I've never read any cloning how-to's, mainly because I never had an issue cloning. I've used jiffy cubes many times. They work fairly well, but they're kind of small.
Plants wilt that quickly for mostly one reason. They loose the rigidity of their cells, because of a lack of water. Think of a water balloon that's filled til it's about to burst and it's skin is rigid. That's a healthy well water plant cell. Now let half the water out so it's all saggy. That's a plant cell in need of water. My take on it is,.. when you take a cutting, you've stopped the water flow to those cells because you've separated them from the roots which soak up the water. The surface area of your plants roots is very large in comparison to the stalk of your plant. Your plant now has to get enough liquid through the surface area of your stalk, in a media that is only damp. It also seems to me, that if your media is too dry, you could draw moisture from your plant out through the cutting. Water travels through osmosis in a plant and it usually goes from the place with more water to the place with less water. If your media is drier than the interior of your plant, it will suck the water out of it. If you cut those clones, you probably know the plant stem oozes with liquid,.. you can practically squeeze it out.
Since I've never read a how to, and don't plan on it now, answer a question for me. Why only dampen the media and why refrain from misting?
Plants absorb moisture through their leaves and stalks,.. I mist because my cuttings don't have roots and they seem happier for it. I also have the media sitting in a few millimeters of water until I know roots have developed. I change this water every other day, and rinse the vessel with chlorinated tap water. I've never seen mold, mildew, fungus or anything other than happy clones either. I see no reason not to make sure the cuttings have as much water as they can soak up. Since I've started using an organic cloning nute, I've also rarely seen leaves go yellow as the plant tries to develop roots without nutrients.
Since plant structure is not air tight, I don't see how an air bubble could form. Is that possible? They respirate through their leaves, passing out oxygen and sucking in carbon dioxide. How does an air pocket form?
Listen to your plant,.. it's telling you it's thirsty. It sounds like you're applying growing techniques to cloning and trying not to over water and rot your roots. Is that in the cloning grow guide?
