Cutting mixes - Tapla

I don't like vermiculite for cuttings because it loses it's loft & breaks down in ..... oh ..... about 10 minutes.☺ It's hard to beat coarse perlite that's been screened through a std size kitchen strainer or insect screen & rinsed. Other good options are screened Turface or screened DE. The DE can be found at several chain auto parts stores. If you're interested in that, I'll look up what folks have been using. Basically, you want the particles large enough (BB-size or larger) so there is no soggy layer of medium at the bottom of your cup or container.

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http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0316490114612.html

~ Heat mat on the inside of a 68 quart bin.
~ Check humidity and open bin everyday, with the lid off for a short time, otherwise lid is on at all times.
~ Keep heat mat on half the day, and off half the day
~ Perilite cups worked better than moss.

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One of the reasons I always avoid using potting mixes like Fertilome's Ultimate Potting Mix and others is because they are not sterile. They are contaminated with various fungi that cause any one of a number of diseases, primarily the damping off diseases that cause cuttings to fail at a higher rate. It makes no sense to go to great length to 'clean' cuttings, only to stick them in a medium that is assuredly contaminated. Potting soil mixes as media for cuttings yield acceptable strike success with F carica not because they are close to ideal, but because the plant itself is often vigorous enough that it doesn't matter what the medium used is.

I also avoid any fertilizing or media with nutrients added because fertilizer and soluble salts inhibit the cutting's ability to remain hydrated. Fertilizers in the medium are counter-productive until root primordia are visible, indicating a vascular connection between roots and the top of the cutting. At this point, the plant becomes able to absorb water and nutrients via its bedding root system.

Additionally, potting soils hold perched water, even if mixed 50/50 with perlite. This is very often a problem with inexperienced growers who feel their soils need to be wet for their cuttings to 'drink'. The cutting should have very high humidity surrounding the cut end, but NO film of water. A little slip in watering can be a major consideration in the difference between success and failure. None of these issues are a consideration in rooting media that is comprised of large and sterile particles.

The idea most of us adhere to in our growing endeavors is to give our plants every advantage and opportunity to grow to it's potential, not to force them to tolerate something less than ideal, just because they can.

Please regard this information and opposing view as informational/educational, not confrontational.