> The cuttings are tented in plastic and in bright/indirect sunlight.

Make sure there is never any strong direct sun. But they do need light, so looks like you are good for that.

> I'm concerned because there is no condensation at all inside the bag, so I don't think it's humid enough.

Condensation is not good actually, especially if it's on the leaves. Make the bag roomy and try for it not to touch the leaves, or they may rot in places of contact. Even when the plastic bag is not fogged up, humidity may be very high, like in the 80%s. (I measured). You actually don't need it that high necessarily - anything above 50% or so will do.

Make holes in the plastic bag for some ventilation and air it out every day or so. Blowing some air into it is an option for that.

> Also, when do I water again over the next 4-6 weeks?

The cuttings need to be consistently moist but not water-logged. I like clear rooting cups because then you can see how moist the medium is (although it's more difficult with perlite, which is one reason I do not like rooting in it). Another reason is you can see how roots are developing. I found I rarely needed to water when closed in plastic - like every 10-14 days or even less often - and my mix drains faster than your typical perlite (unless it's very coarse perlite). It'll depend on your environment as well.

Speaking of the environment, rooting is faster and there is a lower chance of rot if temps are a little elevated than what they probably are now. 72-82 F or so is probably optimal. I used a heating pad when I was rooting over the fall/winter.

Lacunosa does not root very readily, but it's totally doable. It was one of those I rooted in the last few months, and it's now shooting out new leaves. Just pay attention to it every day or two and react right away to signs of trouble if they develop.

Thank you greentoe. I appreciate the education. From this point forward, I will use clear cups- you made a great point in saying you can see the roots forming when the cups are clear. That would be especially helpful to a newbie like me. (Are there special clear cups designed for rooting?). I will also put some slits in the bag for ventilation. The bag is supported by stakes, so the plastic is not touching the plants. What mix do you use instead of perlite? I do have a heating pad. How long do you suggest I keep it on every day? I was thinking of spraying the perlite with water when necessary, being careful to not wet the leaves. Is this a good idea? Thank you again. Liz

Hi Liz,

Greentoe gave you some excellent ideas. I mist mine every day or two. And yes I use a heating pad. You will know they are rooted for sure when you see new growth develop. It usually takes about 4 weeks. Good luck and keep us posted!

Hi Teisa. Thanks for your response. So when I mist them, do I have to take care not to wet the leaves? I think I read somewhere that the leaves can't get wet. I know I am being neurotic, but I don't want to lost these cuttings. The original plant was a spurge for me - I lost a lacunosa while moving and it's my favorite - the fragrance is beautiful. This is a little off-topic: I am also rooting Christmas cactus cuttings. I'm following instructions I found online somewhere. No mention was made of Christmas cactus requiring bottom heat or placing them in a plastic bag. Do you think if I put them under the tent on the heating pad with the lacunosa cuttings, it would be beneficial? Thanks Teisa.

Ya'll all are so nice to newbies and helpful on this site. I am hoping that someday I will know enough to help someone out instead of me always being on the receiving end.

> Are there special clear cups designed for rooting?

Maybe there are, but I just use disposable clear cups with holes drilled or poked in the bottom.

> What mix do you use instead of perlite?

I root right into the mix the adult plant will be growing in. It is "gritty mix" by tapla (Al) from Container Gardening forum. Equal parts by volume of pine bark fines, calcined diatomaceous earth (or can use turface) and crushed granite, screened for uniform size and to eliminate dust. Main feature is extremely fast drainage and great aeration that comes with it. Most of my plants are happy in it, and hoyas definitely belong to this group. It's sort of like growing semi-hydroponics when it comes to supreme oxygen availability, except no puddle underneath for the wicking - the bark and turface retain enough water for the roots to use.

There are pictures here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hoya/msg010620146164.html.

> I do have a heating pad. How long do you suggest I keep it on every day?

24/7 whenever the temps are lower than you prefer them to be for rooting. Mine was on all the time in the winter, but now that temps are climbing up, it's trickier. Checking the temps a few times a day is a good idea.

> I was thinking of spraying the perlite with water when necessary, being careful to not wet the leaves. Is this a good idea?

Do not obsess over not wetting the leaves. You can totally wet them, just make sure there is not so much humidity inside that leaves are permanently wet and the bag is fogged up. The best kind of humidity is the one you cannot see (but can measure), not the drippy runny foggy kind.

> [Rooting] usually takes about 4 weeks.

