I use the mix from the post 10 above and do not cover the cuttings with bags, just with clear cups sometimes if the cutting is too thin. I do not observe the droopy leaves at all. They may grow slower but with fewer problems.

Been thinking about you Greenfig, I now see the urgency, just lost another one, so I am now in the process of looking for some good mix, will look for the mix you recommended. Also Thanks Gloria, will keep up the Humidity. Thanks Steve and everyone else for the welcomed input.

Hi Armando,

I use 30-40% peat moss.  Topped up to 100% with either vermiculite or perlite or a mix.

Rooting cups are in translucent white box, uncovered.

I let them have some morning sun.

I might add slow release chemical fert pellets after a while (just a little bit, few pellets) when leaves and roots develop.

Humidity control not a problem since I live in the tropics.

Armando, I haven't notice a comment on whether you've used rooting hormone or not.  I'm not suspecting that's your problem, but I killed quite a few cuttings earlier this year using too much hormone and have had better success using none compared to a lot.

Even if your cups have a lot of holes, the moisture level can be quite high in the mix depending on how much peat, etc.  Once roots rot, leaves will wilt as the roots are no longer taking up moisture once they've been damaged by rot.

Thanks just started potting some up..........25% Perlite , 25% Peat Moss and 50% dirt and this will have to do this evening...tommorow will look for some potting soil or the mix that Igor (Greenfig) suggested.     Thanks Harvey, used some Clonex gel on some of them......on the leaves wilting...it does make sense that the roots are starting to rot......well I pulled some out and there wasn't tons of roots.   So as someone suggested that I needed to keep it on the drier side....I think its been on the wetter side...........Thanks Again Everyone....!!!

I have about 15 cuttings ready to move into pots, but I'm terrified I'm going to kill them all in the process. I was hoping I might be able to get through the hard winter in cups, but that's probably optimistic. Please report back on your up-potting results, Armando. [Is it just me or does F4F feel like a mommyblog sometimes? "My kid's first day of school...so nervous!!!" :)]

Armando,
Most of my past rooting failures were water related, too much moisture in the potting mix.

Only when the roots do not develop quick enough is a humid environment needed to keep the cutting alive, especially if it has started to leaf out. Adding too much moisture to the potting mix only increases the chances of rotting the cutting, a fast draining potting mix without vermiculite (which holds too much moisture) has increased my cutting survival rates. BTW, I don't use the "humidity dome" for more than an initial 2 weeks after potting up from the pre-rooting (in baggie or seedling plug) stage.

Variations of the rooting method posted by Jon V. have been the most successful to date.

In this topic on hormone treatment that was started last season, I did several experiments and came to several conclusions about growing mixes, temperature, humidity and hormone treatment. Most of the conclusions have also been documented in the forum archives by other forum members.
Good Luck.

Rick,
My hubby laughs at me when I talk to my cuttings, wants to know how I can tell the girls from the boys but I tell him I can tell.....

Armando, I think you need much more perlite to help reduce risk of mold.  I've used something like 90% perlite and 10% peat and even that can become too wet.  However, I've also had some good success of late just using some straight ProMix HP (can be bought at Lowe's or higher volume bags at supply houses).  I've used Parafilm to help prevent desiccation and watered just a little and my success rate has been very good lately.  I started them in 3" square x 9" high tree pots since I picked up a few thousand of them for free (discarded after planting wine grape vineyards locally).  I suggest skipping the rooting hormone altogether since figs root very easy without.

Where were you yesterday Harvey...LOL     I will try to put as much perlite as possible on the rest.....already potted most of them with the mix of perlite, peat moss and soil....so I guess I will keep the watering at a minimum......anyway I am learning  alot......Thanks for the Great Advice everyone...!!!!

How are your cuttings doing?

Still losing cuttings, could be the trauma of moving them to a 1 gallon....most that died had a small amount of roots.  I am new to rooting cuttings...???  Next time I think,
I will not use cups and go to 1 gallon pots and have some dirt added to the mix of perlite and potting mix.   ( not upset, one day I will become an expert...LOL ).....There are many factors to grow a cutting well, the mix, the amount of diffused sunlight and the amount of water.....I originally started a lot of cuttings 80 and expected to lose about 15.....well I am down to 48 and I am OK, it may be easier to track the progress with fewer cuttings than 80.

