Start roots first. In fact, you should build yourself a very simple Cheapo-Bubble-Cloner.
Go to WalMart and buy:
1. A TupperWare container with a lid that will hold about five gallons of water.
2. A two-outlet air pump. (In the Aquarium section).
3. A length of clear plastic air hose. (Also in the Aquarium section).
4. Two, six inch Air Stones. (Also in the Aquarium section).
5. Twenty 2" net pots. (At your hydro store).
6. A 1 7/8" hole saw. (At the hardware store).
7. A slab of one-inch RockWool cubes. (at the hydro store).
Put the airstones in the bottom of the tub. Drill two small holes up on the high side of the tup. Fit the air hoses through these holes, connecting one end to the air stones and the other end to the dual air pump.
Now, drill twenty holes in the lid of the container and put the net pots in the holes. Fill the container up to a level that is about 1/4" below the bottoms of the net pots. The bubbles that break on the surface of the water will be enough moisture to root the cuttings. Put your cuttings in the rockwool, then put them into the net pots. Put the air pump on a timer ... 15 minutes on, 30 minutes off. You should hang two, two-foot, twenty watt fluros above the unit and keep them on 24/7.
Walla! You now have a 20 hole, Cheapo-Bubble-Cloner. All you need now is RO water or distilled water. No nutrients needed at all. Just dip the cuttings into rooting powder (available at your local nursery or Home Depot), stick them into the rockwool cubes that have previously been soaked in RO or distilled water ... and you are on your way to a 100% success rate for you cuttings.
Vi