Hi guys and gals,

I have a couple cuttings in the crisper of the fridge.
They are wrapped in some moist paper towel.
Just the last four inches are wrapped not the whole thing.
 
How long can I keep them there before I put them in damp
vermiculite?
A couple weeks, or a couple months?

All the cutting I tried without putting them in the fridge first,
did not root.
They had little green leaves but eventually dried and fell off.

The tree has been cut back to about eighteen inches and is
in my garage for the winter.
I want it to be more of a bush than a tree.

Jerry

Jerry I don't think that there is an exact amount of time to keep them in the fridge although someone here just might do such an experiment at some time. It would be interesting to see what the optimum time would be, if there is such a thing. I've taken cuttings in the summer here in Louisiana, put them directly in a pot of potting soil in the shade of my house and they grew beautifully. The ones I'm rooting in my "first rooting experiment" (see the post) stayed in the fridge about 2 weeks. The only reason I removed them and got started was the fact that part of the paper towel had frozen and there were some ice crystals on the cuttings. So watch them to see that they don't freeze, and then that might not be a bad thing either. Who knows.

When I did mine I wrapped them 3 or 4 to a loose bunch and had them completely enclosed within the paper towel and sealed in a baggie. Remember a fridge can extract a lot of moisture so be sure it's sealed.

I'm sure others will chime in with great info, I'm just a newbie myself. Good luck with your attempt and keep us posted so we can learn along with you.

Good advice by Gene "have them completely enclosed within the paper towel and sealed in a baggie. Remember a fridge can extract a lot of moisture so be sure it's sealed. "

The key is to avoid moisture loss in the fridge and avoid freezing of the cuttings as well. Don't leave any part of the cutting exposed during storage.
You can keep a good number of cuttings in the same air-tight bag. Some have reported keeping it for as long as 6 months. However, as the nature works, the vitality of the cutting gradually decreases with time. 

Thanks Guys,

I will keep them for a couple/three weeks and then I will
take them out and keep them in a warm spot.

Jerry

Jerry -- my experience tells me to stay away from vermiculite. Stick with Perlite. Vermiculite holds too much moisture. I used 100% perlite or 60:40 perlite with top soil.