small 3 0z size plastic cup with plastic wrap over lights. It is important to keep the humidity very high for green cuttings because they can loose moisture though thier stems as well as leaves etc. just barely cover the bottom with water and change it every day. When you go to take it out when rooted, do so gradually...like the first few days just pull back the plastic then the next few days take it off all the way etc...

This one is only a few inches or so long. I think it was a MADM cutting.

Here is a Lady Margaret cutting--three nodes. Note the holes from Gulf Frit larvae. It is very important to inspect the cutting for bugs. If you have spider mites in your area, I would recommend blasting the finished cutting with some canned air--the mites can be difficult to see, and their eggs can not be seen without magnification. I learned this the hard way.

Using a razor blade or utility knife blade trim the leaves and buds off of the bottom node. On this cutting I also trimmed the second node--you could leave the leaf, but the bud has to go. I also trim the leaves that are left on, as the cutting does not need a lot of leaf surface to generate enough nutrients for the new roots. Here's the finished cutting:

Next, I dip the cutting in rooting hormone powder. Like Randy I don't think this is really necessary, but it doesn't seem to hurt either. The cutting is shown next to an Oasis cube (I use the 1 inch by 1 inch). These come in a 20 by 10 sheet of 162 cubes. I usually break them into blocks of 4 to 8 cubes, one block for each species/hybrid. You have to wet the cubes first. Drench them well, and then let them drip until no more water comes out. The top may look a little dry--that is OK.

Here the cutting is "planted" into the cube. The cubes come with a hole, which is sometimes too large for the cutting. If so, insert the cutting to the side of the hole. Sometimes the node will push the foam out of the way on the way down. If so, you need to press in some foam from one of the corners so that the node is surrounded by foam, and the cutting is not loose in the cube. Also, make sure you don't push the stem through the bottom of the cube.

Once you have prepared the cutting as above, it needs to by placed in a humid environment. I use a regular seed starting tray with an 8 inch high humidity dome (for large numbers of cuttings) or a gallon ziploc bag (for one block). This goes under a plant light, and on top of a heat mat with the thermostat set to 80 degrees. The heat mat is not a necessity, but it does speed up the process. As long as the cuttings are not cold (below 70 degrees) they should be OK. Check the cubes daily and water and drain as needed. This cutting rooted in 10 days:

Once the roots come out, I plant the cutting in a 12 oz styro cup. Before I plant it, I remove a little of the foam from the top of the cube. When planting, make sure all of the cube is below the soil at least a half inch. The foam will dry out more quickly than the soil, and this can damage the base of the roots. I put a 24 oz clear cup on top of the styro cup. There are 4 to 8 vent holes cut in the clear cup (some high, some low), each about a half inch in diameter. I usually start with 4, and cut a few more after about a week or so. After the new growth gets going (not more than 2 weeks), I tape some bamboo skewer sticks to the side of the cup, and gradually begin to raise the clear cup (about 3/4s of an inch a day). The clear cup is taped to the skewers. After about 4 or 5 days, the plant will be adapted to normal humidity levels, and the clear cup can be removed, and the plant left under the plant light to grow out further. Once you get tendrils, you can start hardening it off to the outdoor environment (or send it off to whoever you are trading with). Here is a more recent cutting (not the one above) planted in the styro cup, with the clear cup humidity dome.

I hope this helps!
Happy gardening!
Mark

I'm hoping to get lots of feedback on this. It certainly isn't the only way to do things. It may have mistakes. I would encourage people to read farther down the posts to see if I or others have corrected mistakes.

My idea here is to follow some cuttings from beginning to end (rooted).

For those who like to propagate things, finally getting something difficult to root is a real achievement and a relief. Sometimes you feel as if there were something lacking in your abilities.

Recently I got first roots on a couple things generally thought to be difficult:

So how does one get from a vine to rooted cutting?

First, getting started. Like anything there are a whole lot of variables that may or may not matter. It's always best to start with a healthy parent and cut from vine of the right age. Generally this means not too soft and not too mature. In practice this varies from plant to plant.

Look for bugs.

Look for buds. It can be frustrating if you cut off your first bud ever.

However before one cuts up any plants it's useful to have everything else set up. I root most things in perlite in clear plastic cups. I use 10 oz cups, which are available at most grocery stores.

For each rooting chamber I use 3 clear plastic cups. One has holes punched in the bottom--the medium and the cuttings go there. Below that will go another a plastic cup, with peanuts in the bottom. This collects water that drains though the container above. It's important to check every few days and make sure water hasn't accumulated at the bottom. Finally, an inverted cup will go on the top to maintain high humidity.

Here are the components of the rooting chamber:

And here are 4 sets of cups with different kinds of media, perlite, and a perilte peat mixture on the right.

The perlite and the perlite:peat are moist of course. You can either moisten it before or after putting it in the cup. Either way, make sure it's thoroughly moist and discard any water that comes through the drainage holes.

Actually peat is hard to moisten. What I would do is put the mix in a plastic bag, add water, and gently and carefully shake it up.

Time to prepare the cuttings:

Here are pieces I cut off of three of my plants. P. 'Mission Dolores' is P. parritae x antioquiensis. The P. 'Sunburst' piece is pretty beat up, which is why I turned it into a cutting. I cut material from each plant up with a separate sterile razor blade:

I generally make 2 and 3 node cuttings. In my experience and that of others short cuttings tend to root better. Plus, one can try more conditions, and the chances are greater you will succeed. Most of us have grown vines before and realize that once they start growing they often go fast. An extra long cutting does not make a positive difference.

