Sure you can, but it all depends on your soil. If you have heavy clay soil, then no way! If it is a nice sandy loam then yes, but don't give them any water until leaves appear. Of course you realize that you will have to uproot before the first frost.

You may want to dig a hole and fill it perlite or pumice and peat or a fast draining mix at a 70(perlite/pumice) to 30(peat or fast-draining) ratio. I suppose it's fine to give them a light misting to keep the ground or medium slightly moist, but hold back on soaking until the leaves appear.

Good luck!
Tony

why not use one community pot to get them rooted?? i use about 3 inches of cactus soil, use your rooting hormone, lean the plumie against the wall of the pot. we plumeria fanatics do this and it works and is easier...after they root then plant them in a pot.. i use a spray bottle to water mist the cuttings.. this way, very small amount of water trickles down the stem to the base/dirt..just enough to were you don't have to worry about rot.
cliff

Cliff can I pull the cuttings out of their individual pots and put them in a community pot even if they have already been planted for a couple of weeks?

I just planted my plumerias that came without directions. I did not use the root hormone, as I did not see that before i finished everything. I did the rest of the steps correct other than that- will they still root without the hormone? Thanks, Darlene

sorry i dont know how to post a new thread to ask this- so i have to ask on a question tht is similar :)

How can you have a spot in you garden that is dry enough to plant but you can't put a pot there? In the ground, high chance of death, unless you live in Hawaii. Rooting is the difficult time and I do not recommend lots of changes (moving, re-potting, changing soils) as this is often upsetting to the plant. Shock is next to too much water as the top killers of new cuttings. Like tony said, you can amend the soil but if your soil is slow draining, then on the first rain your hole becomes a swimming pool that will surely kill your plant. Many factors to consider. I always recommend raised beds and raised hills( see second picture below) to plant in so you have the least problem with pooling water which is an executioner. Individual pots are always best unless you have hundreds of cuttings and no space, then community pots allow you to compress your cutting field. I started 160 cuttings this spring in an area that is about 6'x10' and i only used two community pots for ones that needed pure perlite.
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Karyn,
I would suggest you do a community pot like Cliff suggested and like Bill says they don't like to be moved too much if you are trying to root. So decide now as this is the weather for heat to root. Although I'm wondering where the California sunshine and heat went to. LOL. Tony is correct you can root them in the ground with amendments but u're in Maryland and if it doesn't like the spot u'd have to move it again and if I were u I'd rather just move the pot. However, make sure you label them as sharpie markers have a tendency to fade out unless u go over it. You're getting some good advise and suggestions from these guys. Most important can the area provide enough bottom heat for your cutting to root no matter which way u decide.
Janet

The cuttings I put directly in the ground rotted. It was no great loss as I had about 35 cuttings to play with. I did put quite a few in community pots and they are growing nicely. When should I seperate them if at all? The community pots are a 3 gallon size with 3 cuttings in each.
Thanks,
Karyn

After they have several sets of 6-8" leaves. If you slip a piece of plastic or fiberglass down between the plants you can leave them longer because this keeps most of the roots from intertwining which makes separating more of a chore. Just have the pieces meet in the center as best you can. I have used clear plastic water bottles that I cut the tops off and drilled holes in the bottom. Then I put three in a one gallon pot, filled with perlite, and started three plants. Worked great.

Well the first cutting I was given I really didn't quite know what to do with, so I stuck it in the ground. I have about nine total now, all the rest except one, are in pots. The first one that I stuck in the ground, and didn't do anything special to, is the healthiest of the bunch. The leaves are amazing and it has grown quite a few more tips this season. The most recent I stuck in the ground, a few months ago, is doing quite well too. I guess there are a lot of things that factor in, region, soil, temp... But anyway, the first one I stuck in the ground has totally done great.
Lauri

Tdogdad I wish I had read about using bottles before I planted them in the community pots. That's a great idea. I'll try the plastic dividers. Thanks. BTW I was sorry to read about your furbaby. I hope you get as much enjoyment from your new addition.

Lauri if I lived in your zone I probably would have had better results rooting them inground. Even if it had rooted I'd have had to dig it up for the winter. How come almost everything I grow isn't suited to my zone? Thank God for heated greenhouses! lol
Karyn