No expert here, but I would simply bury the cutting up to the firm part & keep it moist.

I do know that many of them around here (mine included) are entering their dormant period & this may affect how easily it roots...

I read you are supposed to let the cut end dry off a few days before planting. I had a cutting lay on the ground for a month before I planted it and it rooted.

In Jacksonville, it might be too late to start it this year without risking rot and losing it. Search on the plumeria forum about how to over winter cuttings and try to root it next May :}

When you are trying to get cuttings to strike, there is something like a race going on. The cutting must form roots and establish a vascular connection between the root system and the top of the plant before the same family of fungaluglies that cause root rot clog the plumbing and ruin the potential for that connection to become reality. All the care we take in preparing our cuttings are focused on speeding up the rooting process and/or preventing the dark side from prevailing and keeping the cuttings from striking. Some things we can do to help ensure the cutting remains viable are:

* Take cuttings from healthy plants. If the tree is in the ground, cuttings from the south side of the plant (in N Hemisphere) and from healthy branches low on the plant are best choices. Allow the cuttings to callus for several days before inserting them in the propagation medium, which should be VERY airy, which facilitates your ability to keep the medium moist/damp instead of wet/soggy (very important)

* Make sure cuttings are taken using very sharp tools that don't crush tissues at the base of the cuttings. Use a very sharp pair of by-pass pruners or a very sharp, fine-tooth saw to take the cutting. After the cutting is prepared, use a new straight edge razor blade, new utility knife blade, or (best) a razor sharp grafting knife blade to trim all loose bits of tissue from the cutting wound so the basal end of the cutting is as smooth as you can make it. These very small, loose ends that are semi-attached to the cambium are where most rot organisms find a haven from which to multiply and do their dirty work.

* Make sure several nodes are covered by soil; and if the medium you're using holds perched water (perched water is water that occupies that soggy layer of soil at the bottom of the pot that refuses to drain by the force of gravity alone). Make absolutely sure that if you're using a medium that supports perched water, you only keep the soil damp/moist - never wet/soggy. The basal end of your cutting should Never be stuck deep enough in the medium that it is below the high water line, which is the highest point perched water will reach in the soil/container combination. The cutting needs oxygen to keep the living tissues viable, and a basal end drowning in perched water is the reason a very large % of cuttings that don't strike have failed.

* Bottom heat is very helpful for plumeria. Ideally, the root temps would be about 10* warmer than air temps UNTIL THE CUTTING STRIKEs. After it strikes, unplug the heat mat immediately, because then it's better that ROOT temps lag air temps by about 10*. This is true of most plants when growing from seed OR cuttings.

Those are a few things you can do to tip the odds to favor success. Since it seams like your cutting has a physiologically compromised area between the basal end and the distal end, you should avoid using the cutting or cut to sound tissues distal (farthest from the roots) to the compromised section of the cutting. Even if that middle section of the cutting is removed, odds of the cutting striking remain very low, due to the probability of residual systemic fungal organisms increasing to numbers high enough to spoil the fun.

Al

I am no expert with Plumerias, but I do have a few. I bought my first 'sticks' from a vendor in Ocala. When I got them home I simply pushed the bottoms a few inches into a pot with a sandy soil mixture. I watered them in and then forgot about them. One of them grew tall enough to branch and set flowers the first year. The other one has been slower growing, but it still looks good.
The bit that bothers me from your info is the soft area in the middle. The sticks I got (and others I have acquired since then) were quite firm the entire length. Mark the ends of the soft spot with a piece of chalk or something and keep an eye on it. If the soft area expands over a week, then you might have some rot. If it hardens and shrinks, then it could just be the stick reacting to being cut.

Hi Bea...

Al gives good advise..

I would like to see a picture of your cutting.. I did see your post on the Plumeria Forum and I posted there as well.. Sorry I couldn't get to You a few days ago, but I was out of town working and my days are never ending.

A few questions..

How long have you had the cutting from when it was taken from the tree?

is it a green cutting or is it a from an older hardened off branch?

