Container: You can put as many cuttings into a gallon ziploc as you can put into a gallon ziploc. Maybe a dozen or so. Surround them with peat moss, maybe two or three good handfuls, and it should be slightly moist but not wet. Don't put in so much that you can't close the bag. Place in refrigeration. Use 1-year green cuttings, which are usually about 3/8 inch caliper, but may vary in size. 5-6 inches long is good, but the issue is not so much length as the number of buds on the cutting, which should be a minimum of 4. When you stick them in the ground, at least two buds should be above the surface. Needless the say, the buds must point upwards. Moisten the business end slightly so the Rootone will cling to it. When I plant the cuttings, outdoor temperatures are warming, so there is no need for a greenhouse. I assume that in zone 10, it's warm pretty much all the time. I don't think cuttings will root unless they have been previously calloused by this or some other method. Exposed buds should begin to open in 10 days or so; maybe sooner depending on ambient temperatures. Of course, the soil around the newly planted cuttings should be kept moist. Starting blueberry plants from seed is a bad idea. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

If they are ostrich ferns, don't worry too much about the soil--they will do well just about anywhere as long as the soil doesn't dry out too much. Ostrich ferns transplant easily, although the smaller the better. Late fall and early spring are best but I've discovered that you can cut all the foliage off and transplant the crown without leaves. It will suffer less shock this way, and will grow a new set of leaves as long as you don't do it too late in the growing season.

Link is to an excellent article [from Cornell] detailing the differences among peat mosses and WHY they are different. http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/good/growon/media/organic.html username5  Please advise me of your source for the statement that Canada is "replacing" the peat moss. All I have been able to find is an assortment of reports from various companies that Canada is using a 10-year plan for a "controlled harvest" of various peat sources. It is apparently true that the potential *production* is being limited due to this plan. The word *production* is used in the sense of producing a salable material, not in the sense of producing the material itself. Please note that there is a considerable difference between Âharvesting and Âreplacing. Since peat apparently grows about a milliliter a year, it would be unlikely that Canada (or anywhere else) would be able to actually "replace" the material harvested. Here is a link that might be useful: definitions of peat moss

Sphagnum peat, aka peat moss, is a common ingredient in many potting soils. Potting soils are really soil-less mixes of ingredients designed to accomodate the very specific needs of container grown plants. Peat moss tends to be very moisture retentive, generally of a very small particle size and quite acidic. For these reasons, it should be used sparingly in any potting/container mix. The primary concern of any potting mix is fast drainage and good aeration and too much peat in the mix compromises both of these issues. It is definitely NOT an ingredient I would include in a potting medium to be used for cacti or succulents. For the record, peat is the decomposed remains of various plant products - sedges, mosses (like sphagnum), reeds or assorted other bog loving plants. Sphagnum is a moss that is often used as a decorative item to top off planted containers or to line hanging baskets, etc. Sphagnum peat - or peat moss, as it is most commonly referred to - is the decomposed product, found widely in peat bogs in the upper northern hemisphere. Canada has the world's largest supply of sphagnum peat bogs.