Well, here is the result of a little experiment using cuttings from heartleaf philodendron. I'll note here that is is not "good" science, because among other things the number of cuttings was small. But it is suggestive.... I tried rooting four cuttings, each with only one smallish leaf. Two cuttings were each just a leaf on an internode section (vine, but no node), and two were a leaf, short bit of internode, and a node. I used a gel form of IBA-plus-fungicide. I cut the pieces with a sharp clean knife, and immediately dipped either the node or the end of the internode into the gel, then put it into a shallow "hole" in the growing medium in the pot where my other heartleaf philly vines are growing wonderfully. I then packed the soil in snugly around the base of each cutting. I made sure the area where these new cuttings had been inserted stayed moist, while avoiding drowning of the cutting ends by overwatering. I waited two weeks. Three of the cuttings dried out and pretty well died (i.e., bottom portions turned coppery colored, then shrivelled and dried out). One - with a node - took root nicely. On pulling out the three dead cuttings, it turned out that one of the two internode cuttings had indeed grown a few root hairs - but apparently not fast enough to bring sufficient water into the cutting and prevent its demise. This little informal experiment suggests to me that internode cuttings treated with IBA can develop root hairs. But possibly cuttings without IBA treatment would have done just as well (?). It also suggests that a cutting WITH a node has a better chance of rooting. As I mentioned, this was simply an easy-to-do informal trial, and was good for stimulating a bit of reflection. I welcome anybody who has experimented more extensively with IBA or vine cuttings (or anything related) to post here about what they've observed. Happy houseplant growing..... Joel

I love a good discussion, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this one. :) Let me throw a curve ball at you... and remember, I'm new to this whole willow thing and I'm learning as I go along. In my poking around today, I found that there is, perhaps, another substance in willows that works in conjunction with the IBA (or other auxin) - rhizocaline. Now here's where it gets a little tricky. Rhizocaline has never been fully identified and may or may not be made up of 3 or 4 different elements. No one seems to know. Also, rhizocaline is supposedly fully water soluble (how they know that without knowing its chemical makeup is beyond me). For a better understanding read Malcolm Manners' post in the citrus forum (link below). Dr. Manners is Professor of Citrus and Environmental Horticulture at Florida Southern College and his explanation was the best I've seen thus far. Scroll about half-way down the thread. Here is a link that might be useful: Willow Water Explanation in the Citrus Forum

Willow tea is well known for its rooting ability. It contains a hormone that promotes rooting, salicylic acid. It also contains high concentrations of Indolebutyric acid (IBA), the same stuff that is synthesized for commercial rooting powders. But it is in its best concentration at the growing tips and during the active growing season. The closer the plant gets to dormancy, the less potent its abilty to encourage rooting. The same chemcial (salicylic acid) can be found in aspirin (just the plain stuff, like Bayers) so crushing up a baby aspirin or two in water will achieve the same thing. Honey contains natural fungicidal properties and antiseptic qualities which is why it is believed to aid in root development. But it is best to use raw honey, not processed honey that has been pasturized. This process will remove most of its rooting benefits.

Jess: Really like the links you gave on making baby-powder recipe. THANK YOU. I have Calendula flowers in my garden (it's a perennial): "1/2 cup arrowroot powder & 1 tsp chamomile or calendula flowers, powdered in the blender or food processor or a few drops of chamomile essential oil." Chronic sinus can also be from allergies to cat-dander. When I first met my husband, he had 4 cats, I constantly sneezed from the cat's hair. He gave away 3, and kept only one cat. I washed his cat weekly, to decrease the dander, so I won't sneeze so much. Now we have zero cat, bad-allergy. However, probiotics like L. Rhamnosus GG (in Culturelle and Solgar Advanced Multi-billion Dophilus) ... that strain of bacteria is proven to slash pneumonia in half, so it helps with membrane in sinus & lung. I gave my 13-year-old daughter Culturelle, Hyperbotics, Solgar, plus Kefir for that past 5 days. I meant to decrease her oily secretions so she has less facial pimples .. and that ended up lessened underarm odor. She's allergic to chemical deodorant, so she uses Milk-of-Magnesia ... magnesium hydroxide has a drying effect, but doesn't last long. Last night I sniffed her shirt before putting in laundry... Wow !! Barely noticable odor, same with my clothes, I can easily wear the same clothes & undies twice, since the probiotics suppress the bad-odor-causing bacteria. That's the logic for daily consumption of Kefir and pickled veggies: less body odor. There's studies that show babies born through C-section has more allergies than babies born through birth-canal. Below excerpt is written by a microbiologist: "For example, during pregnancy, the composition of bacteria in a woman’s vagina changes so that there is a higher concentration of Lactobacillus, a kind of bacteria that aids in the digestion of milk. While he or she might eventually get colonized, a baby born by cesarean section will miss out on immediately acquiring these beneficial bacteria. Dutch researchers recently published a study in the journal Pediatrics showing that infants with colic have more bacteria that are known to produce gas, whereas anti-inflammatory bacteria that live in the vaginal canal are more common in colic-free infants. Health problems that are more common in children born by C-section, such as obesity, asthma, allergies, type 1 diabetes, food allergies, eczema, and celiac disease. While there is still much we don’t know, alterations to the gut microbiome might connect these conditions to what some have dubbed the "cesarean epidemic" in our country and around the globe." http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/06/02/babies-born-by-cesarean-section-may-not-gain-benefits-of-vaginal-microbiome.html