Thank God husband bought a LARGE plastic Coke bottle. He's skinny so it takes him 2 to 3 weeks to finish that. He buys pop once a year as Christmas treat. I'll save that Coke bottle for large cutting next year.

Really like rooting via Pop bottle over a band-container. I water from below, since the bands sit on a basket. Water from below helps root to go deeper. Since my pop-bottle are so slender, I stuck green stems (without leaves), and after 1 month, 4 of the pop-bottles sprout new leaves.

All the baggies with 1/2 perlite and 1/2 potting soil: yellow leaves that fall off, due to uneven moisture. The problem with perlite is IT'S DRY TO THE TOUCH, won't keep stems moist. Even the baggie with plastic zipper and 100% condensation: leaves became yellow and fall off.

The baggie with cactus soil (with sand) has even-moisture to keep stems green & healthy, that sprout new leaves, but MUCH SLOWER than Pop-bottle over a band. The pop-bottle seals the moisture very well, and watering below the band helps to keep the soil evenly-moist.

I filled the bands with 1/2 soil and 1/2 perlite, put pop-bottles over them, but the stems dried out with good-light/some sun exposure. So I re-did the entire basket of bands, replacing with 1/2 soil and 1/2 sand, and the stems did much better, less drying out. Sand holds moisture better than perlite, and the moisture is more even. Perlite is completely dry to the touch !!

Now is Dec. 16, one month of rooting in baggies, plus pop-bottle over bands. All 8 bottles sprouted new leaves, with good condensation in the pop-bottle (over bands, and watered from below).

Baggie over band didn't work, zero condensation to keep stem & leaves moist. Cactus soil in baggie? kept stem & leaves moist, but TOO DENSE FOR ROOT-GROWTH.

1/2 perlite and 1/2 potting soil: that dries out too fast in full-sun baggie.

CONCLUSION: for baggie or Pop-bottle over band, I would fill UPPER 2 inches with cactus soil for more moisture, and LOWER half where the root grows with 1/2 perlite & 1/2 potting soil.

Advantage of upper-half cactus soil: plenty of moisture to evaporate and condense inside pop-bottle. Advantage of lower-half perlite/soil: fluffy for root-growth.

Now is Dec. 17, about 1 month since I stuck cuttings for indoor-winter-rooting. Baggie over band-container DID NOT WORK, leaves turned yellowish, but pop-bottle over band works very well.

The bottles over cuttings? These seal in moisture better, so leaves stay green & healthy. The large bottle is "Naked Smoothie", the front bottle is Fayo-seltzer water, and the orange-cap is Gatorade (too small):

The best result is a pop bottle (cap replaced with rubber-banded-clear plastic for more light). This is 1 month cutting which grew new leaves. Zero mold since it's in morning sun, under a plastic-dome, I took that off to take pic.

Below is a zippered-pouch which hold bedsheets, I put 1/3 sand & 1/3 perlite & 1/3 potting soil. It's sprouting new leaves after 1 month (I stuck in mid-Nov):

Here's my favorite set-up: I haven't cut off the bottom of the bottle yet, but I took a pic. to show how it fits tight over a plastic cup (holes poked at bottom), that seals in moisture and enable condensation to grow new leaves. The CLEAR plastic red cup enable me to see root-growth after a few months. Label on the bottle need to come off.

Below are 3-weeks cuttings, they start out as bare-stems which I rescued from baggie that failed (too dry). I took the bottles off to take pics. The bottle with clear-plastic as cap allow more sunlight, thus faster leaf-growth. I'm taking ALL the solid caps off and replace with clear-plastic (rubber-in):

Connie Hartwood's method of 1/2 perlite and 1/2 potting soil, plus a pop-bottle on top WORKS MUCH BETTER THAN BAGGIE. When I rooted cuttings outdoor in partial shade, it was extremely slow .. took me 6 months to achieve the above, versus only 1 month with pop-bottle over band, in full-sun INDOOR.

http://hartwoodroses.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-root-roses-from-cuttings.html

My winter-sun is very weak, so full-sun zone 5a winter is the same as morning sun in a warm zone. The above rooting was achieved indoor, in 1 month, at indoor temp of 65 F during the day, and 55 F at night. If you have warmer temp. indoor, it would root even faster than mine.

