Taking cuttings? I don't think that has anything to do about culturing... Maybe I am wrong. Anyway, a tissue culture usually starts out with a sample, so you swab the site with a sterile swab. You place the sample (like, roll the swab in a petri dish) in a petri dish and add some solution which contains glucose, I think. Then the petri dish is sealed, and placed in a heater. It is not baked, but warmed to speed up any growth that there may be. If there is no growth over a space of one or two days, it is negative for growth. If there is a sign of growth, the growth should be looked at and identified so it can be treated.
I hope that helped!