Did it form a good callus and did it have White latex when it was cut?

I like to dip the fresh cutting with root tone and half sulfur and that stops the cutting from losing the latex before it hardens and self seals itself.

I hope you can save this little gem..

See you at the Plumeria Forum or back here. ;-)

Laura

I've rooted many Plumeria cuttings. I prune my trees and give cuttings away and take cuttings from friends and neighbors.I find them easy to root but this isn't the greatest time of year to root them. But, I have rooted cutting in winter with success. Sometimes they don't but usually they do. Just takes more time.

I would cut your cutting into solid, firm wood. Stick the cutting in a small pot or directly in the ground. You could use a rooting hormone, I have done it both ways. Lots of sun and wait. A cutting this time of year could take months before you will know if it took. I wouldn't pull it out to check for roots. Just leave it be.

Water once and forget it. Sun and warmth is key but you need to get a healthy cutting. The soft spot is not good, cut it off. Depending on how big the piece is, you might be able to root two pieces.

If you could post a photo, that would help.

Jane

Hi, Bea. Laura is widely known in the US for her skills in consistently bringing along healthy plants (and not just plumeria), as well as her propagation skills, her photography, and all the other efforts associated with being a skilled grower. As of late, her skills have also been gaining international attention, though you won't find her mentioning that because she's modest about her accomplishments. I'd pay particularly close attention to her questions and suggestions.

Al

Thank you all for the help. I tried to take a photo but it just didn't show the soft spot well enough to make sense. But tonight I got a decent one. The left photo is the tip and the right one is the part that worries me. It isn't totally squishy just a little wrinkled sort of like a plant that hasn't been watered in a while.Laura to answer your questions: the cutting was given to me by a lady who runs a nursery. I was visiting her and she was showing me her plumeria, she bumped it and this green branch broke off so she gave it to me. It is green and it was weeping latex when it broke.. That was a couple of days before I posted. She told me to just plant it in sand which I did and I watered it. (From the plumeria forum I get that I should use perlite so that's what i'll do). After 3-3 days in the sand is when that section became soft. BTW this was the end of a branch and had 3 leaves which fell off after a few days.

Ok. I did the pin prick test and good news, latex came out . So here it is planted in perlite with a little peat mixed in. Keep your fingers crossed.

I have rooted everything you can imagine in my 40+ gardening years but never before have I come across a plant that requires this kind of care, especially the not watering part. A new challenge.

I'll let you know … in a few months if it worked. In the meantime thank you all for your advice.

Yeay! One of my two cutting is now full of roots. So now I'm re-reading Laura's great advice and go from there.

Hi Bea!!

I am so happy to hear of your great news!!!! Whoooooo Hooooo!!!!!

Strong work!!!!!!

You have done an outstanding job of rooting and being patient with your cutting. This is the most difficult time when we are rooting Plumeria and sometimes it seems like they are difficult. Once you understand their ways of growing and allow the time that they need to root and take off, we finally are able to see that they aren't as difficult as some might think. It's all about the cutting and giving them the time they need to adjust to every condition. Knowing just a few basis tips will always help in keeping it healthy and giving it the best growing environment to bring it to where it needs to be its best.. You certainly have done this.. Congratulations!!!!

I also want to apologize for not remarking on your last post. It must have slipped by me and a message to my email never posted.. You did a fine job of making your bottle and placing your cutting into the mix to root! You have done a fabulous job and I am thrilled that you had success with the rooting of your cutting. Fantastic!!!

The time from your post about what to do is about 8 weeks.. Lol. Just about the right time eh???? ;-)

Enioy your new tree.. There is nothing like rooting your own and watching it grow.. To see it bloom, knowing you started it from the very beginning is the best feeling in the world!!!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and please keep us updated on the trees progress!!!

You have me just as excited.. I love these beauties.... You are more than welcome.. If you ever need anything, please ask. I'd love to help you !!

Mahalo Nui Loa!!!

Laura