You're right, portables are about half as efficient overall as window units and where you really see that is in their inability to cool more than a single room. I don't have any data to support this statement but I believe that the BTU rating of a portable is simply a reflection of the theoretical cooling capacity of the unit's actual refrigeration system. They neglect the designed-in inefficiencies, such as loss of cooled room air and rejection of heat back to the room from the warm hose(s), motors, etc. I make this statement because they'll claim a certain BTU, but notice that portables do not have the official AHAM seal that states their capacity, as window units have. Portables really operate on a whole different theory of cooling. In Europe, where they're quite popular, temperatures are generally not as high as in the US, and room cooling takes the form of getting some cooled air blowing around so you feel more comfortable while you're in reach of that cooled air. Put one in the bedroom and blow it across the bed, etc. And of course in a situation where you have a lot of heat generated in a house, such as while cooking, or if there are many people inside, a single hose portable actually cools in two ways - it blows around some cooled air, and it exhausts the hot inside air. If it's 85 degrees inside and 78 outside - not an uncommon situation when you're generating a lot of heat within the home - the fact that the portable is sucking in outdoor air is no problem at all. But yes, in the American cooling paradigm where we keep the house closed up and want to maintain 72 inside when it's 95 outside, portables are not well adapted to that. You have to view them as an appliance that creates a "cool zone" where you get relief from the heat while you're near the unit.

Any plant - succulent or not - should be acclimatized to stronger light. Leaves usually get sunburn marks, don't really fall off (maybe for very young plant) - but there could be another reason for that. We need photo to try to diagnose...

kaleb I have rooted many leaves of different succulents. Vast majority grew both roots and plantlets. Personally, I do not spray or mist - some ppl do and with success. So I think you should try both ways to find out what works for you. I use whatever mix I have, and used mix with more soil. BUT most often, I just use very gritty mix that I use for potting succulents. Sometimes, I stick leaves in a mix, but not deep at all. End of leaf touching the mix is enough. Often, I just lay leaves on top of mix similarly to what you showing. Once roots start growing, they find their way into mix. I often grow few in same container - it always has a drainage hole: Sometimes, I grow them in small, individual pots, so I don't have to pot them up for a while: It really doesn't matter. Often, leaves fall somewhere and suddenly, there are new plants - hitchhikers - growing without me planning any of it, often with different plants: Some will start growing fast, many take bit longer. While I had leaves sprouting within days, more often it takes 1-2 weeks or even longer. I do not use sand at all for any succulents. Most available sand is very fine, and packs well. That is good for building sand castles, but not so much for growing succulents. If you have coarse sand, that is ok to use. IMO, it shouldn't pass thru kitchen sieve, or it is too fine. None of the leaves in above photos were misted at all. I wait for quite a while before I start watering, usually about 2 weeks or even longer. (You said you water every morning - I am thinking that to be too much. And I wonder if your container has drainage holes? IMO, that frequent watering + soil + no drainage keeps them too wet, and they could rot.) This is just the way I do it, and with high success. I would say rate of success is minimum 90%, most likely higher. That doesn't mean there isn't another way - but I find this way very easy. Above all, do not sweat over it. More you "ignore" them, easier they grow. Do you know saying: ...watched pot never boils...? It applies here very well! :)

silica I don't sterilize my clay soil. and i'm getting pretty fair results of about my lemon seeds coming up I know you're supposed to use sterile soil what ever type it maybe. but somehow I'm having pretty fair luck about getting my seeds coming up