my little setup went under fluorescent lights for 16 hours per day.. with a heat mat under .. maintaining 72 degrees ... you are winging it.. that is very hard with woody shrubs ... but go for it.. otherwise you will need to ID and address a myriad of variables including wood age ... timing ... media .. humidity.. light.. rooting compound .. etc .. a guy named Dirr wrote the book .. literally .. lol ... a few hours of sun will not be enough.. 99% of the time.. there is always beginner luck to hope for.. BTW.. you are using a common name.. under which there are two plants.. you did NOT answer the ??? above as to which you are dealing with.. one is s tuberous plant.. which i doubt can be rooted ... now you keep trying ... barely nothing lost in learning ... you might even succeed .. and write the next book.. GO FOR IT ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: find it at a library ... its not even a book i wanted/needed to buy.. lol ...

Potting mix is mostly pine bark (composted at least to some degree, though sometimes our potting mix was still composting, which used to drive me batty). It also holds fertiliser, which is not suitable for a cutting mix. Cutting mixes should contain no fertiliser. Cutting mix holds air and water, probably in higher amounts than a potting mix. And it also acts as a 'holder'. It anchors the cuttings. Plus, it allows roots to travel through it, as though they were growing in the ground. I mention this because I do not like to root things in water. The roots have no 'structure' to them when you take the cutting from the jar. They just all stick together. When you empty a pot of rooted cuttings which have been rooted in a good cutting mix, you can shake the mix from the roots very well, in gentle motions. This allows you to then pot up that cutting with its roots nicely splayed. Of course, some people just shove them in - I've seen it. It makes my head hurt. I'd rather waste time (in their book) and arrange the young plant to my liking. Potting mix just won't give you (or more correctly, the plant) as good a root system.

I don't plan on inflating between the plastic. I really hadn't put thought into that. sounds like a great idea though. I do plan on doing a second layer of plastic, and I still have to cover the ends. they will get double plastic as well. and I am going to install a zipper door. The temps are only dipping down to about 55*F currently. I hope to get the rest of the plastic up sometime this week. Yes those are my plumerias, I have three. I recently picked them up at a local home depot. they were 13" tall when I got them. I originally bought two. Topped one, but still left 4 leaves on it. I came onto the forum and read that it would probably die being topped at that size. good news is it just started branching where I chopped it. So it made it so far! I am very happy. But as soon as I read that I possibly killed my plumeria (which I didn't) I ran out and bought a third plant. I can't wait til they are big enough to take cuttings. The plastic pvc structure that is around the plants is just peace of mind to make sure they don't get too cold at night. This will be my first winter in 9b trying to overwinter tropicals and I love my plants and am very nervous! PMKaren, That is a nice looking kit. I really wanted a green house kit but I rent right now. and the hoop house allows me more flexibility. It will act as a greenhouse in the winter or a place to provide partial shade in the summer, while in spring it will probably remain open. I don't know if I am going to run more pvc from the side pipes to the top center pipe, to create a lath house or if I am going to just get a shade cloth to throw over it. Probably a shade cloth though. However I wish I could have a year round green house. I figured after I obtain the plastic at the hydro store to do the rest of the covering I will have spent 185 dollars roughly on constructing it. Not including the inner covering that you can only see the skeleton of around the plant shelf. Oh yeah the person in the picture isn't me. he helped me put it up. I was taking the picture. it was pretty windy out so we put some chairs in their to experience what the plants were experiencing. Thought it would act as a wind tunnel, but I guess because the way the wind was blowing, it was going over it and not threw it. i cut some 3/4 inch poly tubing to use as clamps I still have to order proper ones.

i dont understand the premise? how are you propagating ... cuttings will need time to develop roots ... so would take longer to get going.. rather than dividing multiple rooted plants from a pot .. otherwise.. hold them long enough.. that they have vigor .. before giving them away ... ken