Lol, I'm an expert at the poor man gardening. For B. cappi sticks I try to bury one node if not more under the soil. I prefer to use a light airy soil so if you buy miracle grow soil for instance mix in a good portion of perlite to facilitate drainage. I find they root fine so long as the soil is kept moist, but not water logged. You don't want any soil that isn't going to let the roots breathe. Don't give up. I've seen some cuttings take two months before one of the nodes above the ground starts to grow, but the real magic happens when a node beneath the ground or in your pot grows. You will get much faster stronger growth from those nodes beneath the soil in my experience with B. cappi.