Hi Newgen, I would cut the leaves off to root your cutting. Leaving the leaves on while rooting only takes away from the rooting process and takes valued moisture from the stem. When i make cuttings, i always cut the leaves from the cutting right away. Don't worry if you haven;t yet,it will do fine. You know what you are doing... : ) Hi AL!!! I agree about the clear containers.. I do protect mine since i had terrible sunburn issues last year. I also root some cuttings in clay pots and also 1 gallon black containers. But i prefer the water bottles just to it be able to see the root action on these gems. It can take 6-8 weeks to root and i know it is bad to keep messing with them. So, having them in the bottles makes it easy for me to peek without lifting and or poking which is not good for the trees. You just have to be extra careful using the clear bottles to root cuttings. Especially in this heat. They do need protection from the sum! Hi Josh!! Nice to see you! How have you been? I feel like it has been awhile since i have visited this forum . Missed you guys!! Nice to see you! Dirtbites.. Thank you for your nice comments.. Much appreciated!! Take Care, Laura

GHer -- I do the same. For small things (begonia leaves, etc.) I put the leaf/cutting in medium in a Dixie cup (with a drainage hole in each cup) -- then put Dixie cups together in shoebox size clear boxes -- then put those boxes inside the next larger size container, with the larger container upside down and the shoeboxes resting on the larger container's lid. This allows maximum light into the plants (no white lid on top to block sunlight), and the maximum flexibility in controlling both humidity and moisture of the media.

Ah, well, considering what I just spent ordering seeds (I swore I was not going to order any, just trade, but that didn't work out), the shoe boxes are a small investment. I use them multiple years and they stack easily for storage. Plus, with all my kids grown, we don't accumulate milk bottles, and since I work full time, so I don't have the time or energy to go searching for extra containers. I just bought some more shoe boxes at Home Depot for $1 each and hopefully I will not need any more for a few years. Once the holes have been made in tops and bottoms of the shoe boxes, I put 2 or more pots inside, fill the pots with soil and plant the seeds. I use the same pots over and over again, too, and just put white duck tape labels on the pots. If one pot has sprouts and the other(s) don't, I can move the sprouted pot to a box with another sprouted pot and keep all the unsprouted ones together. And when it is time for the sprouts to go topless, I can use the container again for some different seeds. My friends at work, who still buy plants, give me their empty pots, so I have an enormous stockpile of those. They know I will share my extra seedlings with them. Everyone has their preferences, and fortunately this method works well with all of them. Becky

I know some folks like clear containers. Personally I avoid them. Roots are negative phototropic - they withdraw from light exposure. Research shows that not only can clear containers "cook" roots by allowing higher than normal soil temps but can even retard root development. Dave PS: check out the many Google links on root response linked below for details Here is a link that might be useful: Phototropic response of plant roots