— Nan Sterman
Plumeria are fragrant, flowering shrubs that are easy to grow in frost-free, water-wise gardens. Most people associate Plumeria with Hawaii but that’s not their native homeland. Where is their native habitat? Watch our show, Intoxicating Plumeria to find out.
Once you fall under the spell of Plumeria, you’ll soon notice that nurseries carry the more common varieties – they are a great place to start your collection. When you are ready for something more unusual, or if you’ve seen a Plumeria you covet in a friend’s garden, try your hand at making cuttings and rooting your own plants. Propagating Plumeria is pretty straightforward, even for a beginner.
Spring and summer are good times to propagate Plumeria from cuttings.
- Find a healthy branch on the mother plant. Select a branch with a brown or grayish surface, that’s about 12 to 18” long, and firm along the entire length. Look for a branch you can remove without marring the appearance of the mother plant or exposing its trunk to too much sunlight.
- Use a very sharp knife or razor knife. Use rubbing alcohol, disinfecting bathroom cleaner spray, or a 10% bleach solution to sterilize all of the knife’s surfaces.
- Carefully cut sever the branch from the mother plant. Cut it flush at the base so you don’t leave a stub behind. Then, check the cut end of the branch – if the cut is jagged, clean it up. You want a straight, clean cut.
- Dip the cut end into powdered sulfur to keep fungus from developing and to stop the sap from leaking out.
- Cut away all flower and flower bud stalks. Remove all but two leaves at the tip of the cutting, too, to encourage its energy to go into making new roots.
- Wrap the end of the cutting in plastic wrap or in a pot of damp coconut coir. Leave it for two weeks so the end forms
a callus. - After two weeks, fill a one-gallon plastic nursery pot with two thirds cactus mix, combined with one-third perlite or pumice. This mix will drain quickly to prevent the cutting from rotting. Saturate the mixture with water.
- With your fingers, poke a hole in the center of the potting soil, and insert the cutting, 1 1/2″ or 2″ deep. Firm the soil around the cutting. To keep the cutting anchored in place, set a stake next to the cutting, and carefully tie the cutting to the stake.
- Water the potting soil to settle the soil around the cutting.
- Put the potted cutting in a warm, protected spot with plenty of indirect light and good airflow. On a patio with filtered light or under a shade tree are good choices. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
- DO NOT water the pot until you see new leaves appear at the tip. When you see those new leaves, chances are, the cutting has rooted.
- To check, gently tug on the cutting. Rooted cuttings will resist. If it pulls out, put it back, water, and wait. Test again in another month.
- Once you see new leaves fully unfurl, start to acclimate your new Plumeria plant to sunlight. Move it into morning sun for an hour, then two hours, etc. until the cutting is in full, direct sunlight for at least six hours a day (that’s considered full sun).
- After the plant is acclimated, plant it into a permanent, year-round sunny spot in your garden or in a very large container in a spot in full sun.
Enjoy your new Plumeria!
