meushi

Joanie,

No idea for 1) and 3).

For 2), I have read in several places that it was better to remove the unhardened parts on top. It seems logical, as those would dry out fairly quickly and sweat a lot in the process. Up to now, in my limited experience (ornamental cherry tree), the cutting that survived the longest had its top lopped off. In fact, it still looks normal on this day whereas my previous attempts had already dried out after a few days. The previous attempts dried before the heatwave, while this one was started during the heatwave.

Hope that helps,
Mike