Im not new at taking cutting but i never taken a cutting that was fully active producing lush leave and figs. airlayering would be my first pick but im unable to do so because a friend is bringing them to school. i know that must of those leaves and figs must go as they will die anyway without roots. What else do i have to do to make sure these cutting grow into trees successfully.

Try growing them in just water. I started some Desert King for friends yesterday using this option. I had 100% success last year in late spring doing the same. It does takes close to 45 days  to see roots. Once the roots comes, allow them to get some mass before potting. Need to change water every now & then.

 so do i just leave the leaves alone then?

thx paully.

I grow greenwood cuttings often. what I do to root them is this.
I take several cuttings that are about a pencil thick. I remove most leave leaving only half a leaf (cut the leave in half using a cutter) and place them in a 3 gallon pot. I normally place around 4-6 cuttings. I use a mix of peat moss/ perlite and water them well. Then I cover the whole thing with a clear plastic bag. I use bamboo sticks or a metal wire to make a small hoop to keep the plastic from touching the cuttings. Don't leave it in the sun as it will heat up and kill the cuttings. Keep in a shaded warm area.
The leaf eventually turns yellow and fall off the cutting.
I started green wood cuttings last summer. In february I repotted them into individual 1 gallon pots. I just repotted them yesterday into 3 gallon containers and some already have figs. 

I remove all leaves.  However, At the apex end, I leave the small less than one inch leaf. My cuttings are about 6 to 8 inches long. Because I used 100% water for this rooting, there was no need to place plastic bag over cuttings. These cuttings are left on a sunny window ledge. You may have to top water level every now & then due to evaporation. Thus I use a marker pen to mark my desired water level than having to guesstimade. Water level I used for such 100% water rooting is anywhere between 70 to 80% coverage of the cutting.

I have done what BASS did with varying results. I stumbled into this 100% water thru forgetfulness. I left my DK cuttings in a water jug & forgot about them till 3 plus weeks later. By then,root initiations have started. Thus I left them alone and I potted them when I had root mass. Since then I have done most of my rooting in water where there  is very little mold issues I have to deal with. I potted 2 cuttings this morning with 3 two inch long roots and left them in the shade inside the house. I also started 4 cuttings of a grape variant & have potted 3 about 2 weeks ago. The one that I did not use water to root have not been promising. When I pot the first time I used 50% compost to 50% perlite.

I have also done the same with green, growing cuttings. It is a hit or miss affair for me. I remove all but the small 1-2 leaves at the tip as suggested above. I use root hormone, a 50-50 mix of a good potting soil and perlite and keep it moist and in a warm shady spot. I find about a 50% success rate (depending on cultivar).

So all i have to do is snip the leaf at the point were it is connected to the stem while leaving the stem connected to the cutting. then allow it to naturally fall off by the chilling processing for about two weeks then root. sound easy enough and here i though there was same super secrete process.

And by the way what is the benefit of the chilling of an active cutting? does it slow the growing process and metabolism of cutting?


thx all for the infromation

Americanfigboy,

I haven't tried the method above, but I'm sure it will work. I have demonstrated the "chilling" benefit on softwood, green cuttings that have stopped growing prior to dormancy (see "Rooting Experiment" thread whitepaper). I hypothesize that the chilling simulates dormancy and gets the cutting ready to root. If you go straight into soil, it's hit-or-miss, if you take the time to prep as described above, there is a good chance you'll improve the results. Let us know how you make out.

Dan
How does one help you in your fig addiction to get those secret techniques to try?

how did you get into growing figs in the first place, and where did you go to school. I wanted to major in botany in college but I'm joining the Air Force so that will have to wait.

i leave this year on august 11th, i hope when i get settled down that i will be allowed to grow at least one fig tree some how.

Americanfigboy,  Good for you and what you are, very ambitious and interesting, I wish you all the luck in your future with and without the figs.  Keep up the good work and I wish you the best in your endeavors.  Ciao

Hello Americanfigboy, we are proud of you and wish you well.
Dan, you are doing a great job and you are so helpful with the green cuttings and great timing too. Keep pushing back the frontier. Sergio, in S.J. zone 7.