I have 3 unrooted cuttings which are all in the same pot. They are leaning in a mix of potting soil and perlite. 1 is doing fine, but the other two are turning to mush at the bottom. Can I cut off the bottom and start again or throw them away? I was going to going to put the 2 into a 50% mix of water and perioxide for a few minutes after i cut them to stop any disease or rot. What does everyone think? Please help.

I would never throw a cutting away until it's less than an inch long

Cut until you see white wood. You have to make sure all the rot is gone. It's best to sterilize your knife or clippers between cuts and yes, giving it the peroxide treatment is a good idea. Then dip in rooting hormone. Then let the cutting callous for a week before planting again. A very light perlite mixture is good.

If these are very small or very precious you might consider grafting them, too.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

hetty, how long should you leave a cutting of plumeria for it to form a callous? and it is better to let it form a callous than plant a cutting without it? i usually leave my cuttings for about 2 or 3 days, i just planted 2 new ones at a house i am landscaping.
isaac

I tend to leave fresh cuttings for about a week. If the weather is warm and not wet, it doesn't make that much difference though. It is really to prevent rot.

I am new to propagating plumeria. What is the peroxide treatment? I killed all my cutting last year because I did not know any better?

The peroxide treatment is mentioned in the first post above.

When you are new at any hobby, you tend to make mistake. It is what we call lessons..... After 10 years of growing these plants I still learn new techniques and tricks every day!!

I will try again this year. Thanks for the info, Hetty.

Hetty, I almost threw out a cutting a few months ago because almost the entire thing was mush. But, I trimmed it to about three inches and stuck it into some damp vermiculite, and wouldn't you know the little bugger is pushing out some new leaves? Gosh I love plumies.

I hope it continues to rally for you. Damp vermiculite is not the medium I would have chosen, but if it works for you, so much the better.

Hetty, damp vermiculite was an accident. I had the cuttings stored in a cool dry place all winter, and got them out in March. I was gathering up a whole bunch of things and stuck them in my Forsyth pot on my back porch and forgot about them for a few weeks. Imagine my surprise when I was cleaning off the table and found sprouts on one of the cuttings...which is now potted up and doing great on it's own, and it's working on the second one too so I can't complain.

When is the best time of year to take cuttings? I have two large plumerias that I want to take cuttings from, one has a seed pod from last fall. I think I am birthing an elephant here - it seems to be taking forever!

Seedpods will take 9 months to mature!
Cuttings for rooting purposes are best taken in the spring, although they can be taken anytime while the plant is actively growing.