Hi,
We all hope when we buy a rooted plant will have long roots, but doesn't always happen. I have gotten plants with short rootes, med..etc.. I just carefully plant them in a mix of pearlite and cactus soil..Bills mix one of our experts, one part pearlite to one part cactus soil..to quote him also.. small roots, not a lot of water, they cannot absorb enough to dry out the soil.. but enough to wet the mix. Eventually they will grow and you will have a good plant, with lots of leaves. Feed and water normally. works. Have several like this, water light, then water to get all the soil watered.
Karen B

Another thing to consider---young rooted plants oftentimes have very delicate roots, and, even though they literally are coming out of the bottom of the pot. When the seller goes to clean the soil from the roots for shipping, many are lost. After a year or so the roots get really tough, but the "same year" cuttings are usually not this way.

I find it no problem, really. I import plumerias from Australia and can tell you their definition of "rooted" on plants they send me means they have small nubs, or, maybe if you're lucky, more than this. The term they use is "struck" cuttings--have produced their first roots.

I find that, if the plant has gone this far, it typically performs perfectly fine since it is in fact no longer just a cutting but has formed te structures it needs to survive on its own in soil.

That being said, when I send customers plants, I am not comnfortable sending them plants with nubs only because US customers don't understand this and it becomes more of a headache trying to explain this to worried people than it's worth. I sometimes sell same year rooted cuttings and indicate they will have a small root system. This means typically at least a minimum of 2-5 inches in length remaining after cleaning away the soil. I also indicate when selling such plants that they are young rooted cuttings. As long as you buy them in the Spring and Summer, there really shouldn't be any problems as long as they are not overwatered or overfertilized; planted in a well-drained mix. I have seen many of these plants take off and grow like mad within a couple of weeks of planting. But, that also does depend on the time of year.

To add a note on time of year: I would not recommend buying plumerias after September unless you live in a place that has warm temps right through Christmas (or better: all year), or, you have a proper greenhouse facility. Plumeria in their first year after arriving at your place late in the year can often succumb to what I call The Dreaded Winter Rot while in Winter Storage. There have been many speculations as to what causes this, but honestly, I have seen it on plants that shouldn't have gotten it otherwise if you listen to the supposed causes. ALL were young plants that hadn't been with me for over a year. I think the slowing down of the growth due to the late season is part of the problem combined with stress setting in from it being cleaned and shipped to you. This allows microorganisms the plant would normally fend off to take hold. It is a sinking feeling to find that plumeria you spent $$ on is a stick of mush when you go to get it to set out in the Spring.I am not saying all plants bought late will rot, but they are the primary ones that will have this problem. Occasionally the bigger ones get it, but this is much more rare.

During dormancy ans winter storage it is crucial you do not water (unless excessive shrivelling is noted-- then give a small drink only)--especially the young ones. My plumerias go into the greenhouse around Christmas and stay there until early March because Jan and Feb are our cold months here. You can stack pots on onto the other and in between since there are no leaves; uproot in-ground plants and simply store them standing up with no soil or water (crazy, huh?). Some people in colder places put loose newspaper around the roots. I don't bother. The last two years I filled up my large greenhouse with them and they sat in there with no water until I brought them out again. The bare rooted ones were planted in the ground once again and have grown this year at least tweo feet already.

Didn't mean to get off on winter sotrage but I felt it was appropriate as we were discussing plants with small roots/young plants. This is pretty important stuff to know concerning their care.
;-)

Brad

Brad,

That was a great response! Just curious what your temperatures are (lows and highs) in your greenhouse and also what the relative humidity is. You all in zone 9 have such an advantage with a long growing season. Where the 'dreaded rot' is a problem for me comes in the late winter. My plants in my garage are given a lot longer dormancy period and cooler temps. Those wintering in the house in warmer conditions seem to avoid some of the rot issues.

Hi Brad, Say, when is my Chiang Mai Rainbow I bought from you gonna bloom? JUST KIDDING.....It is a good looking plant tho!! :)

Thanks everyone for your responses...I did contact the EBay Seller and received the following response:

Aloha: Well about the Daisy, when a plant has as many leaves as it had, it tells me it should have a good root system. When I took it out of the pot it was in, I was surprised that it didn't have alot more roots than it did. Sometimes, certain plants root slower than others but, by the looks of the plant it looks like it should be ready to go. It should be fine even with the small roots. Please give it time.

So, the plant looks to be in excellent shape so far--a very thick stem, 17" from the ground, and has three very healthy looking tips (with claws and leaves)...AND...one beautiful inflorescence that was in bloom when I received the cutting in the mail. I am wondering if this gives creedance to the discussion of taking off any inflorescence a cutting may have while trying to root... ???? Maybe if the seller had done this, there would have been more roots? I am a newbie, but I have read many wonderful, informative posts from plumie growers from all over the globe.

So Brad, and everyone else, I have potted up this beautiful huge Daisy Wilcox 'rooted cutting' and will give it time. Like Brad said, they typically perform fine, since it is in fact no longer just a cutting having formed the structure it needs to survive on its own in soil.

I guess there is no actual way for a person to 'really know'...what goes on BELOW the soil line...until the plant is pulled from the growing medium.

Thanks again everyone!!!! Maybe someday I will be able to post some beautiful pictures like the ones others have posted here on the forum. Keep them coming so I can dream... :) MJ

Brad,

Can you tell me how you protect the rooted cuttings during shipping? I 'experimented' with water rooting cuttings (it worked) and i had a couple of people ask me for one but I didn't think the roots would make it through the shipping process.

Dave,

We are always high humidity here all seasons so I really have never bothered with measuring it. I only need heat a couple of times a year in the greenhouse and usually end up rolling up the sides for a warm day after a cold night--weird, I know, but that's Central Florida.Our weather is in no way logical and you just kind of go with the flow sometimes. You really need to watch the forecasts carefully for days after a cold night. I fried some tender plants once by assuming the next day would be cold too and left the door shut on my first little greenhouse a few years ago. It was 30 degrees that night and the next day went to 70 outside. Temps in the greenhouse went well over 100.

IowaJo---LOL_-Just be nice to her and bet she will surprise you. One note--the flower look BETTER as they age on Chiang Mai Rainbow, especially if it is hot weather. The burnt orange center develops fully the 2nd or 3rd day. I loike this one!

Wanna run faster: I protect the roots with damp newspaper folded--not scrunched--around the roots, with a few inches of bulk of the paper below the actual roots, if this makes any sense--I really don't know how else to describe it--This is then tied in a plastic bag to hold in the moisture. We typically get a lot of compliments on our packing, so i guess people are happy with it. I find adding moss and the like can actually cause more breakage when you try to shake it off before planting--and you don't want to plant with that moss still hanging on it when you go to plant it.

Thanks Brad. I was thinking about moss but I know how fragile the roots are so I was worried about trying it but if the newspaper works for you, it's good enough for me!

Thanks for the info!
WRF

Thanks Brad. I can't wait to see it!