So the second cutting should be something like 4 inches tall or so, keeping in mind what u said about looking for leaves in the rooting area as it would become the bottom or "dipping end"?

Would it also be a good idea to scrape the rooting area so as to rough it up, expose it and saturate it with cloning gel?
What do u think about the leaves with the crispy edges? should they stay or go?

Thank you very much