Nil is correct, method 1 is standard for planting into the ground, and method 2 works for pots. However, what should be added to that is that when you root prune, your goal is obviously to reduce the space the roots take up, so eliminating the least useful roots is what you want to do. The larger the root, the less useful it is, being that large roots are more of an anchor, which is great in the ground, but not necessary in a pot. The small feeder roots are what you want, as they do all the work of taking in water and nutrients. I have a rather large ficus 'alii' that I got free from a plant shop, because it was "dead". I literally grabbed it out of the rolling dump cart on its way outside. It was so root bound that the plastic pot was severely bulged, and it probably couldn't take up water, as there was hardly any soil. Long story short, it is now a beautiful tree, thriving in barkless gritty mix. What I did was grab a pruning saw, and cut out ALL roots larger than about 3/4", clipped any dead branches off, clean the old soil off the roots, fill in the gritty mix, and wait. After a few months it sprang to life, and has only improved from there. As for upkeep, I repot it every couple of years, as needed. I basically scoop away the loose gritty mix, pull the tree from the pot, and most of the mix will easily shake away from the roots. I remove about 1/4 to 1/3 of the roots, targeting the largest ones. I usually prune out some foliage to maintain a good form too. Better for you to choose which leaves go, rather than let the plant choose. I know I said long story short, so I guess I got a bit carried away. Anywho, the gist of it is to cut out the large anchor roots each time you repot. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the benefits of a job well done. Joe

Hey Keiko. Congratulations on your cuttings! Do you have any further details on which rigida you've got there? The cuttings look great!! I don't have much time so I'm going to make this short. But I wanted to post quick in case you're still reading tonight. Yes, you need a node to be at least at the surface level of the medium. It doesn't have to be completely buried but it needs to be in contact with the medium. If there's too much stem underneath the node you can trim it, or just sort of bend it in the pot, or even lay the portion that is above surface level horizontally along the soil, weighting it with stones. Anything to provide node contact. Although un-useful to you, it isn't very unusual to receive a long segment underneath the node. It's because when the grower is harvesting the cuttings, they make their cut right above a node, b/c anything vine stub above it is going to die off anyway. So you get that segment, however long it is. Good luck and happy rooting! :) And to answer your question, I usually root mine right in the medium I plan to use long-term. But for valuable or delicate cuttings, I often root them semi-hydro style. When possible, I like to lay multiple nodes along the surface. Otherwise I'll cut the cutting up into smaller segments and root several starts. Really, I don't have a system I stick to every time. I just use my gut and do what feels right for that particular cutting. :) I like to experiment and test theories with every batch. Also, I tend to use a rooting aquarium or even a clear tupperware bin, to provide extra humidity, but I don't like the bag method because I screwed it up once (by putting the plants next to a bright window and baking them) and have bad associations with the innocent bags. This time of year though, I don't bother. Hoyas like to root right now. I have a few re-rooting at the moment and I just stuck them in the soil. They'd better root >:O Whoa this didn't turn out short. But it was fast! So if I said anything crazy, just ignore it. Bye!

I'm just south of you, about an hour and ten down the parkway or the turnpike...I have seen linearis at Home Depots in Burlington, Moorestown, Manahawkin and I think Toms River - though not positive about Toms River. You know, most of the people I know that have killed this one think it was due to overwatering...I have had no problems with mine, and I treat it as I do all my plants, hoyas and otherwise..water when dry. Nothing gets a drop until it dries out, meaning like 80 or 90% dry!! Now this doesn't mean my plants sit there bone dry for a week until I notice they need water...I check them pretty much every day, so I water AS SOON as the plant dries out. I have noticed that as soon as it reaches that "dry" point, the needles on linearis droop a teeny bit right away. I have treated it this way since I got it, and haven't lost a leaf or stem or had any problems whatsoever. So I don't care what anyone says about a plant liking it wet, mine only get water when they are newly dry, a few hours dry won't kill them - but it is so difficult to figure out how wet is too wet and what is going on down below where the roots are, so I think you are better off letting a plant go a bit dry than trying to achieve that perfect "wet" balance! And if you are vigilant, it won't be dry long enough to do any real damage or harm to the root system. I just sent cuttings out, but if you don't find one, ask me in the spring and I'd be happy to send you some.

You're welcome Quinn! Science is not my best subject, so I'm not sure exactly why...but all I know is my Hummel Sunset Jades and some other varieties of Jades and Succulents gets the prettiest colors when our night temps gets around 55 degrees or below in conjunction with full sun during the day. I leave mine outside all year except when frost/freeze is in the forecast...and usually in 4-6 weeks I notice the nice colors return. My Jades/Succulents normally goes almost dormant when our temps reach around 80+ degrees...I usually don't see any growths at this time till around mid fall. At least that's my experience growing them in Florida...they just don't like the high humidity in the summer. I know they prefer dry conditions and I'm sure that's why they grow much better in the winter for me, much lower humidity. Probably why they grow so much better and carefree in California because of their abundant sun and drier climate.