Can you provide a picture of your cutting? All your medium and tools are OK imo. Sterilzing everything is what some people do, and others don't do any of it. You should still get some successes.

At the same time of saying that, there are also other medium that some people have more success with, and then they stick with that method. So you may need to try other methods and medium also.

But in the meantime, if you can get a pic of several of your cuttings, we can take a look and see how you are preparing them.

Hi gardenper, I never got a email notifying me there was a response to my question. Just happen to be looking through garden guide and noticed there was now. Can't get you a picture now. I have tried again and getting some success. Think I was just taking the cutting too early. I have tried sand for med. in the past only had 3% success with that and thought something else would be better. Also the time I used sand it was outside in a raised bed on the North side of a shed w/ a plastic covering. With what I have read the taking of the cutting and the timing of it makes a big difference. I can see why that is so true now. and back then I didn't sterilize either. Took some more deep red cutting this morning. They were more like semi soft cuttings. Hope they work. Sure butchered my lilac this year.

Well I thought I proof read before I posted but I had reworded and didn't get it all straight so what I meant to say near the last that the cutting seemed to be more like semi hard wood than soft wood cuttings.

Softwood cuttings MAY root fast, but they also DIE fast. You are leaving way too much leaf on your cuttings. Just because you see new growth on your cuttings, does NOT mean they are rooted. I always allow two months for my cuttings to root, regardless of how good the new growth looks. Al

I concur with Calistoga, you should cut the large leaves about the middle. You are losing too much moisture through transpiration.

Thank you spaceman13 for your input. but take notice of the date that Calistoga responded. So I have already sterilized the sizzers and cut the leaves in half. So far doing okay. But I have taken cuttings again and they are in sand and perlite. Time will tell.

Hi,
I have a similar situation. Several years ago I started propagating Muscadine Vines with great success, now my success is just minimum. I started off in 1 gal. containers, but over the years switched to 1.25 qt. containers to conserve space. In recent research I noticed that all of the successful propagators work with raised beds. An article that I read yesterday states that all containers develop a situated layer at the bottom and if your cuttings are too close to or in that situated layer the extra moisture will not let them set roots and eventually kill the cutting. They would turn black a show the signs of over watering.
I future read that using larger containers like a3 qt. or true gal. container would be more successful since that saturated layer is future away from the cuttings and that would give them a better chance to root. I figure that is why people using raised beds are more successful.
My project for today is to build a small raised bed in my fog enclosure and to start using gal. containers in my mist unit.
I hope this works. So far this season I have taken around 2 thousand cuttings, ending up with only a hand full that rooted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Muscadines And More

hay hi Muscadines978, I think you're on to something with the bigger container. I know all about trying so hard and ending up losing soooo much. It kind of makes one sick inside. I think this season I took a total of 1,125. and only had about 30 that made roots. The last ones was in sand in a small plastic cup in a tote misting oh so slightly. About a month ago I transplanted them into the sand raised bed that same place where I used to start them at. Now if only the chipmunks leave them alone I might have some for next spring to transplant to their perminate bed.

Hi oldlady59,
Yesterday I built a small raised bed 2 1/2'x4' x8" high which took up a small portion of my fog unit. I filled it with decomposed hardwood mulch mixed with a little sand. I transplanted about 50 or so cuttings that I stuck a few days ago into the bed. Then I mixed some rooting media, 25% peat, 75% perlite, filled a bunch of 2 1/2 qt containers with it and transplanted the rest of my freshly stuck muscadine cuttings. I stuck 10 cuttings per pot. Then I put them all back under fog. Today I plan to take some more fresh muscadine cuttings, put them in the same size pots and put them under mist. I'm tired of throwing dead black cuttings into my compost pile!!!! Wish me luck!!!!

Hans

Here is a link that might be useful: Muscadines And More

hi Muscadines978,
I'll do better than that, I'll say a prayer for you and your cuttings.