Does anyone know why a cutting that roots well in a cup, when up potted to a good soil medium like pro mix, why the cutting gets a hole at the bottom and hollows out?

Is this an insect that makes this hollowed out hole or is it just rot?

These were never over watered, damp at best

Cutting too far below a node will do that and encourages rot.
I try to cut fairly close to the bottom node.

Doug

thank you Doug, I didnt know that.

lost two good rooted cuttings this way, Ciacci Piccolomini and Sals El   :(

Wow did not know that, will bring out the shears to improve my chances

I try to cut 1/4"' below the last node.
Seems to work best for me.
I have rooted hundreds of cuttings, just what I
learned by doing it.

Doug

Thanks, Doug... Another bit of critical knowledge to add to the mental library....

It's like everything, the more you practice the better you get.
keep trying!
I am far from a expert, I learn just like everybody else.
Doug

There is a juvenile mortality factor in almost all plants, some simply do not make it.  I have repeated my process several times over and sometimes I get 100% strike on my cuttings and 100% success through the 1 gal phase and sometimes it is strike 75% and I will lose several after potting up to 1 gal.  I recently cupped 450 EBT and only had 65% on rooting and all the rest seem to be doing fine in 1 gal.  Who knows if there is no clear evidence of a problem.

Even when they do rot at the end,, many times it also has roots established above the bad section.
Those roots above will normally continue growing and the rotted part fades away with time.

Doug

I wonder if I left the wax on the bottom, if this would have slowed the rotting down enough for the plant to live?

Not sure, I always start with a clean cut on the cutting bottom.

Doug

Great knowledgeable info Doug. I agree with everything you mentioned.

Sometimes wax makes it rot faster if it traps water against the wood.  Everyone has different experiences.  When I use coco peat I get mold.  Most don't get that.  I always cut once just above the node.  That means the cutting above has a long stem below the node.  I scrape once on each side of that long stem, paint with clonex and put the cutting in perlite.  I've never had rot only on the bottom doing this even if the middle sometimes looks hollowed out.  There are dozens of different things about my environment than my next door neighbor's even if we try to do the same thing the same way.  

There will always be someone with different experiences than our own.  That's why it's good to get different opinions on the same topic.  When you start doing this you won't know if your operation will have the same problems as mine, Doug's or both or neither.  Every time I think, "That never happens" next time I do it it happens.  That's why we need a forum and not a FAQ.   :)

Let's face it, I can only tell you my opinions based on my experience.  There are very few hard and fast rules.  (getting both moisture and air to the roots is one, however  :- )  I wish people took that for granted so we wouldn't have to pussy foot around with, "in my experience/opinion/ etc.  It's always my experience, opinion/whatever.  Even university studies that look great are later overturned.  As one prof said, "We never change the questions on our tests, just the answers."   :)

What doug said. I read that grafting to far from a node on the top graft is also bad the,top of tree can die back and the graft will fail but grafting on a top node area and your fine.

Very well noted.

Excellent question Peter.

Always a good place to learn more about problems and solutions

I just have a hate relationship with plastic cups, quarts, tubs or any size plastic for starting cuttings. I don't know why I still try sometimes.  Most everything I do in it dies.  Not the case with gallon Root Pouch grow bags.  Never had one die that started.   

Cool thanks

I used to lose a lot of cuttings when up potting but what has really helped me is a product called Hormex - l put about an eighth of a teaspoon in a gallon of water and always water my cuttings and young plant with it. It has greatly reduced the losses. But I really like the idea of the Root Pouches Charlie talks about. Think I'll try some.

Thanks mr or mrs possum. Going to check it out. HORMEX.

My cuttings from now on will be cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch from node. I started another tonight this way, followed by cleaning the cutting with straight peroxide and dipped into clonex and into a mix of perlite & coco coir.

I as well will check out that Hormex, thanks Susan

"Root Pouch economy gallon size is a mix of recycled plastic and cotton so it breaks down quickly.  Roots grow right through it so you just put the whole pot into a bigger pot or in the ground. No transplant shock or delay in growth.  At $0.38 each if you buy the 50 pack at Greenhouse Megastore, it's a good deal to me for the benefits."

I have used these, and they do work well.  

The positives have been previously discussed, increased drainage, and less root circling. Some other things I noticed about them for me are:

I found in my very hot summers I would need to make planting mix more water retentive and I personally eliminated perilite, due to the fact they dry out very fast.
 
I could not reuse them by up potting due to roots growing into them, I had to cut them off away from plant to avoid damaging roots, so only marginally reusable.  But I could also just plop them into a larger pot and bury them because roots grow through them.  Which brings up another point, if you leave them touching the ground roots grow into ground.

Most of these pots still haven't degraded (in shade) after two seasons.  I would recommend them as well.

Susan,
I see that there are several Hormex products, which is the one that you mix to water your cuttings?  Also, do you dip the ends of the cuttings in Hormex powder when you start?  thanks