Hi - first post here; I've been reading a ton of fantastic advice but the sheer volume is a bit overwhelming, so I thought I'd start a post, particularly because this species is supposedly rather rare, and I'd be devastated if they didn't root. Sorry if the questions have been answered a billion times before this, but here goes --

Yesterday I received some cuttings of a Ficus "bubu" (or as I was told, "nekbuda" - though no pictures on google are found of the latter, only the former) that were about to be thrown out after being cut off a rather large mother specimen. Not sure how long they were left in the bin, but they appeared to still be rather 'full' and heavy / green, moist at the tips, and still dripping latex, etc

I retrieved 3 branches in total, each originally about 14-16" in length, dense with foliage, and eventually split them into 5-7" stems (at an angle, 1/4" below a node, as I've read), dipped the tips into rooting hormone, and placed them in water

They're currently sitting about 12-14 feet away from the nearest (south facing) windows, perched on countertops in my kitchen, so they're not receiving too much glaring sunlight. For reference, I live in Los Angeles. Here are some photos for reference:

Here are my questions:

-does the thickness of the stems place me at a disadvantage? each of them measures 1.5cm (0.6 inches) across. I think I read somewhere that thinner branches have a greater tendency to root - is that true? am I inevitably doomed because of the thickness, or is there anything that can be done to increase my chances of rooting in this case?

-a couple of the branches are so beautiful with the top (3) leaves still left on. is that ok? or do I need to remove ALL of the leaves in order for them to root?

-should I cut all of the stems into shorter segments (3-4" in length) like the one in the middle (of the picture)?

-should they receive more or less light (currently sitting about 12-14 feet away from a south facing window in southern california)

-with the information given (location, size, etc), would I be better off attempting to root some (or all) of the branches in a gritty mix?

-should i re-apply the rooting hormone every time I change the water (every 3-5 days)?

-how soon can I possibly see rooting take place, if at all possible?

-given the lack of information about this particular species, is it possible that they can't be propagated by cuttings? or can ALL ficuses be propagated this way?

ANY help would be much appreciated, because I would LOVE to have a potted version of this plant! Much thanks in advance.