I generally cut about 1/4 inch below the bottom node, about the same above the top node. I remove all but the uppermost leaf, and often tear or cut off half or more of the remaining leaf. Tendrils and buds should also go. Depending on a number of factors I often cut or tear some of that off.

Here's the result:

I left the pieces so you could see what was removed. If one removed the pieces that are not attached one gets the following cuttings:

Here are all 3 of the previous pictures all at once. Notice how much of the original material has been discarded:

Next I typically "dip" my cuttings in rooting hormone. This may or may not make a difference. The hormone seems to come in quantities that will last a lifetime. Do not dip the cutting into the container. It will contaminate it, which can lead to all sorts of problems. Plus if the cutting has a short stem it may not make it all the way down.

Gently pour out a very small amount of hormone onto something clean (a piece of paper, for example). Tip the container on its side and tap it with your hand so just a small amount comes out. After using this very small amount toss what's left.

I just touch the tip of the cutting to the hormone. You just want a tiny amount:

Push the appropriate number of holes into the moist media (for example using a pen). Insert the cutting and push the medium around it. This has been done to the one on the right:

Put the inverted cup on the top, tape that cup to the one containing the cuttings and the medium.

Put the cups in the appropriate locations. I put the P. sanguinolenta in the perlite:peat mixture and put it on bottom heat. All of the others can be put at room temperature, in a bright area, but out of any sun. A bright windowsill or under lights is appropriate.

Here are the cuttings--I split the P.'Mission Dolores' between 2 cups, the other types each went into one cup.

Now all that's necessary is to wait. I'll post pictures of the above cuttings once a week.

I use cups with holes in the bottom. So - if you use cups without holes, you'll have to drain the cups by hand. Thought I'd point that out. I also use a 'dummy' cup with a 6" stick in it! rofl! The 6" stick is about the same size as a brug cutting in diameter. I guess it's really not necessary - but hey, it works for me. Wonder if that stick will ever grow?? lol! When the 'dummy' cup dries - I know I need to water. I've not used my moisture meter once this year.

When your first set of green leaves appear - start fertilizing with a water soluble fertilizer at 1/4 strength! I fertilize them weekly. Some fertilize new cuttings, with new root growth, just a couple of times a month.

I'm not saying this is the ONLY method - or the BEST method! I'm just saying it works for me! :)) Everyone has a method they use & like. I think I've tried them all - except the 'layering' method. Who knows? I may have to try that method at some point!

I hope if anyone decides to try this method - they let me know how it works for them! Comparing notes can lead us to hopefully having LESS brug cutting losses! Isn't that the idea??

And that's all folks........

That said....

This is what you will need.
A plastic shoebox, with a lid. They come in various sizes, any will do.

Soil less potting mix, half peat, half perlite, or whatever is your favorite medium.
A little clay pot, with the drain hole plugged with caulking or silicone. If this is a new pot, scrub it with some steel wool to be sure it doesn't have a sealer on it. You want the water to seep through it.
Rooting hormone powder or liquid, or salix solution from the willow tree.
Plant material, snippers. I am going to pot some Plectranthus (a tall swedish ivy) and a Joseph's Coat, 'Red Thread'. I already have some succulents rooted in this box. I will take them out and pot them up later, DH has a new cacti pot he wants to put them in.
You can see here, I hope, that I fill the clay pot to the top with rain water, well water, or distilled water. I just don't use our tap water, too much chlorine and a ph that is out of sight.

I pour a little of the hormone powder out on a paper plate or a piece of paper, so that I don't contaminate the whole package of powder. And these little 'snippers' are the best for taking this kind of cuttings.

This is about right on the amount of hormone to use. I try to get 2 nodes per cutting, if I can. Knock off the excess. It is better to have a little too little than to have too much.
Then, with your finger, or a pencil, or stick, SOMETHING, poke a hole in the potting mix and insert your cutting. Pull the potting mix up around the cutting good and snug.

When your box is full, and I always like to pretty much fill the box, just put the lid on it, and set it in the shade. You don't ever put this box in the sun. You wind up with boiled cuttings. YUK!

Check the cuttings every few days, and refill the reservoire as needed. Don't let it dry out. If you happen to get too wet, just prop the lid open with a pencil for a little while.
This is a very good method of propagation, but I don't do roses in these. The thorns just make it hard for me, with my big fingers, to pack the box full. All kinds of other things can be done in these. Just try it!

Janie

Added a small aquarium heater in one corner, trying to keep it around 70 degrees.

Day three, nubbies

I'm using an 18 gallon Rubbermaid container (found on curb)
2 10 inch airstones
one small aquairum airpump

I cut a small hole near the top of the container to run the tubing through, and glued the suction cups inside the container with nail glue (like for fake nails, it dries in seconds) I then attached the airstones to the suction cups and ran tubing from each of them to the "tee". Then a single piece of tubing from the "tee" to the airpump. This way you can run 2 stones off of one pump/

close up of the "tee"

outside w/pump

added about 4 inches of water and plugged in the pump

I attached lengths of bamboo to the bottoms of the cuttings to elevate them about a half an inch off the bottom of the container (to keep them from getting mushy)
Brug stilts.

A shot of the inside

The beginnings of a jungle

Hope this is clear, if not ask away. Georgia