If you buy budwood, no leafs and still possible to root them. Keep moist and warm and maybe you will have luck as long as the stem stays green

Definitely possible. Good luck!

Has anyone on this forum had success rooting a cutting whose leaves had all fallen off? I doubt that is possible but then again I am Russian.

Vladimir

I have not but I had 1 last a half a year with a calloused end that put out buds and very small leaves. Also If you would stop Russian and take your time you might have more success.

Getting a cutting to root is all about energy. To a great extent it depends when you removed the cutting from the tree. With species like citrus that make several flushes of growth per year the build up of energy progresses, then drops again with the next flush and so on. This is because the energy in the cutting wood was spent in support of expanding buds, new growth and flowers. With citrus, where growth begins in spring and continues over much of summer, the energy build-up is more gradual. The key to cutting propagation is to wait until the energy level in the tissue has recovered to some moderate level to support root development. Most evergreens reach their peak energy in plant tissues by late summer. The reason 2 or 3 leaves are always left on a cutting is to supply additional and continual energy support to the cutting. Unfortunately, this source of energy is not present on your cutting. You mention that you stuck the cutting in soil. Any medium you use for cuttings should have a drainable pore space of 40 to 50 percent. It is VERY IMPORTANT that the components of the rooting medium are completely free of diseases. DO NOT cut corners with respect to the rooting medium, as it is false prosperity. Getting your cutting to root is "possible", but from reading your post I am going to guess the chance for a successful rooting is very very very slim. (Plant Propagation 11)

So Silica, when would be the best time to take citrus cuttings? I am not trying to get more trees, but when I trim, I often just stick it in rooting hormone and stick in dirt on my heat mat. I took two cuttings from my lime tree early fall and I think they may both make it. I recently had to trim that tree again, did the same thing, and none made it. Today I did some pruning bc some of my trees are getting too out of control and am also trying to root them - two ST, one tangelo, a kaffir lime, and another lime...I wonder if any of these will root since I suspect this is not a good time of year to do this. However, it was either that or throwing them away...