Hey Keiko. Congratulations on your cuttings! Do you have any further details on which rigida you've got there? The cuttings look great!! I don't have much time so I'm going to make this short. But I wanted to post quick in case you're still reading tonight. Yes, you need a node to be at least at the surface level of the medium. It doesn't have to be completely buried but it needs to be in contact with the medium. If there's too much stem underneath the node you can trim it, or just sort of bend it in the pot, or even lay the portion that is above surface level horizontally along the soil, weighting it with stones. Anything to provide node contact. Although un-useful to you, it isn't very unusual to receive a long segment underneath the node. It's because when the grower is harvesting the cuttings, they make their cut right above a node, b/c anything vine stub above it is going to die off anyway. So you get that segment, however long it is. Good luck and happy rooting! :) And to answer your question, I usually root mine right in the medium I plan to use long-term. But for valuable or delicate cuttings, I often root them semi-hydro style. When possible, I like to lay multiple nodes along the surface. Otherwise I'll cut the cutting up into smaller segments and root several starts. Really, I don't have a system I stick to every time. I just use my gut and do what feels right for that particular cutting. :) I like to experiment and test theories with every batch. Also, I tend to use a rooting aquarium or even a clear tupperware bin, to provide extra humidity, but I don't like the bag method because I screwed it up once (by putting the plants next to a bright window and baking them) and have bad associations with the innocent bags. This time of year though, I don't bother. Hoyas like to root right now. I have a few re-rooting at the moment and I just stuck them in the soil. They'd better root >:O Whoa this didn't turn out short. But it was fast! So if I said anything crazy, just ignore it. Bye!

Shanna, There are many great techniques in the latest Stemma issue. My technique (which is thoroughly explained in that issue) is basically using your regular fast draining soil mix and then putting the pot inside a ziplock bag with holes poked in it for aeration. I use bottom heat (i.e., heating pad) in the colder months. I use moist soil and then mist the inside of the bag every couple of days. It's impossible to say that one technique is the best. They are all good and it depends on what works for YOU. However, I don't really like water rooting (just my opinion). I think that the transition from water to soil can be difficult (water roots develop when rooted in water, and then they have to change to soil roots once you pot it up). There are certain hoyas that I have successfully rooted in water (like multiflora and bella), but for the most part I have not had much success with that method. But if you feel comfortable using that technique, I can see why you'd want to do it that way. Whatever you choose to do, good luck :) Gabi

Hi everyone! and thanks in advance to anyone that replies! Hi, and welcome to the discussions! I'm on a super tight gardening budget this year - and by super tight I mean the only way I'll be getting flowers/plants for my container garden is from taking cuttings/seeds from what I already have and what my friends/family are willing to let me take little "snips" of. Anybody with cash can go buy a truckload of beautiful blooms - even have someone plant and care for them. What you want to do takes love, patience, consistent effort, forethought, determination, and IMO, can be extremely satisfying. I'm fairly new to propagating from cuttings - I have Purslane and Blue Daze (Evolvus) down pat, but I don't know what type of cutting and when to take them from ... pretty much anything else, I don't know if it's even possible to take cuttings from some stuff. Here's a list of the plants I have at my "snipping" disposal - Here's my experiences with some of your list... Clematis ... I had 'the president' but it pooped out the first day it was 100 degrees - boo) Clems like to be in full sun with their roots cool. Next time, try placing a potted plant so that it shades your clem roots during the hottest part of the day. This may help it get going. Remove flowers after the petals fall off so the plant does not waste any energy making seeds. Clems take a few years to establish. They make seeds but it is uncertain if seeds will make the same flowers as the parent plant. Mulch is very helpful for Clems. Balloon flower (platycodon grandiflorus - just the regular one and P.g. 'Mariesii') - makes seeds that are ready when the seed pods develop openings at the top. A long-lived perennial. Hosta (32 jillion varieties) - divisions as soon as the summer heat passes or early spring. Hostas live for a LONG time. Columbine - makes seeds that are ready when the seed pods develop openings at the top. Individual plants are short-lived perennials. Canna (My grandpa is going to mow over them if I don't come dig them up this weekend - can you move them any time or will they just die? Most of his don't have flowers and I don't know if it's because he doesn't water or if it's because he mows over them almost every year - can you grow them in containers?) - makes tubers that can be moved about any time. If grandpa mows them, no big deal. I think the ground (vs. in a pot) is preferable for anything perennial in your zone. Try to put them somewhere where they won't be soggy all winter but will get plenty of water in the summer. Mowing and/or lack of water could both lead to lack of flowers. You can cut large tubers in half to make more, and each year the tubers get bigger and make "pups." They also make seeds but people don't always have an easy time trying to get these seeds to sprout. A long-lived perennial as long as the tubers don't rot in the winter. Jasmine (not sure on variety, it may have...

Now is an excellent time to line out hardwood cuttings, I just started a batch of Chloris last week. I've gotten very good results by lining out cuttings on the northern side of my shed along the dripline. The soil was ammended with some gravel and sand, then dipped the cuttings in rooting hormone and stuck them in the dirt. I've also started them in soiless mix in a container that was kept outdoors for the winter, but watering seems trickier that way. Every time I've tried them indoors, even in an unheated but well lit basement, they've died from fungal problems. Keep your cuttings wrapped in damp, wrung out paper towels and a zipper plastic bag in the crisper of your fridge (or outside, if safe) until you can work the soil. They should last a couple of weeks that way. Give them a fresh cut below a node under water before applying rooting hormone. And don't worry about transplanting them until they've grown into each other in the spring. HTH Jeanne