# How to Plant a Plumeria Stick
Things You'll Need
- Clean, sharp knife, hand pruners or saw
- Container, 1- to 2-gallon
- Soil mix
- Large stones
- Stake
- Fertilizer
Instructions
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Wait to cut single or branched limbs until the tree is dormant. Take cuttings of plumeria in early spring, when the plant is dormant. Select a branch of mature, healthy wood, with a grayish sheen and an active, or "terminal," growth tip. Cut branches at least 18 to 20 inches in length. Shorter stems do not contain enough nutrition or energy for propagation. The limb can be single or branched. Use a sharp knife, hand pruner or saw. Make a clean cut at a 45-degree angle, approximately 1 inch above an area where a leaf once grew. Milky and sticky white sap can leak out of both ends of the stick. The cutting will look like a stick. Plumeria leaves drop off in late fall and won't be replaced by new ones until early spring. Remove any leaves that might still be attached.
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Place the cut limb, uncovered, in a shady place for approximately five days -- until the cut areas dry and scab over. Cuttings can be stored for months before planting. However, it's preferable to root plumeria cuttings in spring and early summer. This way, there's enough warm weather for them to establish a well-developed root system outdoors. Begin the rooting process only when temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
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Create a fast-draining soil mix, such as 50-percent regular soil and 50-percent sand -- or 1/3 soil, 1/3 sand and 1/3 perlite, Plumeria Treasure advises. Do not use clay, as plumeria roots, which you're trying to establish, stick to it. Place soil mix in a 1- or 2-gallon container. Soak the soil until water drains out the pot's bottom.
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Plant the sticks, or cuttings, cut-side down, approximately 4 inches in the soil mix. Plumeria does not need a rooting hormone, but it can speed the rooting process, according to Plumeria Treasure. To add rooting hormone, pull the cutting out and sprinkle rooting hormone at its very bottom. Place the stick back into the hole, being careful not to rub off too much of the rooting hormone. You can also use rooting-hormone powders with fungicide to prevent disease.
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Pack the soil down so it's firm, to help support the cutting until it has roots. You can also place several large stones around the cutting's base to prevent it from tipping over, stake the cutting or allow one side to rest against the container. A rooted cutting provides its own support. Place the cutting in strong or full sunlight, which means at least six to eight hours of sun daily.
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Water only when the soil is very dry. Since cuttings or sticks do not have roots, there's nothing to draw up water, and the soil remains wet. Plumeria Treasure suggests wetting soil only a little about once every 10 days, to prevent stem rot. Leaves should appear in four to eight weeks, an indication that roots have formed. When three or four leaves have developed to midsize, begin to water more often -- just allowing the soil to become somewhat dry before watering again.
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Fertilize the plant twice a month after five or six large leaves have developed, with a fertilizer high in phosphorous, to promote flowering and branching, such as a 10-50-10. Provide at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. The rooting process typically takes 45 to 75 days from planting to complete. Young plumeria root systems are brittle, and transplanting, if necessary, must be done with care.
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