HELP! Propagating Purple Velvet Plant

I'm new to the gardening world and need some help. I received clippings of this beautiful plant, the Purple Velvet Plant (aka Purple Passion Vine). I was told to put them in water while they sprout roots. They've been in water for about 6 days. I received about 5 clippings. On 1 clipping, two of the leaves are turning yellow. I read that this can be a sign of overwatering, but since it is in water, wouldn't that be expected? I added a few drops of Miracle Grow liquid plant food. Is this not the proper way to propagate this plant? Please help! The other clippings seem to be doing fine, but if I'm doing something wrong, I want to catch it early. I don't want to kill this beautiful plant. Thanks for your help & guidance!

ok, so I did some research at the library and on these forums. I made a rooting media consisting of 1/2 perlite and 1/2 peat moss. It says to keep it moist. how moist is too moist? When the water drains out to the bottom, should I leave it in there?

Thanks in advance!

Hi kcherest...there are 2 varieties of this beautiful plant listed in the plants database: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/55063/index.html http://plantsdatabase.com/go/2570/index.html

Both list leaf cuttings as method of propagation. There's a helpful thread of propagation methods, that includes at least 2 ways with leaf cuttings:
http://davesgarden.com/t/367693

Hope this helps, janet :-)

thanks so much...I'll read it tonight. Lots of good info!

I put them in a 1/2 perlite and 1/2 peat moss mixture. I pressed down, but don't want to smother the little guys. They seem to be kind of wiggly in the rooting media. How firm does this need to be?

Also, a few leaves turned yellow and brown...so I clipped them off. Does this mean that the stem is not going to make it?

I used to have one of these, and I remember it losing a few leaves every time I moved the pot. Perhaps it is simply reacting to a change of environment? It liked the brightest window in the house... the more sun, the better. Can you place it outside in a shaded area until it roots? The flowers are small & really stink!

Regarding how firm your cuttings should be, the thing that matters is to have the right amount of stem in the growing medium, and not too much stem above the soil, otherwise it will be unstable.

A good guide is that if you have, say, an inch of stem between each node, then trim the cutting so that at most two nodes are above the soil, and keep the middle node only just above the soil surface. That way you can just firm the cutting in with moderate pressure from your fingers on the surface of the compost either side of the stem.

If the distance between the nodes is quite high (3", say), them you only want one node above the compost.

I also recommend enclosing the planted cutting in a 'tent' made of a plastic bag fastened to the pot with an elastic band, and supported by a suitable length blunt stick (a drinking straw will do). This minimises the chance of excess respiration and dehydration of the cutting.

How moist? If you have plenty of perlite in the mix, it will do no harm to plunge the pot into a shallow bowl of water, allow it to take as much moisture as it needs, then drain it.

I didn't even think to move it outside. It would probably be more humid out there anyway. (from DC, humidity capital of the world).
I have a total of 6 or 7 clippings. 4 of them are still in water, and are doing awesome!! Roots are coming in like crazy....It's the ones in the peat moss that are doing too great. I'll put 2 outside and see how that does.
Thanks JRush!