I might do that, Mindy. I don't have an Exacto knife but might try it with another small knife. It is like air layering in that the part you're trying to root remains attached to the plant. But you don't wait for roots, just callouses, and you don't have to put rooting medium on it or enclose that in anything. Sounds fairly simple.

Also interested! Mindy has a great idea about the photos! Please do!

I got my Exacto knife at Walmart and tried this method today on several roses I've had trouble rooting. The Exacto knife is not a good quality and the blade came detached from the handle a couple of times. It's good and sharp but makes a very narrow slit. I think a sharp pocket knife or kitchen knife might be better..will see.

I didn't use last year's wood, but older current year stems. It's pretty hot out so guess I'll wait a couple more days to do a few more. I think I'll wait and see if it works before taking pictures. I didn't bother using a wooden block behind the stems while making the cut. Didn't seem necessary. Now I'm going to write down which plants I experimented on so I'll remember to check on them in October.

Check out the tree forum, I think it was Dax posted pics of this technique n

Just wondering how this worked out.

I took the cuttings after trying the toothpick method. None were calloused while on the plant. I have them in pots still hoping they'll root. It's very much a gamble, but I had little to lose. I took a lot of late cuttings of other roses that are hard to root in hot weather. They mostly are still hanging in there. Will know something in spring.

Update: Today, Dec. 22, I potted up 30 rooted cuttings from those I took in Oct. and November. I didn't see many rotted cuttings out there. There are some varieties, mainly once-blooming OGR's that are still unrooted but they look ok. Will just leave them alone in their pots of sand . They might put out roots closer to spring. One of the varieties I potted up was one that I'd tried the toothpick method on. The other toothpick treated ones are the hard to root OGR's so still no verdict. But I'm happy with the roots on one that had been next to impossible to root in hotter weather. It remains to be seen if these tiny plants make it through the winter . If it gets too cold I might put them under my house for temporary protection. I'm in zone 7...we've had a good many freezing temps and a snow so far this winter so these cuttings have not been protected from that. If this works out I'll feel like my time frame for taking cuttings has been extended by a few months.

Good news! Many of those I took in Oct. are hanging in there, but those I took even later are doing very well! However, I'm trying mine in a very cool room. Those with less light are doing better. I also let them soak up a mixture of aspirin and alfalfa tea overnight and rinse them in a dilute mixture of bleach before planting. I think that has really helped keep them from dying. Removing the leaves also seems useful as they always hit my soda bottle cover and rot. Those I tried in play sand were a disaster as it stayed too wet; I'm going to try granular sand next year or pine fines.

I have a few dormant cuttings I'm trying with the burrito method. I'll report how those do.

Burrito method was a failure for me. How did the toothpick method work in the end?