I just checked my notes for lacunosa rooting. I stuck cuttings into the mix in late October (the "start" date). 12 days later I saw aerial roots - which also likely means underground roots as well. By two months from the start two of my three cuttings rooted as evidenced by very light pulling on the cuttings - there was resistance by two cuttings, but not the third. 2.5 months from the start two new leaves started growing, but still no visible roots on the walls of the small cup. They have to be there, as leaves are growing - it just tells me the root system is small and has not reached the container walls yet.

> No mention was made of Christmas cactus requiring bottom heat or placing them in a plastic bag.

I find Christmas cactus rooting a bit different from hoya. I'd start with no plastic bag on top of Christmas cactus and watch it from there. I was having rot problems no matter how much I was airing out the space under the bag. Things got better once I simply took it out of the enclosure. But it's very forgiving - I'd remove the rotted mushy lower segments, stick the top ones in and those would root ok.

Good luck! Let us know how it roots.

Thanks again, Greentoe, for all the great help. I am definitely going to try your potting mix. It sounds great. I don't know how anything grows in MG potting soil. When wet, it gets like mud! I'm hanging in there and hopefully I will succeed. I am heading out of town for a long weekend with my daughter, and my husband will have nothing to do with my plants - no water, no heating pad, no nothing. Hopefully they will be okay. I will update when I see something change. Thanks again. Liz

> I am definitely going to try your potting mix. It sounds great.

Some or even all ingredients are hard to find though - very hard in some areas of the country. Some other quick and easy mix options are:

* Any "cactus and succulent" mix, possibly amended by perlite, coarse perlite if you can.

* Fine orchid mix. Majority or orchids and hoyas grow on trees rather than in the ground, so many growing principles including the mix parameters are going to be somewhat similar.

* some Fafard mixes are good, I heard. Not very cheap though.

There are many other good options of course, essentially unlimited.

Unamended MG soil is basically a death sentence, especially if it's "Moisture Control" MG soil. Total "peat pudding", with no chance for air to get to the roots. The claims sound great on the bag (I remember thinking, "This is a no-brainer, I am definitely getting this!") - except everything had to be emergency repotted soon after.

> I am heading out of town for a long weekend

It may be too late for this trip, but for the future, and for other people's benefit - my advice is to experiment with such things in advance. Water and do whatever you think in the first approximation needs to be done before leaving, then leave everything alone and OBSERVE without touching for the same duration as the trip. For cuttings enclosed in plastic, lack of air circulation is gonna be a bigger concern than the mix drying out (it's not going to dry out if you water thoroughly before leaving and cover). For better air circulation, you may want to leave bigger vents. I bet lower humidity will do less harm, if any at all, compared to risk of rot because of no air circulation.

If you experiment in advance, you can have an idea how long you can safely leave for. The answer may be different in summer vs. winter, by the way. I grow under lights, and I've seen advice to turn off the lights completely a couple days before leaving for longer than just a few days. Plants will slow down their growth, but that also means they do not need as much water, and so the mix will not dry out as fast. Plants will quickly pick up where they left after you come back and return them to their regular lighting schedule.

Flowering plants generally suck in moisture like there's no tomorrow. One of my hoyas just finished flowering on one peduncle, second wave of buds is growing on it and on another peduncle, and there's a third small peduncle growing (and maybe more, but that is all I see for now) - and the thing just cannot get enough water. I even started leaving a low level of water in the saucer underneath (normally a bad idea), and the thing just sucks it all up in like a day.

A cyclamen in bloom for months now is doing a very similar thing - only its leaves also droop if it's thirsty, which happens at a two day cycle basically. It's fun observing all these things... But anyway, this is definitely a tangent... Have a good trip!

Lacunosa cuttings root easily in water from what I've experienced. I've started them this way several times.

I wouldn't go crazy about the mix, I'd use African Violet mix w/ abt 30% extra perlite. Hoyas aren't all that fussy abt their mix as long as it's fast draining.

These plants are quite different than Christmas cacti (which are jungle cacti). So they can be rooted differently than each other, that would make sense.

Just wanted to remark that your obsessing over the rehabilitation of your lacunosa sounds really cute and I know you're going to have a very healthy plant on your hands in the long run. You're doing a great job.

Some things you learn best through trial and error and I think rooting is one of them. It's kind of fun reading greentoe's intricate answers to your questions and thinking about how simple-yet-complex, the 'ideal rooting environment' is.

Even though this is a semi-traumatic experience for you and the plant, I bet you'll both be the better for it in the long run. You'll master a new skill and, because Hoyas seem to perform better when they are rooted in your environment, your backup cuttings will probably overtake the mother plant in the long run.

Best of luck!