I'm surprised I have ever had one root. I bulk-root mine and they are in 5 gal. buckets. Where the bottom of the stems are is probably about the coolest spot in that bucket of perlite. I have never once used a heating mat to root.

I think it is more of a combination of comfortable warm conditions and humidity. They sure take quite a long time to root here, with our overall heat, since what we got is dry heat. They also need better humidity and shade if heat is so intense. My friend in San Diego lives more coastal and their cuttings easily leaf and root even indoors in their storage...

My thought is that it is a combination of things, but I think the critical element of that combination is their growth/rooting cycle. And I think an important part of that cycle is the length of daylight. We can easily keep the heat up and the humidity up, but mimicking daylight hours is a little trickier. Just my opinion.

Sorry couple more questions. The lights come today and heat mat tomorrow. If I make the switch to 100% perlite do I simply pull them from the current soil and replant in perlite? Water the perlite or leave it dry? Also, pea gravel on top or only after I'd switch from perlite to regular soil after they've rooted. Thanks.

Pea gravel is not needed. It's an old recommendation that continues to do the rounds and has probably contributed to a bunch of scorched stems - the gravel heats up and can burn the stalk. If you like the look of the gravel, I recommend you keep them an inch away from the stem.
Pull from the current soil, maybe give it a quick rinse (and how about take a picture of it, including the bottom) and then plant in pure perlite. No water is needed. You may find it will not stand up in pure perlite. You can either brace the cutting (people have used strips of tape, or pieces of styrofoam to do this) or just let it sort of 'hang' in the pot. You are going to repot it anyway after it has rooted so it can be planted straight at that time.

Ok, great. And I promise to take some pictures tonight.

I stopped at my parents house last night. I had given my mom around 8 stems as well. I should have given them some guidance because they cut the bottoms off maybe an inch after I had already dried them out then just put them outside in pots in their screen porch. They had been there probably a month. It was 45 degrees this weekend. We pulled them out and half were rotted and the other half still seemed firm. I told her to just put the good ones somewhere dry for the winter.

I live in a warmer Zone 9a but I have some newly repotted, late cuttings that I want to make sure they have securely rooted before putting them in the greenhouse for the winter. This time of year our nights are cooler but the days are still in the 80's. The sun exposure has changed from it's summer position in the sky. I move the pots to the West side of the driveway where it will get morning/afternoon sun. Then move them back to the East side where they get the stronger afternoon sun. It's a good thing the pots are small and are not numerous. But I think this assure that they get extra warmth and sun for many more hours than if left on my summer-sunny side of the drive way.

Here are a few pics

They mostly look good, remember to just mist them lightly so they don't dehydrate.

So far one stem has gone bad and the others are still firm but no leaves. It's been about 3 weeks. How long should it take to see life?

Hi Mark, it is nap time/dormant time now for them...you will have to wait patiently till Spring.

Heat from the bottom might help speed them up. Like, use a heat mat or similar. But it is late in the season, too, especially for your Zone.. Good luck, keep up posted!

Mark, I agree with Tarev. I have tried my best to root cuttings in the fall, and I have used every trick possible to do so. I am lucky if I get a single rooting out of ten plants. I still over-winter cuttings in buckets of 100% coarse perlite, but I don't do it with any expectation of them rooting. They are simply dormant and its a handy way for me to store dozens of cuttings over the fall and winter months.

drdawg said: I still over-winter cuttings in buckets of 100% coarse perlite, but I don't do it with any expectation of them rooting. They are simply dormant and its a handy way for me to store dozens of cuttings over the fall and winter months.

Where stored Ken? In you Garage GH?

Speaking of which, have you put everything to bed yet?

My Little Darling is still outside on the screen porch and green as all get out. The latest batch of new leaves are growing. No sign of yellowing and no leaf loss. Temp has got to low 40s on the porch. Will likely bring it in on Friday.

All my plants are still outside, David, with the exception of the six different varieties in bloom in the solarium. I put the solar blanket material on the garage greenhouse today, so it is now ready for plants. I am headed your way tomorrow for the MSU-UM game in Columbia. I hope to get some things (mounts) moved tomorrow (before I leave for the airport) from my Everything Else GH into the packing cabinet in the solarium. I have to be at the airport between noon and 1:00, so I have the morning to get some things moved.

It looks like I will have Friday and Saturday to start moving plants in. I probably won't even get home until around 4:00 AM from the game Friday, so I don't know how much energy I will have that day. With so many plants, I have to have a "pecking-order", so orchids will be moved inside before the plumeria and staghorns. I have pretty much sold all my 100 or so bromeliads. I won't move any of them in other than some really spectacular plants in full-bloom. A few of them are mounted and I want to hang those mounted ones in the solarium. Hopefully my wife will allow me a little bit of space.

Yes, all my cuttings will be stored in the garage GH. I haven't figured out where I will put all the plumeria I have. Gosh, I have a lot of them now. I guess I will be taking a lot of cuttings so that those in huge pots won't take up so much room. I just hate to take cuttings in the fall but I often have no choice.

Mark with everyone it is nap time for your plants. Keep them dry to avoid rot. Misting the stem will help to avoid dehydration.

Ah, the labor of love we give our Plumies! Ken and David, hope you get to bring in all that needs protection soon, the rain event that came our way last Nov 2 has brought snow to our Sierras and I saw in the news it has now brought about 4 to 5 inches of snow in Flagstaff, AZ, so it is just a matter of time, coming your way soon. I allowed my plants to get this first rain in Fall, but I have now brought those needed to indoors, it is finally Fall cool time temps.

Mark, good luck once more on your Plumies..sometimes the hardest part is the wait..keep away from the watering can!

We did have a couple of chilly nights last Wed & Thurs. Since by Fri we would be back to upper 70s & lows in 50s I tossed frost blankets on my deck stuff. 2 piled on top of each other. The top of my biggest Brugmansia got nipped along with 4 blooms. Oh well - it has 9 blooms and otherwise going strong, but I will be have Moving Day 2 come this Friday. I have to throw in the towel at some point. Deck 12 ' x 12' , screen porch 10' x 20' and about 200 sq feet of "driveway". My "driveway" is used like my "garage". For storing Plants. When I get a big shipment of trees, there have been times when I literally parked on the street as the "driveway" was full.

Hey Ken - Go Mizzou!!

I pulled a few out to take a look. They've been under 10 hours of lights each night plus daytime sun for 4 weeks. Do these look like they're making any attempt to root? The center seems to be sticking out from the cutting but nothing else.