Nancy

The danger to geranium cuttings is blackleg not mildew. The cutting turns black and mushy just above the soil. Here's the way I have found gets the best results

TAKING GERANIUM CUTTINGS
First you must make sure everything you use is very clean.
Take your cuttings: With a sharp knife or razor blade cut a 3 or 4 inch piece from the growing tip, cutting just below a leaf. All roots and branches come from a leaf joint. Remove all but the top 3 or 4 leaves. Let your cuttings callus over--Lay them out somewhere on newspaper. Mine sit on my spare room floor. Let them sit for about 5 days. The leaves will look wilted and dead but they're not. The cut end will shrivel and dry. Letting them callus over and watching the water cuts down on blackleg a deadly fungal disease especially to cuttings.
Now plant your cuttings. In a clean pail mix your soil with the water so you make sure the soil is damp right through. Use a soilless mix like pro mix or one that is free draining. Just make sure it has no fertilizer in it. You want the soil wet but not too wet. Squeeze a handful and some moisture should come out but not a lot. Fill your pots--small pots make it easier to control the moisture. Make a little hole in the center with your finger or something else that will make a small hole, so you don't knock off the rooting compound.
Dip about 1/2 inch of the cut end in rooting hormone. It comes in powder or gel, either is OK as long as it's for soft wood cuttings. I use Stim-root NO. 1. After it's dipped put it in the hole and cover it in, and you're done.
Keep the soil moist but not overly wet. They will look wilted at first but that will change as it starts to grow roots. You will know it's rooted when it starts to show new growth. If you are going to plant it outside, wait until it is rooted well before you set it out.

Also, how many years can one propagate from the same plant? My wife was told that the more times a Geranium is propagated - the less flowers on the plant - is that true?