There’s been no climate change. I started these cuttings in the same conditions as they’re in today… although there are more fungus gnats now then there were to begin with.
Can you talk a little more about planting cuttings too deep? That’s how I’ve been doing it for the past three years and have mostly been successful. I add drainage holes to the bottom and up along the sides of the cup and only water from the bottom.
Steven I think there is a chance your cutting is just too dry. Usually when a plant wilts it’s too dry. But plants at that stage can just as likely be failing from rot.
I’m not a fan of bottom watering because to me that wets the bottom more than the top. I’d water very slowly from the top and try to wet only the top half to two thirds of the the media. See if it responds to that.
If it perks up in a more humid environment with less light it’s probably too dry. In my experience the rotted ones don’t recover turgid leaves no matter what you do. But plants with healthy roots, and those look healthy, respond to a change in environment.
My other thought is to install a wick in the bottom so that if you water too much the perched water can drain off. That could consist of a piece of cloth stuck into a bottom hole with dry fabric to suck off the excess water.
There is a perched water table near the bottom of containers, it is not usually a problem for established plants, however with fig cuttings the bottom end is more delicate because the callus needs lots and lots of fresh air. If it stays in wet/stale air conditions the callus won’t get enough oxygen and can die.
I keep the bottom of the cutting above the middle of the container, it also gives the roots someplace to grow other than up.
Thanks for all the tips. I’ll see if I can make those adjustments tonight and salvage the two plants.
fungus gnats like moist and wet soil so I doubt that the soil is too dry, an increase in them makes dryness seem impossible