My first batch of cuttings died 100%. The second batch...65% lived. The third batch died 100%. And now the 4th batch I would say 65% lived. I dare not buy my 5th batch of cuttings...or can I just skip to my 6th batch without having the 5th one? Hahaha . What will you do if you are in my position?

Make every odd batch out of 1 cutting of the most common fig!

Well, tell us about your process. Where are you losing them? Are you losing them to rot, gnats, loved one or pet? LOL! How far apart are these batches?

more details might help. your method, at what stage they die... more details the better.

The first one definitely due to inexperience and it was in July this year. The second batch was in september the third in november and the 4th is this month. All were in cutting stages. The third batch died almost 2 weeks after I planted them in the cups using 70:30 perlite and peat moss mixture. The stems (mostly green stems) became soft and squishy. The one that survived in 2nd and 4th batches were rooted in moss first then re pot in 1:1:1 peat moss:perlite:baked red soil. I just wish I could get an 80% success rate. Please advice

I try to use fresh cut cuttings, I also try to root fast rooting types..... I had some Orphan cuttings that took 6 weeks show any nodes...???   Here is an old thread..I hope it helps...http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/cuttings-in-cups-losing-some-weekly-what-am-i-doing-wrong-6633822

From minimal experience I have learned that timing makes quite a lot of difference. At this point we are heading toward SPRING and therefore you may have better results now just because of the season. Plants seem to resist growing when it is not their season. I'm keeping my cuttings under chill at the very least for one more month. When spring comes they really want to grow.

Thanks Greenfig, Armando and milehighgirl for the advice. I am living in the tropics therefore it is growing season all year round. Armando is right, the cutting should be fresh but fig growing is very new here in malaysia therefore we tend to import all the cuttings

I think for me, the biggest killer was not putting them in a humidity bin or placing a bag over them.   So once potted.   1.always keep the humidity up on young cuttings 2. keep the humidity up with a plastic bag over them 3. Don't over water the small cuttings in pots. 4. avoid direct sunlight

two things. green wood cuttings are harder to root. they can rot quickly, or dry up quickly. you have to balance the moisture around it better than the hardwood cuttings. 

second. the fact you said they turned soft and squish says that you had too much moisture water. 

you can root cuttings yr around. there is no magic to it. although it seems like a magic at first, at least to me. if you are having problem rooting things, i suggest rooting in stages. first use ziploc bag or plastic shoebox to start the cuttings to root. once the roots are at least 1/4" long, move them to cup with soil of 50/50 perlite/seedling soil. once the roots are extensive, move to 1gal with same soil. if they survive the 1 gal, go to larger container after bare root and your choice of soil mix. 

trick to getting cuttings to root is constant temp of 75-80 and some thing to hold moisture, barely moist. for example, you can put the cuttings wrapped in paper towel that was wet with water, but squeezed almost to a point where water can not be squeezed out any more. check it everyday or two for mold and excess moisture on the cuttings. wipe them down if there are any molds or excess moisture. it should root in 2-4 weeks. if no root by 4th week, move them to cup. 

once in cup, keep them in humidity bin and do not water them until the cup is very very light. the water used to wet the soil mix prior to planting the cutting, if humidity bin is used, will last for months. once the cutting start to grow top/leaves and roots are extensive, you will have to watch them carefully. water need will increase dramatically. still you want to give very little water often then lot of water occasionally. 

whole trick is controlling temp and water. in early stages, cutting will rot if too much water is provided. it will drawn itself and start to rot. but if there is no moisture what so ever, it will dry. so you will have to provided minimum level of moisture and monitor to make sure cutting will survive. 

Thanks Pete. That's what I did when they do not root after a month...transfer them to a cup. I still have to learn a lot on rooting the cuttings. No matter that they do not root, I still find the pleasure of doing them.

If you live in tropics, skip the cup stage. Root in a ziplock bag and when you see the roots (1/4-1/2"), move to the 1 gal pots with damp porous soil. Cover the surface with fine bark to prevent the water evaporation. Estimate the pot's weight, do not water until they feel light. when it is a time to water, do this from the bottom by putting the pots on a deep dish. Keep the pots in a warm place away from the direct sun. Give it some time and you will achieve 80% easily! Good luck.

Thanks greenfig, I will do that in the future.

I recommend putting your potted cuttings in a clear plastic storage box sitting on a heat mat set to get a soil temp of 75-80.

Edit
Now I see you live someplace warm so maybe the heat mat isn't required if you can keep the temp up

Norhayati,
Your cuttings have spores and bacteria growing on them causing them to fail, It may be in the potting mix or on the cuttings.
If they are shipped damp, they should be disinfected before you start rooting. If they are shipped dry they should be disinfected then soaked for a few days before you start rooting. The mix that you use for rooting should be moist to the touch, never wet or dripping wet. Also the cut ends of the cuttings should be trimmed to remove any possible infection, note the attached diagram. If the bottom cut is too far away from the node, chance of rotting increases.
 
