Ken - thanks for the link. I wish the GW search had a date filter. I searched before I cut the first time, and when I searched again last week, seemed to be getting only the same (old) results. Maybe Zooba and I should have a "stumps to green" contest. :-) Zooba's at least have a certain architectural quality mine lack. I'll see what mine look like come next spring and replace if I need to replace.

Somebody needs to attach images of this. I suspect that it is not a problem at all but, as Jean says, aerial root initials. A picture would solve the mystery in a nanosecond.

I soaked them in a glass of warm water (but not hot) and left them there for 12 hours before sowing them already. However, warm water turned out to be room-temperature after 1 hour or so, so they spent 1 hour in warm water and 11 hours at the room temperature. Right now the temperature inside the apartment is 73 degrees, and this temperature is just about the same both during the day and during the night. I live in Arlington, TX, which is a town between Dallas and Fort Worth. I am aware that I will have to bring the plant indoor as soon as it gets in the low 50s. But I would prefer to keep the plant indoor permanently!

You can cut just below the first Y or 8-12" up any branch. You may want to stagger your cutting doing half the plants or half the branches on a plant this year and the other half next. This allows you to have flowers as a cut branch will not flower this year. I wait after a cut until the latex has dried (a few hours to a day) and coat the cut with a brown tub and tile sealant using a caulking gun and a cheap sponge paint brush. With 250 you need the heavy equip. Also I recommend taking a white paint pen and either writing the plant name or a number that refers to a list of plants (ie. 8 = Celadine) on the branches to be cut off before cutting. Mark about 4-5 inches above where you will cut. This cuts down on the "what the hell is this plant" and allows you to cut nonstop and sort the varieties later. I probably have 25 two year old plants right now that I have no idea what they are because I was not marking but sorting by piles in my wheelbarrow when my grandchild decided to become a linebacker. Last year I marked first and all is wonderful. Lesson learned. Bill (also making tags and taping on the cutting is very neat but way too time consuming for a large number- the paint pen is great.)