OK, I've got some roots now!

I'm concerned that I may still lose the cutting, though, because the
lower part of the stem (below the roots) has rotted. If I leave it in
water until the roots are clearly long enough to support the plant,
I'm afraid the whole thing will rot.

Any suggestions on how to manage the transition from water to soil so
that the cutting neither shrivels up nor rots?

My email address is LLM041103 at earthlink dot net.