I noticed this yesterday when I was doing my daily airing-out on a group of cuttings I have under my avocado tree. The leaves have looked very sad since about maybe yesterday or the day before. I mist them maybe once every other day or once a week, and I water them as needed, usually if the perlite doesn't stick together and looks dry or too loose. The roots did brown somewhat, from a white tannish to a brown clay color. I know roots sometimes get this color after time, but mine looked healthy and very light until recently.



But this particular cutting I did mist and water yesterday because I figured it might of been a little hot in the afternoon. I live just north of Los Angeles and it has been unseasonably cool, overcast into late afternoon with 60ish temps and with sun later with 70ish temps.
I've had at least two sudden death cuttings this season and don't want this to replicate. I also have at least two cuttings suffering from severe FMV to the point that one has bumps that look like small pox on the bigger leaves.

You might want to read this post by Dan_LA:

There seems to be quite a bit of condesation on the inside of your cups.
That could be a problem 
I think your cups need some air holes in sides and on bottom to get some vetilation, more air and less moisture sitting on the young roots. Young fig roots will rot if they have too much moisture on them.

Grant
Z5b

That cutting is overwatered and the root color would suggest they are dying - probably due to overwatering if that condensation is any indication. To boot, if this was an under-watering problem, the leaves would have perked back up after even the slightest drop of water OR being put in a sealed humid bin.

This cutting is probably dying as a result of overwater - the cambium layer is rotting from too much moisture. When the cambium rots, you destroy the lifeline of the cutting.

@Ken: Thanks a lot, I will make some more holes on the sides of the cups.

@Grant and Jason: It has crossed my mind that there is too much moisture in the cups, but I have 9 or so cuttings right next to this that are doing just fine. I've only really watered the cuttings when I initially started them, i.e. soaked the perlite, after I would just mist the top of the cup with a max of 1 oz of water once a week. The cuttings are outside with just a trash bag over them, its doesn't make a good seal and there is plenty of air running inside.

Again, I don't know much, I will go make some holes and see if I can get some oxygen and maybe help some water evaporate. I'll see what happens and keep you fellas updated.

I'm just speculating here (I've never tried this, but wouldn't hesitate if the need arose), but if you have a bicycle pump and one of those needles for inflating a basketball, I wonder if you could poke it through the side near the bottom of the cup and very gently (you don't want to launch your cutting skyward in a cloud of flying perlite) pump some fresh air through the mix, till the condensation decreases a bit? Another poster reported on experimenting with a shop vac, but said it compacted his potting mix and turned out not to be a good idea. Someone else (Dan?) said he used a Silent Giant aquarium pump, which sounds ideal if you have one, which I don't.

Are there any holes at all in the cup? If not, and there is a bag over the top, insignificant water is getting out, and insignificant air is getting in.

I am not discrediting anyone's ideas, but I don't personally subscribe to the theory about CO2 in the root zone; however, I know that stagnant air is bad and leads to rot. Humidity is great and all, but trapped moist air.... You are asking for trouble. You need to strike a balance. I think bagging over a cup to create a steam chamber is probably not the best way to root cuttings, and you will probably see untimely death on all of your cuttings ifthia is want you are doing. Stagnant "anything" is never a good thing in life, rooting plants is no different in my experience.

Yes they had 2-3 drain holes at the bottom. I took off any covering and let them air out for about 2 hrs and it seems the condensation is almost all gone, I did poke a lot of holes on the side, but the leaves do look a bit worst from yesterday, some are darker and considerably dry.
This is really puzzling me because I had a couple cuttings growing with pomegranate cuttings, at nearly 100% humidity and only 20 minute 'airing-out' per day and they rooted extremely good.



These figs are really driving me crazy, I really can't seem to find the right balance or there are just to darn stubborn.