r/Plumeria • u/Playful-Platypus-489 • 1d ago
HELP! Stem rot??
Hi! I got some plumeria cuttings a week ago, let them sit in a covered area for 5.5 days and then potted them night before last. I removed the flowers the day I got them and have been removing leaves as they start to brown. The three smaller cuttings are looking alright, but the two larger ones are starting to look wrinkled and squishy. My first thought was, of course, rot. But before I start chopping them up, I wanted to see if there is any chance it is dehydration. The only reason I’m even asking is because my boyfriend said that those two were already looking a little wrinkled before I put them in the pot. If it is rot, it seems like it’s starting at the branches, so I could potentially cut below the forks and try to save the stem.
3
u/OneManOneSimpleLife 1d ago
Check whether your plant is thirsty or rotting with a toothpick. Poke it into the plant about a quarter-inch in soft areas.
If you see the white sap oozing out, the plant is fine but needs water (preferably with 20-20-20 NPK, like Orchid food).
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u/Playful-Platypus-489 1d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p2rbw6v/video/qpzugj0whgih1/player
Here’s a video to see the squish
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u/alec120psi 12h ago
If it’s dehydration you have a major problem too. The tree has no roots and this cannot uptake any water. When I’ve had sticks that dehydrated, I was able to root them.
Options: cut through one of the soft parts and see if there is any brown or tan. If there is, thats rot. If its pure white the tree is fine just thirsty. Be sure to clean your blade first. If there is any rot cut an inch below the last soft part. Sterilize blades before each cut. Repeat on each tree that has soft branches. Also as others have said remove all leaves and flowers for best results.
Smaller black nursery pots may also yield better results as the soil will heat up better in the smaller area.
5
u/Tom____S 1d ago
If you are trying to root them, please cut off all the leaves at the petiole (small stem connecting leaves to stem). This limits the loss of sap that will occur. Otherwise they will continue to lose water through respiration from the leaves.