Anyone had potted cuttings where the buds turned brown and the wood above the moist soil appeared to be drying out / shriveling? I've had a few do this weeks after rooting in sphagnum and potting in peat pots over perforated 16 oz clear cups under grow lights. Using MG seedling mix with 10% extra sifted perlite. Watering by weight to maintain 2-3 oz.

The varieties are Italian Everbearing, ucd 291, and Flanders. Others under the same conditions are doing great including Brown Turkey, Champagne, Hybrid 0023, and Osborne Prolific. My black madiera even had a fig (which I removed). Transferred 0023 and the BT to a raised bed outside already for this season and leaves have adapted without loss. Roots were punching through the peat cups.

Any suggestions to save the cuttings or should I start over? I do not recall if clonex gell was used to get them started. It seems the cuttings are running out of energy.

I have had this happen many times and have heard it referred to as "sudden fig death". There seem to be many causes: To wet, to dry, Temp change, feeding cuttings, Compost given to cuttings, and often there doesn't seem to be any reason at all. I use about 80 - 90% perlite with the remainder seed starting mix. I have greatly reduced my incidence of "sudden fig death" by using a very small amount of Hormex in the water that I use to water the cuttings. But I don't use it until the cuttings have good root growth. I also don't give my cuttings any food of any kind until they are well established.

Thats happened to me in past when the plumbing within was ruined from too much water not sure if thats
the case here.

ok, IMHO... sometimes, when we plant the freshly rooted cuttings, we press on them or around them to make the soil settle...this breaks/cuts all the roots that we think they are still there to feed the cutting. By the time the cutting is out of entire stored energy and roots have not developed yet to support it, it dies. That's how I see it. That's why I NEVER press or even shake the soil around the freshly planted cutting. use water to make the soil settle all around it instead :) 
Figs have the gentlest roots ever. they are pain in the ars!

True Aaaron no good to press with newly rooted transplanted cutting as by pressing one is packing
space that air cannot circulate as air is important to root zone when at that stage.

i press the heck out of the soil moving to cup. i make sure the cutting is secure and won't move around. never water on top of pre-wet soil mix. If your cutting has started rooting, it will put out new root again very soon. but, if you water more than needed in cup stage, it will drown those cuttings and you won't see any further roots... maybe gnats :)

I've had this happen many times recently. Does.We'll in the cups. Start seeing good roots on the sides, then suddenly they turn brown and the cutting starts dying. It's certainly not from breaking the roots off while cuping. I think it was a mistake to use potting mix right after rooting. Half were fine and half died. (Out of about 60).

So I've gone back to using perlite/vermiculite after rooting. So far so good.

I never do cup stage, so wouldn't know, I take them from zip-lock to 1gallon directly.

Hi,
I saw a cutting doing that last Saturday.
It had two stems with 2 leaves. Bottom stem lost the 2 leaves after they wilted, and the upper stem lost one leaf.
The last leaf is still ok, and it was the only one to have direct access to light - the other 3 had got a bit shaded ...
I don't know if that cutting will make it ... But for now the two stemlets are still solid green ...

Happens to me sometimes too. At cup stage stems and few leaves are healthy. Pot up to 1 gal. and a week later leaves are falling off and stems start to turn brown. Don't know if it's transplant shock, too much water, too little water, too much light, etc., etc.

I have been frustrated with this as well,  cant figure it out,.

This has been the toughest part for me. The transition from cup to one gallon I am consistently losing one here and there. One observation is the tip cuttings seem to do this the most. I may leave them in cups longer to get a little beefier maybe that will help.

Are you guys using a clear cup to cover the transplanted cuttings into 1Gallon? always cover! (for at least a week)

Thanks for all the responses.

Tried to capture the shrivelling on the photo of an Osborne Prolific, complete with green bud.
I start with roots similar to the one shown and didn't pack down the seedling mix around them. Most are doing pretty well. Some earlier mistakes shown dying and but learned from.