Good Luck.

<edit>
BTW, I have found that coconut coir is a good material for rooting fig cuttings.

this rooting thing is hard. i lost the majority in the cups. some got leaves, but then nice green plump leaves just dropped off.

it didn't matter if they were covered  by another cup or not.

in others, the roots just died.

i was using 5-1-1 because it's the fastest draining mix i know of. i've just switched to 70% perlite, 30% MG. this works for tomato cuttings.

I feel your pain, Norhayati & Susie. 2 of my greenwood Unk White Greeks (eBay purchase) up and died this week.  Rooted like champs, did well in cups for over a month, leafed out, then leaves wilted and died within several days. As if leafing out exhausted them.  I think small-diameter cuttings are just problematic for me unless I can get them fresh and established during the normal growing season. Most people I see with 100% success are using thick, closely-noded, older scion wood--I think they just have enough maturity and stored energy to sustain themselves through the propagation cycle. Of course, thicker wood requires more sacrifice from the donor tree, so that's problematic.

Thanks for the info re: cutting just below node, Pete.  I had heard this mentioned before, but it makes more sense now. I want to say cuts near nodes calloused and rooted much quicker as well? Definitely going to make sure future cuts follow the advice.

I have to double on the person that said timing is very important.
Even at the tropic fig tree goes semi dormant losing part of leaves and for sure the will to grow,in certain part of the year.
However, after obtaining cuttings and cooling them in refrigerator for about 2 weeks they will grow roots if exposed to control environment like nice warm greenhouse with strong growing lights that will create a  day length of about 14 hours plus.
The cuttings will be duped into believing that the growing season is on and will start growing roots and leaves.
Otherwise they do have an internal clock and will not grow ,if day length is decreasing, resulting in dead cuttings..

It is you AND it is the cuttings.

Cuttings: Some batches of cuttings just do not perform. Some varieties are just more difficult. Some will root just laying on the driveway. Dormant or hardwood cuttings are more adaptable and greenwood cuttings are more finicky.

You: Maybe some inexperience. Some beginners luck. Not evaluating the cuttings for proper requirements techniques. Sometimes a little neglect is a good thing. Sometimes you can be over-attentive and not patient enough.

Humidity is not the same as moisture in the rooting media. Humidity is good, and necessary, but fresh air is also critical. Moisture in the media is important but you probably need a lot less than you think.

Trial and error and more experience will help.

No one except liars has 100% success. Don't beat yourself up over the failures. Learn and move on.

depends on how you define 100%. back in early nov., i started 5 Kathleen's Black cuttings for my son's project. they all rooted, and they have all moved into cups. they all grew top, and more roots and now they are ready for 1 gal. so far i consider that 100%. as to if they will move into 1 gal and survive or not, that i do not know. i'll worry about that later. 

one the other hand, i had few cuttings coming in early dec. or so. they were moved into cups couple of weeks ago. none of them rooted in the baggie, but they did not dry up, and they did not rot. they were callused nicely on the bottom. i expect them to root in the cup. but, i have not seen the roots yet. meaning, they are 0% at this point. if i see them pushing top and roots soon, i would change my success rate. if i don't see any progress but the cuttings don't rot or dry up, then they will move into 1 gal in spring. will have to see what happens. 

Thanks Pete S for the attachments. That will help a lot. I will inform Malaysian's fig group on that. And thanks everyone for your contributions. At least I will learn from my mistakes. What a wonderful group.

Hi Norhayati,

I live in Singapore, so the weather conditions are similar.

Overwatering is the main cause for me.  Humidity is seldom a problem (if the cuttings are in indirect sun).
Direct sun will quickly dry out the exposed tips. 


After watering, I try not to let the cups "sit" in water.

Recently it is the rainy weather, with not much sun.  So no need to water the cups every day.

Nobody has mentioned the size of the cutting yet. While short 1 or 2 node cuttings can be rooted, they are much more difficult and take more skill and attention. A longer cutting around 8 inches has a good deal of stored energy for developing roots and shoots successfully. I like cuttings anywhere in the 6-10 inch range, I'm not in it for mass production..I'm in it for success. Thin cuttings are difficult as well, I think that thickness similar to a Sharpie marker is a good average. I have never had a cutting this size fizzle out and die or freeze in suspended animation forever without growing or dying. Small and thin cuttings on the other hand, I can't say the same, but sometimes they work.

Calvin, most of them had three or more nodes and around 5 to 6 inches long. I prefer thick cuttings too. Unless the sellers are doing heavy pruning, we always end up with thinner cuttings.