I want to start some new varieties for next summer. Last year I started rooting cuttings in late January / early February and they did great rooting on a heat pad. I am now looking at starting new cuttings that I will be purchasing from ebay. Is it too early to start? I have a great sun room full of plants to keep them in until Spring. I'm just too impatient!

Not too early or too late. Cuttings can be started anytime (dormant or green).It's just a question of do you have the facilities to grow it once rooted. Adequate light and proper temperature must be available.
If your sunroom goes to 110F during the day as some do or 28F as some do then you do not have the proper growing conditions. As far as the rooting goes most do it indoors where the temperature probably doesn't vary 5 degrees year around.

Jake

My sunroom keeps between 55 and 75 degrees.
I would start the cuttings in a cup of soil covered with a plastic bag (mini greenhouse) on a warm (80 degrees) heating Pad. This worked well before. Like I said I have many other plants that do very well in there, including passion fruit vines.

You should be fine.

I've rooted my cuttings in my garage around this time the past year and moved then outside in the spring when I thought that it's warm enough. The fact that I moved them a little too early perhaps, caused me to lose twenty percent of my cuttings even after they had leaves.  Try to avoid large fluctuations in temperature.

Really depends where you live and if you have a spot where you can grow out the cuttings.

I am growing cuttings for the last month with a hydroponic system, will be trying another round in January.

Are the cutting growing in your hydroponic system?

As long as you can provide some sort of natural or artificial lighting you should be fine.  I started cuttings last year over Thanksgiving and those started getting a little big for the house and definitely needed an extra source of light.  I also started cuttings over Christmas and those were easier to manage, size wise and light I could provide (pole light with screw in grow bulb). 

You also need to take into account what part of the country you are in.  Here in Houston I think my little figlets went outside in March.  Those of you further north need to take into account the longer time you need to provide lighting and to put up with figlets in your living area. : )

it's never too early if you have the room, proper light and the heat needed to sustain the plants growth.  last year I started rooting cuttings in november and I had plants that got so tall before spring I had to pinch the tops at 3 or 4 ft just so I wouldn't have to add additional lighting to my grow room. this year I'm waiting a few month prior to spring maybe february before I start rooting cuttings. forget small cups go straight into 1 gallon pots and there less stress on the young plants because theres no transplant shock or broken roots when it's finally time to move to a larger pot. supplemental lighting may be needed if you don't want your plants to be spendley. hope this helps.  

Yes so far everything is going well in my hydroponic experiment w T5 lamps. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Can't wait to hear how that works out Rafael, when do we get to see pictures?

the closer to spring you root the less work youl have in winter.

yes but the sooner you root the better jump start you have in the spring.....so.....

I'm with you WillsC, I have 2 more rounds of rooting for January & March so this is just the beginning.

GRamaley I am in stage 2 SIPs right now, I will post pictures when they leaf out (hopefully in the next week or 2) but I may bump them to FMD's post on SIPs

My cuttings started 3 weeks ago are just barely showing signs of rooting (or at least I like to think they are). I have some more cuttings coming and will root them in Feb. I hope to have a dozen or more figlets to pot up in April. My wife is getting used to widow sills full of stuff ;-)

ideally, i like to start the rooting around late march. that will give me time to root them indoor before the outside night temp is reaches 50. once outside night temp is above 50, the cuttings can be placed in 1 gal and left outside where there is plenty of humidity, and fresh air. 

but, things doesn't really work that way. in reality, cuttings can be rooted any time of the yr. so i root them when i have cuttings to root. do the best i can to manage them indoor till outside night temp is above 50 and move them to 1 gal and leave 'em on the front porch to grow. 

Do folks generally start rooting in the dark or under lights?  I am trying the bag method under fluorescent lights (on about 14 hours per day).  Does light interfere with root formation or do longer days help stimulate growth (by providing a seasonal cue).  Once growth starts, I was planning to move to cups and extend the lighting to ~18 hours per day to promote leaf development.

Thanks for sharing your experience on this!