There are three ways I have rooted AV's. Always successfully.

1--One I do not use a lot is in water.
You get a small container--fill it almost to the top with water--stretch plastic wrap tightly across
the top and poke a small hole through the wrap to slip the AV leaf stem through.
You can rubber-band around the top to keep the plastic wrap in place. That's it! Then-=-WAIT!
The neat thing is you can see the babies start growing under water through the glass.



2--the second way is to to stick the leaves in a vented container--like the kind 3lbs of grapes come in.
Fill the bottom with at least 2" of soil mix--then stick the leaf stems in it (standing up!)
and making sure the leaf does not touch the soil. The babies will grow from the buried stem
and then up through the soil. When they look a decent size to pot up--remove the leaf and the
clinging soil and roots and, gently, separate the baby AV's. Pot up each little plant in its own pot.
Then---replant the mama leaf TO GROW MORE BABIES...It will!



3--Is to get a 2 1/2" pot, fill it with Mix, and stick the stem of one leaf in it. keep the leaf from
touching the soil. Water in slightly. Put a clear, plastic glass over the rim of the pot, fitting tightly.
What you are doing is creating a mini Greenhouse environment.
The little pots and tops that Venus Flytraps are sold in are perfect, but you can buy clear glasses anywhere. .
The glass has to fit tightly over the top of the pot.
You need not do anything else until the babies are growing up through the soil.
Gita

Very good information Gita. I am printing it out because I know I would forget where I put it. Unless they make a sticky, which I do not know how.

This is good info!
Thanks Gita!

Great Pic's and info Gita thanks

Thank you all!
Glad this helped someone--even just ONE person--and then that one
person will pass it on, and on and on....and so we accumulate all that needed
garden information that does, eventually, make us great gardeners....

Just want to add a quick tip here on trimming back Holiday Cactus sections.
Do NOT cut off or just break off the sections. You need to gently TWIST them off!!
I think it has something to do with leaving a necessary little "nub" on the ends
either on the section pulled off--or on the section remaining--that has to do with it growing
further, or growing roots from that point.
Not sure of the reason....but it makes sense to me!

Yoooohoooo, JB!!!! What do you say???? Come set us straight!!!
Gita

I read that someplace too Gita, but I know some people use a very sharp knife to cut the big bottoms and then twist it into smaller sections. That could get confusing to someone who does not know that when you propagate in volume, you take a large portion of the plant and work it down into smaller sections. I personally when I am taking cuttings tear mine off.

Great info Gita. One thing that I found works very well for rooting AV's are the long narrow bottles that capers come in. They are perfect because they are narrow.

Carolyn--
Do you prefer rooting them in water or in a Mix?

I am always partial to rooting things in a Pro Mix type of a medium.
Right or wrong--I just believe that water roots and soil roots are not the same.
So--why put the cutting/leaf through two adjustments in a short period of time?

Gita

It has always been easier for me to root them in water. I have never had any problems doing it this way. I have a number of little containers sitting by my sink and if a leaf breaks off, I just stick it into one of the little jars with the water.

I have heard about plants having 'water roots' versus 'soil roots'. Personally, I have found that some plants do better with water and some do better with either a vermiculite or perlite type of mix. I could never get a hoya to root in water, but never had any problems getting hoya to root in a perlite/soil type of mix. The AV's do better for me in water.

Carolyn--

I decided to put my last batch of broken off sections in tiny containers in water.

WOW! They really rooted fast! Now I have to pot them up--but I am glad to know
this works so easily.
Thanks! Gita

I have new babies in two of my streptocarpus containers. I made those leaf cuttings in November and they are only now coming along. I am so happy to see them. Spin Art and Salmon Sunset.

On the other hand, I have a few tiny sinningia babies that look like they are not going to make it. Anyone know anything about Sinningia babies?

Thanks Gita.

JB - how do you root the streps and the sinningias? I have not tried either.

I cut the leaves the way the instructions tell you and I use perlite and sometimes I mix a potting soil and perlite, either one works for me. This is all new to me also, and I am thrilled to have them sprout. They take several months and some look dead when all of a sudden a teeny bit of green begins to show and how exciting is that?

Thanks, Jacquie.

You are welcome.

Congrats Jacquie!! That is so exciting! I love when the babies come along!
@Carolyn22 I've found that having them covered in a platic bag to retain moisture keeps the little ones move viable until they're older!

JB,
Congratulations on the babies! I was so excited when the very tiny bits of green broke through the soil mix!
Leda

Thanks Greg. It is definitely something I am going to try.

JB--I like your new (?) Avatar....

I have serious propagationaitis.....it is a disease with NO cure!

That is why I now have 65 AV's and, probably, 40 CC's (Holiday cactus--and others).
My AV's have not6 bloomed for 3 years. I think it was too cols where i was keeping them--
smack against my big LR and DR windows.
Then I had this brainstorm--I put a card table in the far corner of my DR--bough a hanging light,
hung it above the table from a ceiling hook, put a 100W CFL in it--and now they seem happy.

Still waiting to see even ONE bloom! Hope lives eternal.....:o)
These re from just last week....Gita

Gita they are looking great though!!