I always loved starting cuttings in my aquarium. It's a win-win: the plants seem to enjoy the nutrients in the water and, if the roots grow long enough, the tank enjoys reduced nitrates (I hope I'm getting the chemistry correct on that- don't quote me). After getting a little scissor happy with my office plants and running out of room in the filter compartment, I had the idea to take an upside down condiment cup lid, poke a hole through it, then thread a fresh cutting through. The lip of the lid should help keep it afloat even though the plant is off-balance bc of more leaves on one side, although I imagine this wouldn't work with something like a jade cutting that has heavier leaves. I'm sure it could be amended for other plants. I made the hole with a pair of needle tweezers by holding the tweezers closed, stabbing through, and slightly rotating the tweezers to make a rounded shape, so that it tubes out somewhat and doesn't cut or scrape the plant, and so far no water has flooded the lid (see 2nd and 3rd pictures). Will update if it overturns or if there are any other problems to look out for.
by uniqueinalltheworld