Been away. Back now. Late fall/early winter got some cuttings, put them  in medium, put them away and just about forgot about them. when I checked, I saw mold. I shut my eyes and shut the door. I opened it again a few weeks later, resigned to cleaning out the propagation boxes. To my surprise and delight, I found rooted cuttings. It made me wonder if anyone has ever documented a symbiosis between fig roots and a fungus.  Anyone know?

Mid-Ohio is a really fun track

That's from the little propagation elves that come out and fix everything while we're asleep.

Dale,
I've occasionally seen cuttings that had some kind of fungus that then later grew roots, but I had the impression it was in spite of the fungus (rather than helped by the fungus).  But a question:  how did you know that it was a fungus that you saw?  I ask because sometime root initials look like a scaly white fungus forming on the bark (but aren't fungus).  Are you certain it was fungus?

I also have to comment:  Symbiotic Fungus sounds like a great song title!  (Maybe I'll use it on a composition :-)

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a 

Mid-Ohio is a real draw. Many years ago my wife sat beside Paul Newman at one of the races. A few years ago they had a bike weekend and all sorts showed up everywhere, all over. They buzzed all over town in clusters like so may bumble bees. The vintage days are the best, if you ask me.

Well, glad those propagation elves limit themselves to figs, 'cause the boxes were in the closet right next to my bed.

Garden Fairies !!!

...no, seriously, what do you have in mind when you say MOLD?
pics?, because cuttings grow some type of Fungus-looking white (cauliflower) growth before they root...is that what you have seen?

Well welcome back and congratulations on the rooted cuttings, however it happened.

Thanks. I am not sure of the difference between a fungus and a mold. This was not the white, scaly precedent to roots. There were mycelium and a blue color reminiscent of bread mold.

Well, even if it wasn't root initials, I still say it's a good song title.  :-)   Hope you find out what did it, but in any case it worked.

Mike

whatever it was it must be due to dirty surface of the cutting. Cleaner the cutting, less bacteria thus less mold, fungus or rot. Sealing the cut end and tip with Paraffin help big time.
I started to was all my cuttings and soak them in a strong Cinnamon tea for 30 min before all the processing. Cinnamon acts like a disinfectant and fungicide.

They all got a thorough bath in 10% NaOH

I am trying to root 3 Black Jack cuttings. Early in the process one showed up with mold, or spores of some kind. Rather than trash it, I buried it in a small homemade humidity dome. I didn't put much effort into it b/c I thought the cutting was probably a goner. Now, 2 months later that cutting is the only one rooting and sending 3 green shoots! The other ones, which I have keep clean from mold, aren't really doing anything. 

I do know for sure that some kinds of spores are very healthy for plants, so perhaps there is something to the beneficial mold theory. Maybe it all depends on what kind of mold starts growing? Also, since I completely buried my molded cutting, maybe the mold found other easier to digest materials in the potting soil so it left the fig cutting alone? 

mm, i doubt any mold or fungus type would be beneficial. They all cover precious surface  and eventually suffocate the area leading it to rot, wash them again and treat with strong Cinnamon tea by soaking them in the tea for about 30 min and let air dry, don't rinse again after treating, just wrap them in wet paper towel and zip-lock them.

I thought we were talking about cutting and it's health -integrity to root.

haha, me bad! :x