This was VERY helpful!!! Just wish I had this info in the summer/fall when I started my cuttings. I think the cactus soil would be a wonderful way to go!!

Thanks so much!

Carol

Carol: Cactus soil is best ON TOP, like 2 notches of finger. But the bottom of the pot needs 1/2 perlite & 1/2 soil for fast drainage. I use mostly opened containers, held by a paper towel. When I filled my 12 band-containers with 1/2 perlite & 1/2 soil, the top dries out too fast, and didn't provide enough condensation inside the pop-bottle. So I re-did all my containers, filling the top few inches with cactus soil (retains more moisture).

This is the 5th time I read through Kitty Belandez blog from Southern CA on rooting roses. It makes more sense since I had done plenty.

http://scvrs.homestead.com/CuttingsImproved.html

She's right about these tips: Cuttings need constant moisture as in Pop-bottle, or misting, but NOT soaking wet (as in heavy rain).

More sun, the faster it roots. Leaves need photosynthesis (sunshine) to form. I find that the pop-bottle filters out strong sun, thus less scorching than flimsy baggie.

1/2 supersoil and 1/2 perlite ... yes, supersoil is highest rated with organic fertilizer.

Good-drainage is a must. That's why my rootings did well in band-size container (90% opened at bottom), but failed in baggie (zero drainage).

I like her tip of filling the container half-way, pack it down TIGHT, then upper portion shoud be loose for root-growth. Her logic of packing the bottom 1/2 TIGHT is to prevent cutting from going all the way down, and fail.

I'll add my tip of filling the top 1 inch or 2.5 to 3 cm with moisture-retentive cactus soil, but the bottom should be fluffy (1/2 perlite & 1/2 soil) for best drainage.

Poking a hole in the soil with a pencil is A MUST. When I poke the hole, I rotate the pencil to loosen the soil where I insert the cutting. Poking a hole prevents rooting hormone from being "rub-off".

Right now only one of my hard-wood canes took root, it's in a junction between 2-year old wood and 1-year old wood (most hormones are stored in there), and the medium is quite acidic, around pH 5.

Excellent info!!! I'm going to do it your way next year (and for my seedlings if any of my hip seeds germinate).

Carol

Carol: I did pH-testing via red-cabbage juice for my many rooting-mediums. They are all either neutral (sand/peat/rain-water), or slightly acidic (cactus soil). But the medium which produced black-cankered canes & moldy canes has soil WHICH CLUMPS TOGETHER WHEN WET, slightly acidic.

Cactus soil doesn't clump together when wet, but peatmoss-based soil does. Even if I mix 1/2 perlite with peatmoss-potting soil, there's still some wet clump which rots canes.

Since my rootings under pop-bottle all sprout new leaves within a month, from mid-Nov to mid-Dec, I removed the caps, and put plastic-wrap on top for more light & ventilation. These root fastest under zone 5a, full-sun, indoor, the sun prevents mold inside the bottles.

Below is my original set-up mid-Nov, it was too dry (too much perlite), so leaves dried out .. I had to re-do the entire-basket with wetter sand/potting soil medium, to get more condensation inside the bottle.

Here's my red-cabbage juice testing of the pH of many rooting-mediums (using distilled water), I also tested the greenest & most healthy rose on Dec. 26: baby Dee-lish's soil is very alkaline, you can see the bluish/greenish ring on that (3rd down). It's green to the tip with green/lush leaves on Dec. 28, acid/wetness can really destroy roses through winter, see below link:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4329440/keep-roses-alive-through-winter-and-differences-in-roots-rootstocks?n=15

Below is rooting done inside a bed-sheet zippered pouch. I started it mid-Nov, and put more perlite in end of Nov. Pic. taken Dec. 27, one-month of rooting from hard-wood cutting.

