I know this has  been done before, but still...I learn a lot from reading and sometimes copying what others are doing. 

Heres mine:

Remove caps daily for about an hour to let moisture dry off, then mist and re cap.  This seems to inhibit mold.

Water  once a week.  I move everything outside on the patio and saturate each cup pouring from the top.

My cups are sitting in large plastic trade pots in a south facing window.  So far this year I have only dumped over one cutting.   For me that's pretty good.

I only have 19 in cups this year.   So it's pretty easy.

Dave your weather is different than mine, but here, once I put them in cups, I try not water at all, at most, I give  a 'spoon here and another there', moist should be minimum.   once roots grow they use water, so in 2 weeks, you will need to check more and add a bit more water...but since there is a cover the moist stays in there, and excess only invites mold.

here is my typical method. i use old baggie method with viva paper towel. i know brand shouldn't matter, but viva paper towel for whatever reason has sheets stuck togather until you roll them off. less chance of things growing between the sheets while it's in the storage. once is see any sign of roots, or once the cutting has good top, or once the cutting has been sitting in the bag for over 4 weeks, they go into the cup. whichever comes first. for cup, i use peat pot method. i use 1:1 perlite and soil mix. i make sure the soil is moist. then once they are in cup i water throughly. then they go into the bin. i air them once a day for few hours. i do this until i see 3-4 roots between the peat pot and the clear plastic cup. then they go into the 1 gal pot. from there, they get weekly fertilizer until mid july-early aug. i might extent that this year.

only difference with my typical method and this winter is i'm leaving them in baggie and cup as long as i can until spring gets here.

i only water when the peat pot shows light khaki color. it's almost fool proof method from over watering.

Dave,

My routine is to brush every cutting with Physan 20, and let them dry out.  Then, I put them in barely damp sphagnum to root, and mostly they all do.  Quality cuttings will root.  By that, I mean freshly cut prior to sending.

When I see short, white, healthy roots, time to go into the cups.  I use 20 oz cups, and the scissors or box cutter makes nice drainage and air holes in both top and bottom.  JD punches them with an ice pick on the sides to aerate more.  I put the rooted cuttings (try for the middle, but isn't it funny that a shoot will pop up next to the edge?) in the cup in a damp mix of 50/50 perlite and peat moss.  I put the top on, seal it with masking tape with the variety and donor's name (mainly so I remember who gave me what).  Then I soak the cup in warm water and let the water drain.  Then I put a wrap of foil around the bottom cup leaving plenty of room for drainage. 

The cuttings are in trays in a well lit room.  No sunlight, but plenty gets diffused through the glass blocks in the bathroom where they reside.  I don't remove the top unless I see signs of mold, and they get hit again with Physan 20 and allowed to dry out before re-capping.  I soak the cups in a cup of warm water, let them drain when they are obviously light to pick up.  Probably once a week for the heavy rooters, and less for the lagging rooters.

I love the surprises.  One can be in the cup for a month, about to toss the thing to the curb, then, a little green nub on the cutting, or a shoot comes up from below.

After their leaves start pushing out the air holes in the top cup, I remove it, let them get used to air, then pot them into gallon containers.

That's my drill.  Looking forward to hear others.  Great thread, Dave!

Suzi

am just starting to use cups and am planning on getting more today for some more cuttings. i like the smooth side 16 oz clear cups. i use a mix of seed starting mix or moister control potting mix with a little perlite (not much i ran out and its hard to get here this time of year). i melt holes in the side and bottem of half the cups and fill each with soil very loosly. i dont even pat it down. then i treat my cuttings by scraping the nodes and scoreing the bottem. the cutting is treated to a 7-1 mix of dip n grown, placed in the medium, and capped with a cup withough holes. the cups go ontop of my deep freezer for under warmth from the condenser. i see roots in in 3-4 weeks, once i have roots and open leaves the top comes off and it goes under the grow light on the other side of the room.

I for got to add i stick the bottem cup inside of a baggie so the little moister in the medium doesnt dry out as fast.

Besides the 50-75 cuttings I have in baggies with sp. moss, I also have 70-80 in 32 oz deli cups. I use 60/40 perlite to pro mix. I use 1/8' drill to make about 8-10 holes
in the top and bottom cups. When roots appear, I place that clear cup in a solid cup or wrap with foil. I am just starting to do the inverted 32 oz cup with a 24 oz
cup for the top. They hardly ever get any additional water until they have roots/leaves and go under the T8 lights. If moisture builds up inside the cup, I remove
the top cup until it is gone. I did have about 5 that had a little hairy mold but a mixture of one tsp of clorox to a quart of water took care of that.

