HAWAI'I GARDENS
Place plumeria cuttings in soil with cinder
By Heidi Bornhorst
Q. I have plumeria cuttings, and I want to know how to plant them in pots. I live in an apartment with a lanai. Please tell me what kind of soil to use.
I am new to gardening.
— Cathy Quevido
A. Start big cuttings such as plumeria and Dracaena marginata in one-gallon pots.
Use a 1-to-1 mixture of good soil and potting mix. Top dress the potted plant with cinder to give it a good, finished look that will nourish your plant and keep it from blowing over.
Cinder, blue rock or coral chunks (depending upon plant soil requirements) mixed into the potting mix and soil, as well as on the top, helps grow healthy, tough and attractive plants or gardens of potted decorative plants.
Mix the soil thoroughly and pre-wet it a bit. Stick the cuttings in and water daily. If the plumeria cuttings still have leaves, water more often and try to keep the leaves alive.
This will help the cuttings to root. Hormones in the leaves send chemical signals to waiting cells in the stem that have the potential to become roots. This is why it's good to always keep the new buds on the cutting and to leave some portion of the leaves which help to promote rooting in the new cutting.
Other conditions to observe in the garden on your lanai:
- Are the cuttings rooted and growing in pots already? If so what size pots?
- Does your lanai get morning or afternoon sun? How much exposure?
- How windy is it? And on what area of the island?
These things make a difference when gardening in Hawai'i. Study the conditions in your garden ... wherever it is. Some of our Hawai'i gardens are a simple as the plants on your desk.
Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Submit questions to: islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com or Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Letters may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
