Hetty, damp vermiculite was an accident. I had the cuttings stored in a cool dry place all winter, and got them out in March. I was gathering up a whole bunch of things and stuck them in my Forsyth pot on my back porch and forgot about them for a few weeks. Imagine my surprise when I was cleaning off the table and found sprouts on one of the cuttings...which is now potted up and doing great on it's own, and it's working on the second one too so I can't complain.