First time with using the paper towel in a clear bag method.   I've seen nothing happening in there so far.

It's been maybe a couple of weeks.   The temperature in the house varies from 67 to 75 degrees, they are on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight. 

I wonder if the paper towels have too much moisture?  The inside of the bag always has condensation, but I wasn't worried about it until I noticed just now that the scions developed a light white fibrous mold all over the exterior.

Have I ruined them?   Should I do anything?

Valerie
zone 6b

Sounds too wet. Paper towel should be damp, not wet. Changing the air in the bag each week helps keep mold at bay. I would take them out and clean/bleach them, and put them back in a fresh bag. Some cuttings just get moldy - every one has been there.

Valarie, may I ask why are you starting cuttings now?  I'm just curious.  How do you plan on maintaining your sticks when they root?

you cant go wrong with spaghnum moss.  Almost impossible for mold to survive.

A handful, soaked in water for 30 seconds and squeezed out fairly hard will do for a large Ziploc bag.  You can usually root up to 3 normal sized cuttings per bag.

Seal up the bag half way, and put it in an average temp place that has light but direct light is not necessary. 
Once the rootlets appear (and they will), cup/pot them up in the media of your choice but make sure its an opaque container or a clear cup sleeved with an opaque one.  Again wet the media once until water comes out the bottom and then leave it alone.  You probably should throw another cup on top with a couple holes in it to keep moisture/humidity around the cutting top.
This method give you so much leeway with moisture and mold that I will never go back to other methods.  I have nearly 100% success with this method and I failed miserably with ALL the other methods I have tried.

good luck

Pit and Nas,

Thanks very much for your help.   Lacking more time, I aired out the cuttings this morning, and the mold seems to have decreased a lot.  I will pursue washing them tomorrow.

I will be buying a lot of peat moss for blueberry plantings, so I will be sure to sock some away for rootings.  Great idea!  And I like the double cup idea as well.   I'd decided to go with clear cups for my greenhouse projects, but I just got to wondering today if light might be harmful to the roots.   Sleeving them in an opaque cup is just the solution.  :o)

Snagle,  I'm rooting them now because in years past my figs have all died back to the roots, so there is nothing living to take cuttings from in the spring.   I will do it again when the figs begin to grow again, but I'm hoping to get a jump on the year.  If it doesn't work out, I've lost nothing, but gained some experience.

As for what I'll do with them -   I am hoping to put them in soil when they have roots, and keep them as houseplants until they can be put safely outside, hardened off, and planted in a more sheltered location than the parent fig trees have.

Valerie
Zone 6b

Valerie. Spaghnum moss is not the same as spaghnum peat moss.

Google images Chilean moss and then google
peat moss and you'll see the difference. They r completly different
and they're uses and properties vary greatly.

The biggest thing is that it is anti fungal or something like that. Basically mold can't grow on it.

Hi Y'all,

I keep having trouble finding out what sphagnum moss is.

Is it the spagnum PEAT moss, or is there something called sphagnum moss that is different from peat moss made from sphagnum?  I know I'm dumb, but I need help with this, here, because I've got some cuttings coming that I'll need to store and then root in the spring and I don't want to kill them.

Thanks so much,

noss

Thanks Nas,

I had no idea!  :o)

I did a search an found several sites talking about this difference.  Here's the first paragraph from Wikipedia:

Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss (North American usage) or sphagnum peat (British usage) on the other, the latter being the decaying matter underneath.^[1] Bogs are dependent on precipitation as their main source of nutrients, thus making them a favourable habitat for sphagnum as it can retain water and air quite well. Members of this genus can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; some species can hold up to 20 times their dry weight in water, which is why peat moss is commonly sold as a soil conditioner. The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions. In wetter conditions, the spaces contain air and help the moss float for photosynthetic purposes. Sphagnum and the peat formed from it do not decay readily because of the phenolic compounds embedded in the moss's cell walls. An additional reason is that the bogs in which Sphagnum grows are submerged, deoxygenated, and favor slower anaerobic decay rather than aerobic microbial action. Peat moss can also acidify its surroundings by taking up cations such as calcium and magnesium and releasing hydrogen ions.

Valerie
Zone 6b

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1920&bih=828&q=chilean+spaghnum+moss&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

VS

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1920&bih=828&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=peat+moss&aq=f&aqi=g5g-m4&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

imho, paper towl should be at least 80% 'wrung out' before using.  i squeeze firmly with one fist after wetting.  rinse all cuttings with 10% bleach solution, then scrub the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush (mind the unavoidable splatter, you can bleach clothes, skin and other stuff nearby)

i sleeve with opaque cups, roots don't like light.  cut the bottom off the opaque cup so water can still drain and air will vent through the holes in the bottom of your clear cup.

there are better times to start cuttings, but i started in late december last year and all of my plants did alright.  you just need to worry about indoor pests like spider mites and fungus gnats the whole time they're inside.

if your trees die back or die completely every year, i would consider trimming them back and finding a suitable way to cover or protect them.

One other thing:

BTW - I also recommend checking out the following links:

A new style of rooting by pitangadiego:
http://figs4fun.com/Rooting_Bag_New_Style.html

Rooting mediums by JD:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4322653

Rooting: cups vs. pots, and considerations (me)
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4912281

Repotting: when and how? (me)
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4679419

Those threads will do you a lot of justice.  I put out there somewhere an explanation of the method I sorted out over several batches last year.   My biggest problem, as is I think most people's biggest problem, was avoiding overwatering.

If I can find my process of using the baggie method, I will share.

Thanks for the tips.  They are very helpful.

I am covering them already.  The purpose of rooting new ones is so that I can try other, hopefully more sheltered, locations on my property.  Places that will not require such extensive labors to protect the trees in winter.

Thank you for the links as well.  I will check them out. :o)

Valerie
Zone 6b

Another tip, on watering vs. overwatering.  See this thread - the infighting in the thread is why I don't bother to go to Gardenweb anymore.  But my second post which has a lot of info on watering is pretty good, I think, and there's other good info in there.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg021016033420.html

And finally, here is the method I use, which is closely tied to the baggie method I think you may be using.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=38919753&postcount=7