I do make my cuts with a sharp razor blade. I tried an X-acto blade for about 5 mins. and switched back to the razor blade. I don't think you should bruise the leaf, but it does seem to me that there is a "wound" there. Obviously, it works fine for a lot of folks but not doing it works fine too. Added: I watched two videos on setting leaves. The first woman cut the bottom stem angle bassackwards from everything I've ever seen. The second video is Ann-Marie Keene's and it's fine but, as you say, she does cut of the top of the leaf. If my leaves start to get bigger while rooting, then I will cut them off. It hasn't been a problem yet. There's one weird little thing I mostly do; I suppose I read it once upon a time. Someone said that after you made the cut at the bottom, to let it dry for 15 mins. before setting the leaf. Yes, 15. Okay, I don't time it but I usually do let them dry a bit before I stick them in the mix - could be 15 mins. I think the idea is to let them dry off a little and perhaps there would be less chance of rot, but I have no idea if it makes any difference. Probably not. I only cover them tightly if I'm isolating them; otherwise I use a lightweight sandwich bag or saran wrap over a container. Diana This post was edited by quimoi on Fri, May 9, 14 at 0:39

MeMo - Yes I am, and I'm very happy with their work. They ended up taking out five trailer loads of branches and debris and cleaned up the entire area before they left. Even taking a leaf blower and clearing the road of leaves and bits. Now my Toro Zero Turn mower can go right along there instead of me having to use the walk behind mower and wrestle with branches sticking me in the head and leaving bruises on my arms. That green wire fence you see along the bottom was placed there in the very early years of growth to keep my dogs out of the road. Can't believe it's still intact. Debating whether or not to take the wire cutters and remove it, wouldn't be a hard job just take awhile. I think it will green up fairly quickly. Now I wish I would have had them do the length in front of the courtyard garden but it would have meant more money. But after I saw how they did the cutting on the big one, I'm feeling confident I can prune back the smaller one.

We were posting at the same time. Barbie clothes??? I have trouble enough working with big pieces of fabric, don't think I can work with something that tiny LOL! I have a couple of black zippers I inherited along with my mom's sewing box, they're 22" so could do a couple of chairs maybe, though the Velcro piece I used was 30" and I had no problem getting the foam in. I think I'll just order more Velcro from Joann's (50% coupon) unless I can find it locally - I got the initial 15ft at BJ's in RI years ago, I had used some so I need about 5ft more - or I could use snaps on the settee, I have lots of snaps but I'm afraid they'll rust. Isn't clothesline really thick?

We hae Nine months to one year is an average length of time that should be allowed. Leaves will sometimes grow sooner. Usually, they get a growth spurt in the spring. If you did not bag them, or put a dome on them and keep them slightly heated, it could take longer. People who have rapid results usually use a very high quality soil mix, bag or dome the leaves, even use a tiny bit of fertilizer now and then. (There is not a right or wrong way, just that some methods seem to get faster results. If you live in an area where spring is late in coming and skies are cloudy, it might take longer.) Irina had said that the pregnancy hormones circulating in a communal pot cause the rapid growth. Joyce Stork may have written about this. I have observed that leaves from the same plant follow the same pattern of growth, whether side by side in their own separated containers or in a shared community pot. The community pot procedure did not work for me. When it was time to separate the small ones, it was difficult to untangle them. Also, a leaf in its own pot can produce 3, 4 or more babies that grow in a dense clump that can be difficult to separate. Joanne