I received a cutting as a gift from Hawaii. Hoping to get it to root over the winter if possible.

I'm in zone 9b and planning to keep it indoors during this time.

1. How can I get it to start rooting?
2. Plant it in dry soil only?
3. Use root hormone?
4. Best indoor location?
5. Should I use a heat mat?

If not possible to root during winter, should I just plant it in dry soil and leave it someplace? If so, where is a good location?

@Kalamodo at zone 9b, you can pretty much try to root your cutting outdoors this time of year for as long as the low's are 50 above. The below answer is if you are rooting it outside.

1&2) place cutting in a potting soil, water pence and let the water drain so soil stays moist but not soaking wet. Do not water again until you have 4 sets of leaves. If soil gets too dry moist a little. Bottom heat can speed up the rooting so place your put on a hot pavement or paver bricks.
3) Yes you can use root hormone.
4) South facing window.
5) not familiar with heat mat buy yes, Bottom heat is important.

The last question 4 & 5 are the answers.

If it were mine, I will just keep it indoors unplanted, keep warm and dry. Just wait patiently for mid Spring.

Knowing it is a cutting from Hawaii, it will struggle to root at this time of the year.

Less stress for you, and the cuttings will last anyways, they naturally do go dormant in winter, so lessen your frustration, delay it to mid Spring. Of course you can also stick it in dry media, but do keep it warm. You can sure try to root them, but most of the time in my previous attempts, it is easier for the cutting to develop black fungal rotting, air around easily gets cooler than what it prefers. If you can sustain lowest temps at 75F to 80F and daytime higher, maybe you can. But otherwise, it will be a frustrating long wait...might as well just hold back, keep it warm and dry and do the rooting in mid Spring.

I have two cuttings so I'll think about rooting one of them while trying to maintain temperature. It seems that warm soil triggers rooting so for indoor rooting should the medium be dry?