I just do it with rockwool and dip n gro. 99% success rate.
I've had good luck with rock wool, especially when starting seeds. Usually, I just do clones in little plastic cups full of vermiculate with holes punched in the bottom, standing in a shallow tray of water.
Thank you all for the kind words. Ole Rodan broke our deal. If she'd made it to 80, I wouldn't have had to bury her. I did worry about what would happen to her after I was gone, though.
It blind-sided me big time. She was happy, healthy, and still mooching 2AM snacks off of me when I raided the kitchen. Only thing I can figure is that it was a heart attack. If so, I hope it was quick and painless.
She was one of the last Blue & Gold Macaws to come out of Brazil before the export ban. She was wild caught and deathly afraid of people, especially their hands. I tamed her down over a year by offering her a peanut held in my lips. She remembered mama feeding her that way. Pretty soon, I could hold one in my fingers as long as they were close to my face and she'd take 'em. After that, she'd eat out of my palm if it was something she wanted.
She loved bacon, French fries, chicken (she wouldn't touch chicken for the first ten years or so), and any flavor of cookie or cracker you offered. I never over did it with the treats, but she'd let you know when she wanted one.
Found myself aimlessly wandering around in the driveway today with my face leaking. Came out of it when I noticed the pup following my every move. Sat down on the concrete and he licked my face clean. Came to the quick realization that life is for the living. Also had to grin when I though of all the fish, cats, dogs, birds, and snakes that Rodan had seen come and go over the last 40 years.