Dave,
   I root my cuttings in 1gal.zip-lock bags filled with orchard moss. At the first sign of roots they go into the 32oz. deli cups(inverted).  The soil mixture is 1/3 perlite,and 2/3 of what ever I have on hand(sometimes it's MG moisture control, or seed starting mix, or spagnum peat moss, or organic potting mix), it dose'nt seem to matter what type of soil mixture I use, they just grow in whatever is available.
   After they are in the cups I give them a pretty good misting with a spray bottle to water them in. After that they get a light watering once a week, and no more( I don't care how dry the soil looks--once a week, and that's it). I have lost too many rooted cuttings by over watering. 
   I keep them in the cups until they are almost root bound(keeps the root ball together when up potting to 1gal.pots, and also the roots are less likely to break off when they are thicker, stronger, and hardened a little).  Humidity domes are used on and off depending on any sign of mold either on the cutting or on the surface of the soil mix. Once the cuttings start really leafing out, the humidity domes come off for good until up potting. 

So basically, we all just "wing it!"  We use whatever is handy, and somehow, fig's just want to grow!

Suzi

1. Cuttings are started in Sphagnum Moss in 1 gallon Ziplock bags @ 76 Deg F.
2. After Callused and root initials potted in 16 Oz clear cups with 70/30 or 80/20 mix (perlite / MG seed starting mix) @ 76 Deg F..
3. Cups place in ZipLock bags (Humidity Dome) for 1-2 weeks, aired daily @76 Deg F..
4. After 2 weeks (roots visible in cups) bag is removed and cuttings placed near window @ Room Temp.
5. Cups are watered from the top lightly when visibly dry (no condensation on inside of cup).
6. Plant in 1 gallon pot when cup is full of roots (root ball can be removed intact by holding cutting)

If roots and leaves are present...Fertilize with MG fertilizer @ 1/2 Teaspoon/1 Gallon water once a week, after watering with plain water.

Edit: Although there are unlimited variations for rooting and growing cuttings, the process actually boils down to the same few variables, initial high humidity (rooting stage), warmth and good air circulation, how you achieve these goals creates the differences. A chicken egg incubator set at 75-80 deg F would make a good rooting environment.

Note attached Topic for additional Info lots of pictures and personal experiences.
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Rooting-in-a-bag-NEW-Style-4551910?highlight=rooting+cuttings

What I have noticed from my limited experience, the faster you get roots growing, the higher the cutting survival rate. Hardened roots can survive occasional over watering and will support leaves without the requirement of "humidity domes". That's why the scoring and hormone seems like a good addition to all the different methods, It speeds root formation and increases the total root volume.

Without these discussions, these avenues would not be explored.
Thanks.

I just about follow Mike and Vince's method.  I also tend to want to underwater rather than overwater.  I usually water when the second deli cup (the one without holes on the outside) is fairly dry.  When I do water I give 1 tablespoon to each container and yes I do use a tablespoon.  If the container looks especially dry I will give 2 tablespoons but NO more.  I've also figured out that if I leave one end of the lid to the Sterlite container not seated that I get perfect moisture levels, i.e no mold growth.

suzi.. i "wing it" lot of things, but not when it comes to fig and beer :))) and bagpipes.. and scouting.. and single malt scotch (that's why i haven't drank one in awhile). hey.. i got an idea. barter system. 1 gal pot of Black Madeira for a bottle of 16 yr old lagavulin.. lol

edit: i'm joking about barter thing. really.. i love single malts, but i haven't tasted my BM to trade it yet.

Suzi,
   I think what is being said here is that you need to find out what works best for you, and do it.

yupe.. what works best. i tried putting the cutting directly in ground. didn't work for me. neither did putting them in water. only reliable method for me is baggie and peat pot. i tried cup without peat pot and that wasn't all the reliable for me either. so i'm sticking to what works for me. 

Yes dave, i agree 100% i try my thing, hear about thier thing, come up with a whole new thing. share repair, and rebuild. I am drawing up plans for another propagation method incorperated from the several i have tried. taking the best from each to reach perfection. or that most reliable way.

Dave
what we share is worth more than gold.

                 Quote:   "Ah Grasshopper.  There is so much more to it than that."
                _________________________________________________________



   But Master, Isn't that what Grasshopper has been saying all along, that we collect informatiom from all other honorable members of the kingdom and come to a collective understanding of the true meaning of life?  ( eg.  fig life )

thinking about stacking cups to save space. any thoughts.

Do you put holes in the top for ventilation?

no holes in the top but some i the bottem.

I bought this Rubbermaid spray bottle that can deliver a lot of water with the mist setting and I mist them randomly throughout the day. When I see the soil might be dry I give them a good soak with the jet setting.
I keep them under two desks lamps, with a heating pad underneath. They've been able to survive the winter so far.