Cutting post mortem

[DBJohnson]

After being away a week, I'm checking the cuttings. I had left two that I was doubtful would make it in the humidity chamber. One was the O'Rourke that had been doing OK and then wilted for no apparent reason. This morning it's dead and there is an odd grown all around the base of the cutting. Any ideas what this is? It's not fuzzy and it's a bit hard so I'm thinking more fungus than mold.

[DBJohnson]

Decided to dig into it a bit more...the specks on the cutting continue below the soil line but they are blue-gray.

[greenfig]

Sorry, Bryant, but a cutting cannot be deadier than that one

[Kelby]

I've had that happen, pretty sure it's just mold.

[DBJohnson]

OK thanks. I'm used to mold being fuzzy and this rather rigid.

[DBJohnson]

Yeah...was pretty sure it was dead-dead. Any thoughts on the stuff growing on it?

[Charlie]

Trichoderma.

[DBJohnson]

Thanks much! I isolated it and then washed everything before working with the rest of the plants.

[PawPaw Gene]

DB it's not necessarily the mold or fungus that killed it. That is probably the result of it being dead and a great host. Did you check the portion of the cutting that was under the potting mix by peeling back it's bark and look for fungus gnat larvae. I think I can say with accuracy that 99 percent of my cutting or young plants that failed did so because they were infested with gnat larvae.
"gene"

[Brian M]

It's not your fault. Sometimes it's like rolling the dice especially with the gnats. Don't give up.