Soil for propagation

Im sure this has been talked about before but Im heading to the store to get some soil to put my brugmansia cuttings in for winter growing..I want something that will be good for growing inside for the winter and keep them alive until I can get them outside this spring I usually keep them in water with an air stone but alot of them have gone to mush and I have some cuttings that I just dont want to lose this time.....Any helpful tips?....Judy

Judy, I did this last year,and this year I'm doing the air stone in the dark area, and so far it is much less trouble.I had to care for those rooted pots,and turn them, make sure they don't get over watered, wasn't able to put them in a cool dark place to push them into dormantsy.Seemed like the closer spring got the harder they were to care for,we had beautiful weather, they would reach for the window, I would take them out for the day,and when I brought them in they wilted, about half of the "best ones" died, before the LAST freeze.No, not again, I'll change the water,and keep them in the bucket.Thank you, Mike

Don't know about brugs in particular but have been putting other tropicals into C&S mix so they drain well and won't rot in the winter. Feeding them once a month with 20-20-20, have them in southern windows, and when spring comes again will go back to feeding once a week. So far it's been working, have rooted a dwarf plumeria that I started in Sept from a cutting.

mqiq77: What is the "air stone in the dark area" method -- do you mean a bubbler?
bbinnj: What is "C&S mix"?

juttz, there is a very good book on propagation. Making More Plants by Ken Druse. it lists by Genus how to propagate, and there's a chapter on cloning and soiless mediums. Jim

Yes,hap-mc,keep your brugs in an unlit area,and use the "bubbler".You will need to check water level,but the bubbler should keep the water fresh enough.Don't let it turn green.MQ77

Mike,
Could you please elaborate on this "I'm doing the air stone in the dark area" ?
I am not getting that.

OK, the dark area is a garage,out building, or any place that the cuttings won't freeze, or the water in them freeze.You want the cuttings to be as dormant as possible, until you can get them in the ground, after last frost of spring.The more light they get, the more the foladge trys to grow.Brugs will grow fast enough after planting in the spring. The bubler just keeps oxygen in the water, and keeps the alge like stink down.Good luck. Mike

Mike,
Thank you for the explanation. I am new to propagation, so am reading the posts trying to
learn as much as I can before the next season.

This is a good hint!! If you have access to Dirr's manual of woody landscape plants,you can select what you want to propagate,and look it up and it will tell you all you need to know to make plants root.Good luck,and the more experiance you get, the better. Mike