Above is one-month rooting done indoor with LARGE-PLASTIC BOTTLE over the cuttings, in a gallon-plastic pot with 6 HUGE holes at bottom for drainage .. I re-use the gallon-containers from Roses Unlimited. The medium if cactus soil (slightly acidic, mostly sand), mixed with 1/2 perlite. Pic. taken Dec. 27.

With indoor rooting: MORE SUN, more leaves formed & faster rooting. THICK plastic bottle filters out the strong sun, but thin-plastic sheet can't reduce the sun, and leaves get scorched.

Above showing a LARGE-PLASTIC bottle over the cuttings. I took the cap off, replace with plastic-wrap for more light. STABLE condition is best for rooting roses, and Khalid is right about hard-wood cutting roots faster than soft-wood.

I pulled up one cutting to check the root: I achieve the same result in 1-month indoor, as with 6 months outdoor. In the summer with heavy rain, the result is 10% success ... cuttings rot easily with heavy rain outside.

Rooting with a plastic dome is so much faster & easier: I don't have to water the cuttings, but I used rain-water (pH 4.6) initially. If you don't have rain-water, then distilled water (slightly acidic) is best. Pic. taken Dec. 27.

If you don't have acidic rain-water (pH 5.6 West coast to 4.2 East coast) to wet the soil-medium initially, then 1/2 perlite and 1/2 peatmoss (pH 4), plus a tiny bit of lime like Val does is OK. Watering with ALKALINE TAP will make that medium more alkaline later.

Valrose FL Zone 8b

Hi Straw, I root in a commercial mix containing about half perlite and half Canadian peat moss, its ph is limed to about 6.5. Valrose FL Zone 8b

Agree with Hardyyeh from Taiwan that rooting from a heel (where 2 branches join) is easiest.

hardyyeh I tried this method with other varieties too. Pictured below is a somewhat difficult-to-root tea rose, been a month in the water, and only still callusing. I forgot to mention that the water here is neutral to slightly acidic, and soft with low TDS. And humidity is high.

Having said that, I find that taking heel cutting increases the success rate for more difficult-to-root varieties.

My cuttings in vermiculite are callousing nicely. A few rootings I brought inside as they are still pretty little to leave out in our winter.

Kelly: Thank you for those great pics. I kick myself for pulling up THICK cuttings (with white callouses) mid-Nov (outside-rooting), then throwing them away. Back then I got the wrong idea if leaves fall off, then cuttings are no good.

I WAS WRONG !! All the hard-wood cuttings leaves fall off INDOOR, then grew brand-new leaves under pop-bottles. Now I use my fingers to feel the soil, if it clumps together then roots can't go through. Pea-size clumps are OK, but anything larger than that roots can't push through & have to add more perlite.

I did pull up one-rooting to show husband how much root I got .. he's inspired to drink more "NAKED GREEN SMOOTHIES" so I can re-use those large-plastic bottles. One smoothies-bottle can cover 2 cuttings in a gallon-pot.

The band-containers (90% opened at bottom) are FANTASTIC in rooting roses indoor, with pop-bottles on top. (I put a Kleenex tissue at bottom to hold soil). These sprout leaves within a month, but the plastic-clear-cups don't work, cuttings get black-canker or moldy since the drainage isn't as good as nursery-band-containers.

Will post pictures. of LARGE DRAINAGE bottom of band-containers and large-drainage holes of Roses Unlimited-gallon-containers. These allow watering from bottom.

I found aphids on one of the plants I dug up and brought in... I am just hoping I can get them through winter. We have a good 4 months before I can bring them outside again... I also hope repotting the calloused cuttings didn't disturb them too much so they won't grow.

When does everyone remove the bottles??

Kelly: Gardenguides and another site stated that after 1 month of sprouting new leaves, remove the cap on top, but keep the bottle. Then after 2 months of new leaves, remove the bottle altogether, but the plant needs misting daily.

I learn my lesson NEVER POUR WATER into a cutting that sprout new leaves, that dropped the new leaves within minutes of heavy watering (summer time, outdoor).