Armando,
Repotting to larger containers should not cause much stress if the roots are minimally or not disturbed. When I up pot from Plugs, 16 oz or 32 oz clear containers, the fresh potting media is pre-moistened with dilute Miracle Grow General Purpose fertilizer (24-8-16) mixed at 1 teaspoon / 1 gallon of water. The newly potted 1 gallon containers are never "watered in". This simple procedure has resulted in an almost 100% up potting survival rate. This is also based on ambient temperatures above 70 deg F.
   

Soil with microbes (fungi and bacteria) can cause the cuttings and roots to rot and may also introduce insects, so the initial potting mixes should be as "clean" as possible for the highest survival rates. My cutting potting mix has been revised many times, and this cutting mix recipe has produced my highest survival rate past the 1 gallon stage.
Good Luck.

Pete, Beautiful Pics....Lots of Roots....mine were smaller roots....maybe I should of kept in the rooting bag longer...??? or my earlier mix of 80pct Perlite and 20pct Vermiculite was not doing well for me....a friend of mine said maybe adding soil could add nutrients..........Thanks Pete will look into the MG Liquid Fertilizer, and looked at you cutting mix what is Coir...???

Armando,
Thanks.
Pre-rooting in bags or cups is only necessary to get a controlled environment for initial root growth. Its more important to keep the cuttings above 70 Deg F and maintain high humidity around the cutting (85% - 90% Relative Humidity) at least for the first 2 months to get the roots established quickly, note the pictures of the air roots growing under the pre-rooting dome and in the baggie.
  
The sifted fast draining mix is the key to maintaining high humidity without getting the mix saturated with water. You could probably use 100% Perlite, but the cutting still needs nutrients. The General Purpose MG fertilizer provides the balanced nutrients in the potting mix. I used the Coconut Coir (shredded coconut husk) mix, but a normal Peat based mix works as well. I do not rely on a humidity dome, but instead focus on optimal temperatures and humidity for fast root growth, so mold growth has never been an issue.

Pete,
When you say pre-moistened soil mix you use in cups how moist it is?
Just to darken it up and when a ball is made in the palm it barely holds together?
Some suggested preparing the soild mix one  day ahead of potting,
and placing sample in a cup, if it shows little condensation on the cup wall a the bottom of the cu, then it is right!
I believe I managed the start-up, my problem occurs about week to 10 days later when the condensation either dissapears or the roots that where nice and white turn brown and "shrink". Is it normal for roots that hit sides of the cup to shrink?
I suppose they stay dry and shrink and change the colour.
At this stage I am tempted to water and repeat water and end-up loosing about 50% of rooted cuttings between week 2-week 4.
cuttings that survive this stage appear to be making it safely.
any suggestions are greatly appreciated?

Armando, have your cuttings stabilized?

Damir

My cutting are in 50% pearlite and 25% compost 25% vermiculite mix. They are under florescent bulbs 12 hrs a day on wire shelves. I grow orchids on the shelf above them.
Its about 70-75 deg. in that area of the basement during during the day.
I have taken the loose plastic bags off of the 32 oz clear deli containers since I was seeing a little mold on some of the cuttings recently. I never rubber banded them closed or sealed them in any way. The bags were open on the bottom and had light condensation inside by the end of the day.
The humidity of the basement is about 30-40%.
My oldest cuttings have 1/4 inch buds that have grown. I do not see any roots in the cup yet but that's not to say they are not there. I just cannot see them at this point.

Damir,
Damp but not wet to the touch. I usually start with 5 gallons of mix watered and drained, then add dry potting mix and mix in a large covered storage bin (48 Qt) until damp with no visible moisture (approximately an additional 2 gallons of dry mix). I usually have several gallons of pre-wetted mix in the storage bin. Initially visible condensation on the side of a cup is not that important, visible moisture in the mix is. If the wetted mix is warmer than ambient temperature, there will always be visible moisture with your cup test. When the cutting is growing, visible moisture (condensation) on the cup is an indication that moisture is not needed.

The roots will get tan (harden off) over time, but the clear cups have to be placed in an opaque container or covered to protect roots from sunlight. If the roots dry out and turn brown they are dead. I use red outer cups for 16 oz and pieces of black garbage bags as covers (sleeves) for clear 32 oz containers. I Use a spray bottle to get water between the cup and potting mix if there is no condensation on the cup, also misting the leaves once a day if the room is dry. In less than two (2) months the cuttings are usually ready to be potted in 1 gallon containers. I have also gone directly to 1 gallon containers, skipping the 16 or 32 oz containers, using the same potting procedure.
 

