Episcia leaves broken off

Hi everyone! I told you I would have questions before too long! My cats were romping around late last night and managed to break off two leaves of my epicsia Keewee. Now, I have rooted stolons before... from the original plant when it took some cold damage from a move. I took stolons off of it before it died out completely, and I successfully rooted two, and that is the plant(s) I have now. The cats broke off two leaves, with stem, from the plant. It was late, around 12:30am, so I just stuck the tips of the leaf stems in water and went to bed. One is the size (diameter) of a ping-pong ball, and the other is the size of a tennis ball. Now what? Do I treat them like AV leaves... stick them in starting soil, cover them, keep them moist 'til they root? I've never started leaves before. I tried a couple of times last summer with my begonia 'Curly Fireflush' and was never successful.

I've quickly read through a few instructionals here on starting leaves, and it sounds pretty simple. Any other suggestions?

Thanks alot!
Karen

if the leaves have some pieces of stem attached, it's possible they might turn into plants. If the "stem" they have is the part that attaches the leaf to the stem, then the chances are low but still possible (according to what I've heard - I only bother with stolons).

I would probably put them in damp perlite in a bag. They might root in water too, if you add some aspirin or a pea (the equivalent of rooting hormone).

Thanks Key... I have the rooting hormone here. I've tried just putting the leaves in water before, when they've broken off, but that has never worked. And out of the stolons I took from the original plant, at least eight, I only got the two to root. But I really babied them 'til they took off!

A pea? As in a real 'pea'?

yeah, apparently when the pea sends out a root (which is faster than pretty much any other seed) it floods the water with the same rooting hormone. Aspirin and willow work the same way.

But I'd recommend the perlite over water.

Thanks Ki... interesting tidbit of information, about the pea. I coverned the tips of the leaf stems with rooting hormone I had, and put the in a mostly perlite mix, then put them in baggies under the grow lights. I guess we'll see, huh?

Thanks again... Karen

It's amazing the things you can learn on here.