Above is the best spray-bottle/mister that I ever used. Ordered that from Amazon, pack of 4 bottles for $10, see link below:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K238O6Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My biggest regret is I didn't order those spray bottle soon enough. Countless rootings dried out this past summer since my old-spray bottle was a pain to use. And my old-spray bottle didn't work well in keeping soil in baggies moist either. Yes to 1/2 perlite and 1/2 potting soil for baggie-medium, but one NEEDS A GOOD SPRAY BOTTLE to mist it evenly. NO TO POURING WATER DIRECTLY ON THE CUTTING, that's the best way to rot the stem.

See the new leaves sprouting from a rooting in a baggie. Pic. taken Dec. 31.

Above showing new leaves sprouting from cuttings stuck in RU-gallon-containers, with "Naked-Smoothie" plastic bottle on top. The condensation is 100%, and the drainage is good. Full-sun indoor zone 5a, pic. taken Dec. 31.

Above pic. shows what went wrong with a cutting that rotted (turned black) in the bottle. I put paper towel at the bottom of the band-container, which blocks drainage. The other 10 bands got co-coir at bottom and stayed green & sprouted new leaves.

Co-Coir is expensive, so I'll use shredded-paper to but at bottom of pots to hold soil in, yet allow drainage. Below pic. showing how "open" the bottom of a band-container is, that allows watering from below via a tray. Watering from above encourages wet surface, which breeds white-flies & gnats indoor.

Much of what you write has also been my experience. What make that spray bottle so good? I've been trying to find one that doesn't clog with my deer-repellent mixture.

That spray-bottle is small, powerful, and precise-aim at target. It would be perfect to zap out insects on roses. After spending 1 hour on Amazon checking on spray-bottle, they all clog, and the one I bought has the best rating for water & liquid.

For deer repellant, I use a HUGE barbecue brush to douse my rose with (1 beaten egg, stinky fish sauce, clove and mint).

Ok, help! I added some compost and manure to one of my rootings thinking there probably was not enough nutrients in the vermiculite it was planted in. I didn't think about the alkilinety of what I was adding and it's not happy. Options?? Replant in potting soil? I'm out of vermiculite but could pick something up if needed...

Hi Kelly. let's see what straw says, but here's my experience. First of all, is this something you're trying to root or something that has already taken root and been transplanted (or somewhere in between)? I've had really good success, with various mixes of perlite /vermiculite and a bit of compost or seed mix to start rootings. I've put the rooting, once they have a good root mass, into a light soil ie with a lot of perlite and some orchid mix until they're ready to go into much bigger pots. Was this composted manure? I might transplant to a lighter mix, but be very careful with the tiny feeder roots.

My big success this winter was with a rotted and half-eaten Eucomia bulb. I was so disappointed when I dug it up for the winter, but my DH suggested planting in a light soil mix, and guess what? It's now sending out big fat roots! ... without the bulb, just from the bulb remnant and the stalk. If that can happen I think you can save your rose cutting. : )

Thanks. It is in between, (I think? ) totally new to rooting. Last time I tried the baggie method, everything rotted. This summer, after bunnies chewed several of my roses down, I just stuck the pieces in my vegetable garden and they started growing. They were still very little so I dug them up to bring in the garage. I was afraid it would get too cold in the garage and moved them inside a few weeks ago. I must have stuck this one in vermiculite with some cuttings I was trying to root. It had one good long root maybe 6" long.. maybe just the messing with it disturbed the roots. I added in home depots compost + composted manure..

Kelly: You mean "EarthGro brand" humus & manure? That stunted my tomato plants .. it became 1/5 normal size in 2015. That bagged stuff has nasty chemical quick-lime to deodorize, which is EXTREMELY ALKALINE & unstable and binds with phosphorus & potassium (essential for root growth).

The damage is reversible if there's tons of acidic rain to flush the quick lime out, but too much water indoor can rot young rooting.

Nurseries advised DON'T FERTILIZER YOUNG ROSES UNTIL the 1st flower appear.

