Cuttings from woody stems?

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I just got a plant in the mail (truncata x maxima) with a few established growing points coming out of a big stretch of woody stem. I'm not a fan of woody stem, and it would be great to have a bunch of cuttings of this thing, so it's going to get hacked back. However from what I've been reading, it's very hard to get woody stem cuttings to survive. Though I did see somewhere that people have had a lot of success air-layering the it.

So, does anyone have any input on this? What're your experiences? Cut? Air-layer? Don't bother?

The plant also has one of those leaves with two tendrils coming out of it... too bad that leaf is probably half-dead at this point, because that would have looked pretty cool with pitchers.

 

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First off, I wouldn't cut it down to just a woody stem, especially if it has no offshoots. If you do that, there is a chance you could lose the plant. Is this a rooted cutting, or a seed grown plant? A seed grown plant would have a better chance because of its larger root system. You could try air layering, as it should be effective on its thick stem. That's the only way you can get a good strike rate on woody stems. Before you cut it, try cutting off the newest leaves (including on the growth tip, but be sure not to cut the actual stem!). This should induce basal shoots. Bending the stem below soil level probably wouldn't work because this hybrid usualy has thick stems. Where did you get yours from? I just got a rooted cutting, but it's not the same clone as exotica's.

 

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The basal is already developing, and I was going to let it keep going a bit. The root system is huge.

I got mine from Hortus Botanicus, and I don't know if it's the exotica clone or not. I'm hoping it is, though I don't know the chances of that.