You can check for callus and roots any time you want, as long as you don't allow them to dry out while you check. Usually, two weeks is the optimum time, but sometimes they might take a little longer. In my conditions and experience, more than three weeks usually means failure, but YMMV. Good luck! Kim

I like this one (makes about 8-12 depending on the size of tortilla you use and how full you stuff 'em!) 1 lb ground beef, ground turkey, or cubed chicken 1 package taco seasoning mix or burrito seasoning mix 1 can refried beans 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese Flour tortillas optional sliced green onions sour cream salsa/taco sauce Brown beef and use taco seasoning as directed on package. Mix refried beans in a small bowl with about 1 Tbsp of salsa (helps to make the beans a little easier to spread) and heat in microwave approx. 1 min 30 sec - just enough to make them easy to stir and spread. Heat tortillas one at a time on hot griddle (or use oven or microwave directions on tortilla package if you prefer). Spread each tortilla with beans, top with seasoned meat, cheese, sour cream, onions and salsa. Fold in 2 sides about 1" and roll up. Freeze on baking sheet until firm, then store in ziploc freezer bags.

I've noticed a new product on the grocery shelves. I actually bought it at Target first, but I've seen it elsewhere, at Natural Food stores. Sweet Earth is the name. i decided to try the Protein Lover's Functional Breakfast Burrito, and I love it. Sorry Vegans, but there are "Cage-free egg whites" in the ingredients. It's quite hardy, and spiced really nicely, with fennel. I bought a single serving to try, but it's also available in a 3-pack box, at a much reduced price.

You're welcome sowandgrow. What you did is parallel to what I normally do, though I use foam cups which insulate the soil ball from the extremes of my old climate's heat, preventing them from cooking and drying out too quickly. You probably also used more of a traditional soil mix for drainage. I use moisture control mix due to the extreme desiccation from my conditions. You are completely correct...once properly struck, cuttings should never be "pulled up" to check for roots. That is very much like ripping the scab off a wound to check for healing. The soil needs to be firmed in securely around the callused cuttings. Roots won't form as quickly or as efficiently in too loose soil. I pack it in the cups around the cuttings so it forms a fairly well knit ball which is easily slipped from the cups intact, if I want to check for roots. I plant them deeply so their bottoms are usually within an inch of their bottoms. When they are growing well, it doesn't take long for roots to show themselves in an inch of soil. If I'm curious, it is completely safe to slip my hand over the top of the cup with the cutting between my fingers so I can hold the top of the soil in place with the palm of my hand. Using my other hand, I can slip the cup off the soil ball so I can easily see if there are any visible roots forming without disturbing them or the soil. Then, it's very easy to slip the cup back over the soil ball and put it back where it was. Once I see roots beginning to fill that bottom inch of soil, it's very easy to remove the soil ball, add the quantity of soil needed to raise the roots to the level I want them growing, replace the soil ball in the cup and begin massaging the higher soil level of the original ball to fill the cup. I try not to disturb the soil surrounding the growing roots as much as possible so I don't interrupt their development. Yes, depending upon how much soil I have added to the cup, there will be a corresponding amount of soil left over from each cup. It's easy to take that bit of soil and use it to lift the next root ball higher in its cup. Planting them deeply in the soil allows just an inch or so of the green cutting to protrude from the soil ball, reducing the surface from which the cutting can lose moisture while its roots are developing. Anything green also produces chlorophyll when temps are high enough (usually seventy-ish), helping to feed the cutting while it develops. Since I raise mine outdoors, both of these are helpful to rooting. As the optimum time for me to do it here is late winter to early spring, the sun isn't as extreme, nor are the heat and aridity. If the cups appear to be drier than I prefer, I'll water them as I do any other potted plant. I do punch four or five holes in the bottoms of the cups with a pencil for drainage. Even if a larger hole breaks out of their bottoms, the moisture control soil will usually knit together well enough to prevent its loss through the hole. When firmed in well, it's secure enough for me to use bands for the same purpose, though their straight sides makes slipping the soil balls from the bands as easy and securely as the foam cups allow. I know your conditions are quite different, but perhaps hearing what works for me, in mine, might help give you ideas of how to do what you wish in yours. I hope so! Good luck! Kim