The below link explains the difference between perlite and vermiculite. Perlite is best to root cuttings, versus vermiculite holds more nutrients, thus best when ROOTS ALREADY DEVELOPED, such as band or gallon-size own-roots.

Perlite holds more air, thus best for cuttings, which needs oxygen to develop roots. Vermiculite holds more water, thus best for developed roots which need more water & nutrients.

"Vermiculite is a mineral that has expanded into lightweight pebbles due to superheating. It is golden in color and resembles mica. Vermiculite can soak up over three times its volume in water. Vermiculite is naturally a 'wicking' mineral. This means that it acts as a magnet for nutrients like potassium, calcium and magnesium."

http://pvpind.com/Answers-About-Perlite-and-Vermiculite.aspx

Thanks for the info. It's timberland compost and manure but is probably similar. Would you suggest repotting or flushing with apple cider vinegar water?

I think I figure out what the problem was. When repotting the rooting into new soil, the soil was completely water logged. Poor thing was drowning! I had put clay at the bottom of the pot so there was no drainage. The vermiculite was on top of the clay and was soaking. My other cuttings are in containers that are very well draining in that I have to spray often with water or they get dried out. I did the same for this rooting not realizing there was clay blocking the holes. Hopefully it's not too late, but it's not looking good...

My Margo Koster tiny band got drenched in the spring and with no air started growing backwards. I then started moving her under cover when it rained so she could dry out and eventually she sent out a tiny shoot and totally recovered by summer's end when I planted her out. I thought for a long while she was a goner.

Hopefully, removing the clay and cutting back on the water will let her recoup. I also try to keep mine above any standing water so the soil/perlite is barely damp. I read over the summer not to even put anything on the pots bottom and that also really helped my bands growth.

Kelly: I would get the clay OUT from the bottom, that's tricky but it's the least disturbance. Band-containers are practically "bottom-less".

See the below link on soil chemistry, and why magnesium-rich clay is BEST AT THE TOP:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4198011/your-plans-for-roses-in-ground-and-pots-soil-prep-and-fertilizing?n=66

Cheryl Netter's method of pouring 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water down the cutting DOES NOT WORK in baggie. Below is my rootings inside baggie, taken Jan 5, which I DID NOT pour water down the stem (the baggie is too narrow). It's my most successful, even better than pop-bottle. The secret? I notice that leaves are wimpy & thin, so I put my sticky clay ON TOP, inside the baggie. The bottom has lots of perlite for drainage. It's a zipper-pouch made for bed-sheets.

The result: Drastic improvement: leaves are thicker & stems are thicker and NEW LEAVES DON'T FALL OFF like with pop bottles when it's taken off. Magnesium in clay helps with photosynthesis, plus make stems & leaves thicker, so new leaves don't wilt, nor fall off when exposed to air. THAT'S BEST ON TOP. Pic. taken Jan 5, after 6 weeks of rooting indoor, zone 5a.

Update: lost my cuttings with clay in bottom of pot. My other seem to be doing well...

My new setup to accommodate more cuttings for when they get bigger...

Kelly: Your rooting looks great & very healthy leaves. That's a great idea to have bottom heat on your rootings. Root don't grow unless the soil temp. is above 60 F. Direct sunlight will prompt leaves to grow, and warm soil encourages root to grow.

My cuttings inside zippered bed-sheet pouch have healthier leaves than inside pop bottle & stems have less mold & rot.

The zippered pouches allow more sunlight & air to get in. The pop-bottle allows less sun and less air, and when I take the bottles off, their leaves wilted immediately, due to not enough roots. I keep my house too cold, so less root growth. I really should had put a heating pad UNDER my rootings !!

They do sell the heating-pad for plants but the heating-pad used for humans is much warmer, thus more effective.

I originally had them in an unfinished basement window to prevent me from messing with them but since I brought them upstairs, they seem to be happier. It was very cold down there. I am noticing a huge difference in growth with them in warmer temps and with the sunlight/grow light. This has been soo much fun, but so hard not to pull them up to look for roots. I can see why people like using clear plastic cups/bottles...

