You can start by reading something I wrote a while ago, then posing any questions you have: Though roots form readily and often seemingly more quickly on many plants propagated in water, the roots produced are quite different from those produced in a soil-like or highly aerated medium (perlite - screened Turface - calcined DE - seed starting mix, e.g.). Physiologically, you will find these roots to be much more brittle than normal roots due to a much higher percentage of aerenchyma (a tissue with a greater percentage of inter-cellular air spaces than normal parenchyma). Aerenchyma tissue is filled with airy compartments. It usually forms in already rooted plants as a result of highly selective cell death and dissolution in the root cortex in response to hypoxic conditions in the rhizosphere (root zone). There are 2 types of aerenchymous tissue. One type is formed by cell differentiation and subsequent collapse, and the other type is formed by cell separation without collapse ( as in water-rooted plants). In both cases, the long continuous air spaces allow diffusion of oxygen (and probably ethylene) from shoots to roots that would normally be unavailable to plants with roots growing in hypoxic media. In fresh cuttings placed in water, aerenchymous tissue forms due to the same hypoxic conditions w/o cell death & dissolution. Note too, that under hypoxic (airless - low O2 levels) conditions, ethylene is necessary for aerenchyma to form. This parallels the fact that low oxygen concentrations, as found in water rooting, generally stimulate trees (I'm a tree guy) and other plants to produce ethylene. For a long while it was believed that high levels of ethylene stimulate adventitious root formation, but lots of recent research proves the reverse to be true. Under hypoxic conditions, like submergence in water, ethylene actually slows down adventitious root formation and elongation. If you wish to eventually plant your rooted cuttings in soil, it is probably best not to root them in water because of the frequent difficulty in transplanting them to soil. The brittle "water-formed" roots often break during transplant & those that don't break are very poor at water absorption and often die. The effect is equivalent to beginning the cutting process over again with a cutting in which vitality has likely been reduced. If you do a side by side comparison of cuttings rooted in water & cuttings rooted in soil, the cuttings in soil will always (for an extremely high percentage of plants) have a leg up in development on those moved from water to a soil medium for the reasons outlined above. ***************************** Some key issues in determining whether or not cuttings will strike are the state of health/vitality of the plant material the cuttings were taken from, whether or not there are disease organisms in the rooting medium (all unsterilized peat-based media does), how well-aerated the rooting medium is in relationship to how deep the cuttings are stuck. Al

IF you watch the cutting & just as the first root starts (as a swelling on the stem) & then transplant to any potting soil & mist the cuttings it will continue to root & you loss will greatly be reduced.

odyssey3 - I don't understand what you mean, the Lechuza Pon is 100% inorganic. I only use the pon, I don't add soil. If I would add soil the biggest advantage of a soilless mix would go away: Air in-between the particles and lack of decomposition. I have one plant (ficus pumila or something like that) in a Lechuza pot with 5-1-1 and it's doing fine. 2 african violets, one orchid, one maidenhair fern and one maranta are potted in 100% Lechuza Pon. I have removed all the old soil. One violet is perky and healthy, the other one is droopy, the maranta is doing great, the fern as well. The orchid (Nelly Isler) has only been in lechuza pon for a day so who knows. I got it for 2€ on clearance.

I suggest you study, or at least scan through, this thread: Difference between water and soil roots -.