Grow from cuttings - fingers of death

Question

Ive tried to grow things loads of times. Nothing I take care of lives to tell the tale.

Ive had a bonsai on my windowsill - it was dieing from overwatering, then died from lack of water.

Ive had about 20 cuttings from different plants that have ALL failed to grow roots.

A fig tree that was already rooted that I re-potted and watered and it died in 1 day.

Please help me.

Im currently trying to grow "Datura metel Double white lady" from leaf cuttings. My source was a stoner who forgot to give me the leaves when he got them and most of them were rotten. One was still good and because it has big veins I decided to cut it up into several smaller cuttings.

I soaked them in IBA overnight before starting. Now after a week most of them are wilting but the main cutting is still barely alive in a glass of water covered in cling film.

Is a humidity chamber bad for a plant?

I like to put them in a perspex box in water and mist the box up so its really humid before I close it.

HELP!

Answer 1

I've been growing plants with root cuttings.  The trick is to use rooting hormone (rootone).  Cut down near the bottom of the plant base with a clean blade at an angle.  Dip the cut piece in the rooting hormone, make a hole in soil, poor a little rooting hormone in the soil, then immediately stick the plant cutting in.  If cutting a leaf, you need to cut slightly, not deep, across the lines, again use rooting hormone, and place whole leaf in the soil with the root side down.  If you are trying to grow roots in water then dip the cutting in the rooting hormone, then place in water.  I wouldn't use the cling film because it might kill the oxygen the plant needs to breathe.  A great way to find the correct method is to use "howto.com" or search "root cutting".  There's a lot of info out there with videos and step by step directions.  Good luck!

As for the watering, there are little devices you can buy that will tell you when to water, or water for you.  Try online garden stores.  

Answer 2

why don't you just go buy a plant from a nursery and start from there and see how well you do.then start to grow your own.see if the one you buy survives first.