I contemplated using a heating pad but mine is on a timer and auto shut off occurs after about an hour. With the heating vent it really increases humidity!

Re-post what Khalid wrote on his success in rootings OUTDOOR in 2015:

"Straw: The medium I used this time is 50% dry leaves and willow twigs and 50% soil. Then I covered the cuttings with a thick layer of dry leaves. Terracotta pots had a much higher survival rate while plastic pots had a very low survival rate and most cutting rotted at the bottom." Khalid.

**** From Straw: The reason why terracotta was more successful is there's more air seeping into root-zone. Also Khalid's mix of 50% dry leaves and 50% soil allow plenty of air-pockets for root-growth, versus our dense peatmoss potting soil which a toothpick can't plunge through !!

Same with my zippered-pouch: more air seep in than plastic bottles. Even my sister in warm California noted that the minute she removes the plastic-bottles, her rootings fail & drop leaves.

My most successful rooting was done OUTDOOR, full-sun, in STABLE-ENVIRONMENT through DRY WINTER at -20 below zero. Re-post from last Dec. 2015:

One year in Dec., it was below zero C, I piled up willow branches with leaves on top of Radio Times rose to winter-protect, that was AFTER I piled up dirt around that rose (much earlier).

In mid April, after 4 months, I found a baby-rose rooted next to the Mommy rose. When I piled up dirt, then willow-branches on top, I created a STABLE TEMP to protect the roots being broken by the freeze-thaw cycle, and the baby's roots grew big during those very cold months in my zone 5a, where the temp. can go down to -20 F, or -29 C." StrawChicago.

Khalid wrote in Dec. 2015 : "Survival rate of cuttings in ground is much better. I planted all my cuttings in plain river soil with nothing added to it. No fertilizers but a 2-3 inch layer of dry leaves in Feb that saved the cuttings from cold and is now decomposing into a fine compost."

Khalid Waleed (zone 9b Isb)

All cuttings from Feb. Growing well. This was 15 days back. Now they are bigger. The bed has a 2" layer of leaves. Khalid Waleed (zone 9b Isb)

I love sharing all this info.Kelly, Connie from Hartwood Roses uses the opaque quart size bottles which allow one to see roots, but still block light. Roots in general don't like light, so the dark and opaque containers help with that.

I have two pet outdoor heating pads that work great for propagation. I got them for a good price at a local feed type store. The best thing about them is they are waterproof and designed for outdoor use, so no worries about electrical issues. These are the same ones my vet uses. If you propagate alot in might be worth while to look into them. They come in three sizes. I am currently just putting my cuttings on my rad covers and they seem to like it.

The outdoor one is just like mine, but paid less that $40 each.
cheaper indoor type

outdoor pet pad

Thank you, Vaporvac, for those links on heating pads. Husband has one that he uses during running injuries, but it shuts off automatically within a few hours. Pop bottle is best outside, IN FULL SUN, since it filters out the strong sun, but pop bottle blocks out the weak sun indoor, and rootings need sun to grow leaves.

My zippered-bed-sheet bags are doing much better, since more air & sun gets in. Below link uses vermiculite to root hybrid tea (more moisture):

http://www.gardenguides.com/81707-propagate-hybrid-roses.html

Place a plastic bag over the top of the pot to make an individual mini-greenhouse.

Put the cutting, in its mini-greenhouse, into a protected, shady spot. Check it daily. If condensation forms on the inside of the plastic, remove it for a day or two. Water the vermiculite rooting mix as needed to keep it damp but not soaking wet.

Check for the formation of roots in about four to six weeks. Transfer to potting soil.

I found a post that talks about optimum temperature for roots to develop is 70-74° F. Www3.telus.net/georgemander/articles/own_root_text.html

I think my bathroom temps were too hot. (I put an old fish tank thermometer in my "greenhouse" and the temp was reading around 27°C, close to 80°F!) So I relocated my tub to a downstairs window...

Kelly: Saw your question on where to get wood-chips. Com-Ed (electric company) has a HUGE free pile of wood-chips .. that's when they trim trees to protect power-line. If you call your local electric company, they might have a large pile for free.

