Dear Fig Cuttings,

Why are you so temperamental? You do so good so I pot you into the next size. Everyone says "feed them! They are hungry" so I give you a little food. Everyone says "give them light!" so I give you a little shaded light and bring you inside at night because I fear 45 degrees will make you sad. Everyone says "give them a little water, but not too much" so I pick you up regularly to gauge your thirst. 

I do these things and yet you wilt. I put you back into the humidity chambers even though you had graduated. Maybe you are sad to be growing up? Maybe you want to stay my baby a while longer? But no, that isn't right either because you continue to look pathetic.

I have decided you are all a bunch of spoiled, temperamental jerks.

I still love you, but I don't like you very much right now.

Sincerely,
Nichole 

I go through the same scenarios!  Glad I'm not the only one.  ;)

they're all officially grounded right now. They can just sit in the corner and think about what they've done.

Dear Nichole,

Don't you know you are trying to grow us in Seattle.  What kind of life is that?  It is cold, cloudy and rainy.  What kinds of life will we have.  We love the sun.  There is no sun here.   We are depressed.   Take us on a trip down south, maybe California would be nice.  How about a Mediterranean tour.  We miss our family.   Not that we aren't grateful.  We like you.  We like your pups too, but we're scared they are going to eat us.  We are doing our best.  Don't give up on us though.  We're tough.  

Regards,

Your figs

do they have enough root mass? i mean, size typical of cuttings coming out of 16 oz cup? reason why i ask that is, if they have top, but don't have the root mass to support the top, the leaves will wilt. then again, i had two cuttings with enough root mass died on me. 

Hope they do well.  Maybe you should get some supplemental lighting for them.

Hope you forgive your figs as quick as you forgive your doggies : )

Bob, have you checked the price of that light? Besides when they grow at my place the critters attack at my place. HUMMMM??????

Zone 8
Southwest TX

I have some T5 lights. Nothing fancy. 
They have good roots. They outgrew their plastic cups so I potted them up. 

Figfinatic - thanks for the laugh ;)

Steve, funny you mention forgiveness and pups - Sadie just hurfed water all over my nice camera.

Hurfed, now that's funny.  I haven't heard that one before. : )   : )

It is Seattle, and fussy creatures... any shake or evil eye makes them wilt.  some of mine wilted many times, and I did the same, I put them outside in my cold frame to fend for themselves, and those 2 days of sun we had made them spring up and shoot new leaves.  I am building a low tunel tomorrow to put them in, where I can manage them more. I saw my neighbour has a plastic cover with little holes, he got at Sky nursery. Some like that filters the wind and rain but keeps them warm.  Was in SF today and the sun shines there... came back to rain  and sogginess.  We all need real greenhouses to start them.

It was the price that made me post it.  But it would be effective  :)  Grasa's idea is much more practical.

Fig prozac to combat the gloomy Seattle weather?

The spoiled brats are looking a little better today. I put them outside for a light watering from mother nature and then moved them back under my T5 lights before I went to bed. Many perked back up and a few looked the same. I removed the withered, limp noodles for leaves. One I cut back to the next node and noticed it didn't bleed. That one looks like it is trying to die back further. Wait and see. Time will tell.

One young tree surprised me. It was a gift from another member here - rooted last year I think, so not a new cutting, but still young. Was doing good, then great, then awesome, then it said "ha ha fooled you. I'm gonna die back now" :|

Nichole... it is almost we pay too much attention. Have you tried watering them from the bottom? I am following  the advise of only watering them from the bottom with rain water. put some in a container and dip the little pots in the water, remove all excess, let the top of the soil be dry.

Hope they come alive for you.  I noticed with mine, it is the varieties that grow well here that are OK and all the grafts I made onto them. All others on their own are doing the wilt/live/fooled you kinda game.

I have noticed that too. My DK cuttings are outside in the rain. I am not bringing them in anymore. No more babying. Everyone else is playing mind games.

I have one other gifted variety outside with my DK - an unknown spanish variety. I hope that bodes well for it being happy here in our climate.

I may be wrong, but I keep cuttings for the most part always hungry never feeding them until they are in a 1 gal pot, them sparingly.  I also keep them thirsty.  I like BX soil for cuttings soil and rainwater or well water  and not too much.  High humidity seems to me to be better early  exposing then gradually to outside climate conditions, than any feed or much water to drink. IMHOP

You are not wrong. I have followed those rules but we are fighting then to grow in a location that they don't prefer. Grasa is right. Greenhouse would make life easier. I have one ordered and am annoyed it isn't here yet. As soon as it is up they will all be happier. Fickle creatures.

Check out this episode of "Nature" called "What plants talk about."   

http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/nature-season-31-what-plants-talk-about/

Figfanatic I watched that video - it was fascinating. Now I worry that the veggie seedlings I started aren't siblings and are duking it out in the root section. Kinda felt bad for them. Fascinating video if anyone is interested.

Update on the brats - they seem to be doing okay. It's going to rain a lot over the weekend. I'm going to put them out for a drink then back in to warm up under the light. They seem to like this rotation. Everyone else I am re-hardening off and hope to have them outside soon. 

My greenhouse should arrive on Wednesday.

Nichole,

Have they ever told you, that each time you re-pot them....you cause them root shock, leaving them very stressed out ?  Can't believe they haven't ask you to prune the leaves off after you see them so distraught. They are trying to get there roots re-stabilized and meanwhile the leaves are demanding nutrients from them. Too much going on at once. Shed the load.

Is it really okay to just chop off the leaves?

What would the effects of doing that be besides root growth?

The rain drops and wind are too cold, Nichole.  I collect the water and bring the bucket inside, so the water is not so cold - also, I learned with Sarah, to put them in a tray with water, so they drink from the bottom...only about 1" to a !/2" from the bottom gets the water. I was overwatering... they like to be almost dried.  So, hope you don't do what I did to mine..this is a fragile state of living...