gnat, mold, rot.. all of them can be prevented before they happen. yes, there are times prevention doesn't help. problem will come even if we do our best, but chances are pretty good if we plan ahead and set things just right, almost all problems can be prevented, if not controlled quickly if they do happen. 

gnat. they are attracted by things that are rotting in the cup/pot. don't over water, and water from the bottom so the top will be drier. if the problem is there, try know solutions as quickly as possible before they go out of control. 

mold. keep moisture away from the cuttings as much as possible. ok, that's not really possible since we need humid area for them to root. but you can check them every day or two and make sure excess moisture is wiped away, and let them dry out a little before putting them back in the baggie. once moved to the cup or 1 gal, have physan 20 handy. 

rot. standing water in the bottom of cup, and pot will cause rot along with excess water being given to the cuttings. water from bottom, make sure the cup/pot is well drained. if necessary, use method that will help to control water content in the soil mix such as peat pot method, or wick. 

even with these and other steps to prevent problem, things will happen. do not panic. take least invasive method to resolve the problem. letting things dry out before taking the cutting out of the pot works for most of the problems. as we know too much water is one of the main reason for cutting failure. let them dry out. 

Pete, I think we all want to sum up all our troubles from time to time. Your post reminded me my older one:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/thoughts-about-people-and-fig-cuttings-6296526

Unfortunately, it is hard to learn everything from somebody’s mistakes, some thing we have to experience ourselves ..

yupe, experience is the best way to learn what and what not to do. 

I prefer learning from someone else's mistakes... it saves me time and money.

Thanks for the summary of preventive measures!

It's a good summary, Pete, but just a word of warning.  I ALWAYS water from the bottom, but what I didn't do was extract the cup early enough, so the top was wet.  I let it drain, thinking all is good.  NOT!  The mother of all fungus gnat infestations followed my bottom watering practices...  I have learned from my mistakes!

  If you are going to water from the bottom, be sure to extract the cup from the water when the water line reaches 2/3, NOT to the top!!  Edited to say those buggers can enter through drain holes on the bottom too!  They are determined, and so must you be!  Put gnatrol or BT in the water when you bottom water.

Suzi

Pete and Suzi, you both are so correct. If I were to say the one thing I would take away from ALL advice is the watering method. Once I
learned to water from the bottom and to use Gnatrol with EVERY watering, things improved dramatically. The overall soil in the cup/pot does
not stay wet as long since only the bottom one half or two thirds, which ever you choose is wet to begin with. Therefore, the chance of rot
diminishes. Additionally, using the Gnatrol kills the larvae and the adults become non existent.

Watering from the bottom seems to make sense.  
Wonder why some people prefer to mist the cuttings?