Fight the urge to water, it usually does harm! Good Luck.

Thanks Pete,
The photos you uploaded, show nice tan and healthy roots.
perlite appears to be the main ingredient in your mix, and there is a plenty of visible condensation on the walls of the cup that apparently was not harmful.
I would assume these are ready for up-potting?
On the group image out of 3 images in the link below you can see some dry roots.
The tan roots in the close-ups, although normal looking, the plant died due to bark rot just above the base.
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/28023220918-1386024932-59929/

Damir,
You're welcome. The two cuttings pictured in post # 43 are only 34 days old from start of rooting (follow the hyperlink), baggie method in long fibered sphagnum moss. They are well past potting up and they were up potted after the picture was taken. They could have been potted to 1 gallon containers directly from the baggies. The visible roots in the 32 oz containers are only 2 weeks old. If there was no condensation on the container the cutting would be watered. Note the dead and dying root tips that are being air pruned.

Small particles usually settle to the bottom of containers and the lower ends of the cuttings, holding moisture, causing rot and possible failure. The sifted Perlite mix (larger particles and minimum fines) allows for air circulation around the cutting, keeping it moist but not wet, preventing rot and maintaining the best conditions for callus growth on the end of the cutting.

Careful watering would be required with a less porous mix. I have been able to water the perimeter of the cups with a spray bottle, keeping the cuttings dry. It just takes more time to water each individual cup.

@ Armando,

I transferred one of my cuttings today, as not to disturb The roots I make a hole in my new pot and drop the cutting in to it.

Thanks Luke,......Looking back at how I started the cuttings, I think I potted them in cups to soon, the roots were about half an inch long but looked strong.....So I should of waited until they were about an inch and a half.......I was in a hurry to get them out of the rooting bags to avoid battling mold.....and once I got them in a cup I avoided putting a bag over them again avoiding mold......NEXT TIME: I will wait for larger roots and avoid rooting 80+ cuttings, and keep the humidity up for 2 months.  ( The reason I rooted so many cuttings is because I new I would lose some and wanted some for trading and sell a few locally on craigslist.)

MY DOWNFALL:
1. Small Roots
2. Wrong Rooting Mix
3. NO Humidity
4. To Much Watering

I put all my cutting into cups I don't do the paper/moss thing and it takes a while to start, but it seems to root ok for me!
my basic thought is to keep the temp up and the watering to a min.
Maybe next time instead of starting all your cuttings at the same time, start one and put the rest in the fridge,
This is what I am trying this year just as a back up.

Armando:

Try deeper, dark containers. I would cover two thirds of the cutting with soil. Do not over water. The soil that you use is not as important as not to let the cuttings dry up or rot before rooting.
I've been inserting my cuttings into moisture control soil from Home Depot and my success rate is over 50 to 75% depending on the variety.
I never expect all cuttings to succeed. The condition of the individual cutting might have something to do with it.
For example, last summer I tried to root 6 cuttings of the same variety under the same conditions. Three made it while the other three never showed a sign of life.

Also When I re pot, I do my best to never disturb the existing roots.

typical 16oz cup will do the trick. the trick is keep the whole thing in the warm, humid area where water in the soil will not evaporate too quickly. and do not water until the cup feels very very light but the leaves are still perky, and it's full of roots. 

here is my set up. 



that's with cover off. 

this is with "cover" on. the idea is to have enough headroom for the growing cuttings during the winter so they can have humidity and warmth. 



i need to find me a better photo editing tool.. this sucks. 

they are all KB in 16oz cup with peat pot. 3 cups went in about 2 weeks ago, and other two went in this weekend. first 3 is pushing roots to the top of the soil, soon i'll see the roots against the cup. 

the idea is to keep soil, cutting, root and leaves in humid condition without drowning them in water. only water those plants have is water i used to wet the soil to move them into the cup. that same water will last months until there are enough roots and humidity dome can come off. once the humidity dome comes off for good, i will start water them very little every few days. since it's winter and my house is dry, once humidity dome comes off they need watering every 3-4 days. but by that time, roots are well developed and the top is also well developed. they can withstand the drier room and more or less water where it won't kill them if i water them little too much.