My village also trims street trees, grinds it up into a HUGE PILE, less than 5 min. drive from me ... it's free for anyone to get it. But I never bother getting those wood-chips, since I get horse manure for free nearby.

Biggest issues thus far- potting soil. Potting soil is not sterile and warm humid air with little circulation is perfect breeding ground for fungi. I think this is the main reason it is so much more difficult to root indoors in the winter compared to outdoors. Have to come up with a system to get a fan of some sort in my green house setting.

Second issue-very difficult to keep constant temperature. Either to warm or too cool.

Next batch I plan on trying two different mixes- Perilite and vermiculite, and Perilite, vermiculite and coco coir. I had good results with vermiculite as long as it was only slightly damp. Adding in the Perilite will help with drainage as the vermiculite can hold too much moisture. Trying the coco coir as well as many people have reported good results with this. Thoughts?

Kelly: Agree with you, we are in a month of zero sun, so most of my rootings rot & grow white mold. Sunlight is needed to kill the mold (be it baggie or pop bottle).

The only ones with green leaves are with EXCELLENT DRAINAGE, at least 50% perlite at bottom, and a layer of clay on top to seal moisture. Watering from below with rain-water worked with those 90% open-band, but watering from above bred fungi & mold.

Next year I'll use my tap water (pH 9) plus hydrogen peroxide to LIGHTLY squirt the top .. that will give humidity via evaporation, plus molds can't grow at such high pH & hydrogen peroxide. As long as that high pH tap water won't go down to the root-zone, then I'm OK.

Kelly, I use a verm, perlite, coco coir mix to repot my bands, so a bit different to rooting. It worked really well for that as they grew quickly. I then added some compost after they gained some size. So far my Fall cutting of hydrangea is alive, but not actively growing on top. I hope it's working on putting down roots. Temp is difficult. The heating pads sold for seedlings that are probably cheaper than those for pets and might help maintain an even temp. I have many of my other cuttings on top of rads, but I have to monitor their humidity. At the moment, I'm just trying to get my Summer cuttings through the winter even if they don't add growth.

PICTURES OF MY ROOTING ON JAN 30, INDOOR ZONE 5A, 2 1/2 months of rooting: Zippered bed-sheet pouches won over pop-bottle: more sunlight.

Below is a very wimpy rooting with a LARGE pop-bottle on top:

What I learned from my 1st-time rooting indoor, in zone 5a:

1. Cheryl Netter, the originator of "baggie method" lives in a SUNNY zone 5a Colorado, with 247 to 285 days of sunshine versus my Chicagoland with 191 sunny days (mostly partial sun). My mother-in-law lives in Colorado Springs, and at high altitude, the sun is much more intense. Sun is needed to zap mold.
2. STABLE environment is the key to success rooting. When I squirted water on the cuttings, it drop leaves immediately. Cuttings drop leaves with excessive moisture.
3. I should had used my alkaline tap water (pH 9) plus hydrogen peroxide to prevent mold & black canker. I used rain water, which is perfect pH for mold to grow.
4. The addition of my magnesium-rich clay on top helped with photosynthesis in the weak-sun indoor-zone 5a. After I topped with magnesium, leaves became darker green.
5. After 2 1/2 months, baggie via zippered-bed-sheets WON over pop-bottle. Baggie has a larger area of soil for evaporation of moisture. Plus Baggie allows more sun & air to prevent mold.
6. All my rootings under pop-bottle failed. They sprout green leaves, but the minute I take the pop-bottle off, leaves drop. My sister in WARM California had the same experience. One site said to take the pop-bottle off EVERY NIGHT, which makes sense since there's zero light at night, thus encourage mold & black canker. But it's a nuisance to take pop-bottle off everynight.
7. Pouring water down the stem of cuttings is THE BEST WAY TO KILL THEM. Cuttings rot easily if the medium is acidic & wet.

Oh wow.... that looks neat Kelly. If the whole setup is placed indoors, how did the aphids get in?

best regards