Since I am new to succulents, it goes without saying that I have leaves that have fallen off...lol...anyway, I put the leaves on top of some soil after they had calluses. Now they are starting to root. Do I just leave them alone and dry or should I mist them with some water?

A little mist is a great way to give a little moisture to those tiny roots w/o getting a whole pot of soil soggy-wet. If they aren't on the surface of a pot yet, now is the time.

This is my newest pic of leaf babies, in a wine cork.

Tiffany, Soon you will need a bigger wine cork

Come on over & help me drink "bigger wine!" LOL!

Be right there....

That is so neat! Would have never thought of a cork!

Does anyone go to the trouble of using filtered water?

Our water is groundwater and rather salty so I use purified water for plants in clay pots (to avoid salt stain/toxicity) and for small seedlings.

Yes i bought a filter that goes on my water-hose so that i can water my plants. Its called the Boogie Brew and was relatively cheap.

Shymaiden32 said:Yes i bought a filter that goes on my water-hose so that i can water my plants. Its called the Boogie Brew and was relatively cheap.

I was starting to think I was getting a bit obsessive about all this. I have a filter on my hose also, I use it for plants and my animals. I purchased mine off Amazon, it's for spa water, carbon/resin so it removes anything harmful. Life of 1200 gal for $22.

My city water is from the Bull Run reservoir, is really good water other than the chlorine and chloramine that's added by the city, a touch on the soft side. I think my plants like it, it could be my imagination.

purpleinopp said:A little mist is a great way to give a little moisture to those tiny roots w/o getting a whole pot of soil soggy-wet. If they aren't on the surface of a pot yet, now is the time.

This is my newest pic of leaf babies, in a wine cork.

About how long before you saw the babies? I have several leaves I've planted, first timer for me also. In starter plugs and I water when dry, about every day with this crazy hot spell. That cork is a great idea!

That Bull Run water is the best. I'm surprised you feel the need for any kind of filter.

For what it's worth, I use our regular tap water without any special treatment for all the plants in the ground. They prefer rain water but even our hard tap water (sometimes with extra silty chunks) is just fine. My plants in containers mostly get the same water (I adjust the pH for them) but they all get properly flushed by rain water during our annual rainy season.

I wouldn't need a filter for my hose but it wouldn't do any good against the problems with our water. We have to change the filters between the street and the house all the time because they're constantly clogged. Whatever the gallon rating of a filter might be, that has to be cut 10-fold given our supply. And the other thing to bear in mind is that if your water is hard (salty), a carbon filter is going to do nothing to improve the situation. The only things that work are reverse osmosis (a relatively serious piece of kit), or what I do, which is to mix acid into the tap water before use. That does not reduce the salt but it does eliminate carbonate hardness, which is the basis for hard water having a high (alkaline) pH.

The one thing you absolutely do not want to use is softened water (which has extra sodium in it, and sodium is not good for most plants).

I think I paid about that much on Amazon for mine too Steve, and stop the obsession talk, that means i am obsessed too...

My main concern is the chlorine and chloramine, mostly the chloramine. First is the Tillandsia collection, I read they do not like chloramine. Second is I've read that the dead spots and dead tips on spider plants may be from Chloramine. (I should stop reading!)

MY house RO unit only has a 5 gal tank and only holds about 3.5 gallons. OK for topping off the aquariums but not enough supply for much else.

I breed exotic cats, they well drink 50% more water if it is filtered. I was using RO water but that removes some minerals that I want them to have so a charcoal filter gets it done for them, they use 4-5 gallons a day.

My Bull Run water comes in at a ph of 7.0, total hardness below 100, total alkalinity of 40, both slightly on the low side. I drink what comes out the tap.

Another plus for the filter is I have had no black spot or rust on my Fuchsia's since I started using it, this may just be coincidence, only been a few weeks but I was pulling 1-3 leafs a week and I haven't in almost two weeks now. 100 plus today they are going to be very unhappy.

I bought it originally for my tillandsia collection too!

@madcratebuilder Steve, a few weeks after I separated those leaves from the mama plant, the tiny leaves & roots started showing. That's when I set them on the surface of the soil in the wine cork. When they get too big, they'll be kicked off of the patio of my mini garden:

Thanks purpleinopp', I see we share a similar zone even being a few thousand miles apart. If this hot spell doesn't cook everybody I may see some growth soon.

Happy to share! Best vibes & good luck! Not expecting to see a day when it doesn't get above 90 here until about Oct.

Yes the rain finally stopped here and now here comes the sun along with the heat, humidity and chiggers... ( just the chiggers )

btw purpleinopp, love the mini garden...where did you get the gnomes? so cute!