Vermiculite also can be used for rooting cuttings. This expanded mica is sterile, clean and easy to handle. Because it holds moisture, cuttings root easily. Perlite, a rooting medium of a volcanic origin, is a sterile material that is composed of small particles. It should be combined equally with peat moss.
Some cuttings root easily in water.
In the wintertime when plants root slowly, however, sand and peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite and peat moss give better results because cuttings may rot in water before they develop good roots. Rooting media is put into the large pot. Plug the drainage hole of the small pot and set it in the center of the larger one, level with the edge. The small pot is filled with water that seeps into the rooting media where the cuttings have been inserted. Cuttings also may be rooted in a wick-watered pot.