have extremely high humidity so mold (powdery mildew, etc) is a problem. Even though that particular mold isn't a problem for my plumies the cool damp nights can easily cause rot in the unrooted cuttings.
Karyn

Hi,
this is 2nd time around for me. The first one I killed during the winter. It turned to mush. I think I put it on a metal cabinet in the storeroom and it was just too cold and I watered it once. This 2 I got from QVC. I thought they were drying up so I watered them (twice)then I read the 101 site and replanted them. I kept bringing them in and outthe first month,then I had the grandkids here for 1 week and I just put them on a wall outside when I went back later the claws were turning into leaves and now they are doing great. I was killing them by TOO MUCH attention. I have a bamboo stick in the pots and when I pull the stick out it is always wet,even though I haven't watered them. It seems like they are making their own water somehow.Sweating maybe? I want to fertalize them so bad but I'm holding off. I want to see a flower just once. It's been kind of humid the last few days. I thought that would be good for them after all they are from Hawaii. Thanks for all the help

UPDATE:

SO - it's been 5 weeks since i've potted the cutting.
The claws have been getting longer, and look nice and glossy. One has uncurled a little and is sticking straight up which i'm thinking is a baby leaf?
It's dark red in color like the rest of the claws.

I have not watered since I potted 5 weeks ago. Should I?
I've read some people mist?
I'm nervous about killing it! probably best to ignore it huh?
I have felt the stick and it is firm, tho I notice a few vertical "crinkles" in it (can't remember if they were there before) they aren't deep so i won't call them wrinkles!

Plumeria101 says not to water until it's completely dry and when in doubt wait one more week. I have no idea how dry it might be in the base....

any thoughts?
would it be easier if i posted a picture?

Thanks!
Nancey