people put cuttings directly in water after cutting and make their final cut while submerged in the water to prevent air bubbles going into the main stem. air in the stem is a clone killer because that bubble will prevent anykind of uptake of water to the cutting. your not suppose to keep the wool sopping wet because you can end up with mold and rotting! also lay off the superthrive all the time. its ok if you apply it once but you dont need too much and you dont need to keep spraying them all the time with it. plain water goes a long way! oh and dont strip the outer layers! just scrap them or rough up the surface. you can also just peel the last leaves from the node below the cut. peel it so you get those veins coming off like celery