No Maria, you've got to cut back more until you have good green viable stem. And as Jeff (CactusMcHarris) has said you don't need anything on the cut end. I leave cutting in warm indirect light sometimes for weeks and they just root from the natural humidity in the air. Having said this, it might not happen in very low humidity areas, but here in Michigan we almost always have 40% ~ 50% RH. I just cut this from one of my Echeveria to demonstrate what you want to see after cutting. I would allow my cutting to callous for at least a week until I see the cut end dry and looking like a callous on your hand or foot; it will look hard and dry and somewhat rough. The mix is something I make but you don't have to have the same thing. Again, as Jeff has said, Perlite is readily available at any Big Box store or Garden Center. Do NOT use regular sand because it packs down too much and dries slowly. If you have a problem finding something course or gritty, go to a pet store/Walmart/Target and ask for bird gravel; the stuff used on the bottom of a bird's cage that they eat to help digest food. It will be a bit pricey but if all you need is a small quantity, it will work. I'm personally not a fan of "Topsoil" as a portion of my mix because it won't dry quickly for me.

D, I know that bark is organic, and that's why I said the mix was "primarily inorganic" - meaning that it is mostly a mix of Perlite, Turface, and Marble chips. While a mix like this is certainly capable of holding a good amount of moisture, it is also very durable and won't hold as much *saturated* water as an organic rich mix. I don't use mixes high in organics - the opposite in fact. When it comes to succulents, my mix is 1/3 bark or less. That's a ratio that many of us use: 1/3 organic (bark), 2/3 grit (turface, pumice, granite, quartz). Ron, the reason we add bark is because it doesn't hold an exceptional amount of water, but rather equalizes the moisture between the ingredients. Further, bark is very durable compared to something like peat or coco coir, and in general it lasts longer than one should go between re-pottings. The incidence of nitrogen immobilization is overstated, in my opinion and experience, particularly if one fertilizes. Remember, this is the *bark* we are using, not sapwood and not the bark from deciduous trees. In the proper ratio, bark is an exceptional material for any container mix. Josh

Yes, you can cut. Feel the stem. Is it squishy? You will want to cut the stem back until you reach healthy tissue (start at the roots, of course). I see some brown on the stem. I would start cutting there, and work up. Keep cutting until you reach tissue with no black or brown. You want creamy white-green. After you finish cutting, dust with cinnamon to discourage disease and rot. Let the cut stem sit out of soil for a few days (in a dry, dim, cool place). the cut end will feel rough and hard (not moist or juicy). Put it in new DRY soil. I would suggest using 60% perlite and 40% cactus and succulent mix. wash the perlite to get out the dust. Don't breathe in the dust, either- it is harmful to the lungs. Prop up the stem in the soil with rocks, so it stays upright. In a few weeks, you should see roots :) Don't check often for roots, or you may break existing ones. It is best to wait until you see new growth, and then you can water a bit. The soil you have in the picture looks like it has a large contingent of peat. Peat holds water for a long time, and that rots the roots. By doing the above mix, you can avoid rot, but still be careful with watering. To check if you need to water, you can use a wooden skewer. Poke it into the soil, and if it comes out dry, you can water. Good luck! ~palmsandsnow

I use chicken grit that is granite chips (the colored grit is some decorative stones that were mixed in). I use mix of grit and perlite and some turface for all my succulents. Aquarium pebbles are usually bigger, much smoother (maybe that decorative grit is aquarium gravel? - not sure) and often colored. Here is photo of chicken grit: Some plants will root faster than others. So it also depends on which leaves you are propagating. I have done it on top of mix of perlite and some C&S soil too, but usually do not bother setting it up like that any more: Here are the same leaves I showed on April 9, that were on a black plastic cover, (I put them on a terracotta saucer) plantlets are bigger now (I didn't do anything with them, didn't water):If I wanted to keep growing them (not sure if I will - have plenty of plants, haha), I would probably put them on top of the mix and sprinkle little of it on top of the roots . It could be also just perlite or pumice if you have some. Or any mix you are using, juts put very light cover.