Hi All,

I've been contemplating this thought since rooting cuttings last year.  Is there any reason not to go directly from the baggie (with root initials) directly into the ground?  My thought was to bury 2/3's of the cutting and cover the rest with mulch.  I'm thinking there shouldn't need to be any need for humidity control.  We've been rooting cuttings for centuries just by putting the stick into the ground with good success.  This should be a step in the right directions, right?

Thanks,
~james

Interesting thought James. I'm just wondering if we wouldn't have some kind of issues with too much water in the form of rain on those under-developed roots -?

I don't fully understand the problem there. But I do know that when I rushed putting some of my potted up cuttings out in the natural elements last season - I lost a few, to what appeared to be, excessive watering.

Conversely, others that were a little more developed, really took off once fully exposed to the sun & rain (naturally) . Especially once the roots grew out the bottom of the pots. Placing a good mulch up around the pots seemd to be of benefit as well.

But now if you went with your idea of mulching (or burying) the cutting all but the terminal bud, right from the start (no initials)......that should work. Just like they did 1000 years ago I assume - ?

Having said that. I know the % of success is much lower doing it the ancient way but it does work. I also know that we seem to have increased our chances to nearly 100% (in some cases) with some of the methods discussed on this & other forums.

Well, there's my rambling reply :-) . Anyone else have some thoughts on this topic? 

Bill,

If the past couple of years have been any kind of indication as to what to expect this year, excessive rain is not an issue.  No rain is.  I did, however, have the same issue as you last year.  I decided to bury my containers early on because I have having issues maintaining enough moisture in the containers.  I lost a couple in the process and others really took off. 

I was thinking about what I knew regarding water movement in the ground as well as in containers.  The earth should pull most of the water out of the soil around the trees, and the mulch should help prevent evaporation of the remaining moisture.  With regular watering, the moisture level should be good most of the time.  That is the theory anyway.

James,

I like the idea and would be interested in hearing about your results. In my climate I am able to go from cuttings to a new tree planted in the ground in one season......but; I go from baggies, to cups, to gallon pots, and then to ground. This is not difficult to do in my yard.
----------------------------------------------------
However, your post reminded me about the role of oxygen needs for root formation and the subsequent potential problems of the waste carbon dioxide gas that is produced as roots form. As a chemist, I am very interested in chemical reactions. As a fig nut, I am very interested in any biochemical reactions that affect my trees or my rooting. It is this waste carbon dioxide gas that can cause plants to wilt or impairs further roots to form.  When I get a chance I will start a thread on this phenomena. It can explain why many of us sometimes see our new starts......just wilt and die for seemingly no apparent reason. It is a waste carbon dioxide thing.  Much more in a later thread.

I read about this in a book written by Dr. O'Rourke (fig breeder) and Dr. Standifer at LSU. These two guys are THE EXPERTS on gardening in our area.  It is titled "Gardening In the Humid South". IT IS A MUST HAVE BOOK!!!!! You will find great tips on gardening on every single page of his book.  He has a great section on fertilization and on the preparation of potting soils/mixes.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the "nuts and bolts" about plant horticulture in general and particularly in the hot South. These two old sages go at each other throughout the book making it a fun read. They use plain ole common sense and explain tehcnical scientific things in a way everyone can understand.

Dan

Yes. No. It all goes back to providing the right conditions. If you have heat, provide enough moisture, and not too much, then, yes, it works. At this time of year most people have weather that is too cold, at least at times, or their ground is frozen, or too wet from too much rain, etc. And many of these things are not controllable due to the vagaries of the weather. There are many ways to root cuttings, as long as you control the basic requirements. It is a "principles" thing, not a "recipe" thing.

I'll tell you how well sticking a cutting in the ground does, primarily clay.  It doesn't apply to using rooted cuttings, but it relates to part of your post.

The one in the ground still seems OK as far as not being shrivelled.  It hasn't woken up yet though.  Meanwhile, I put several cuttings directly into pots and left them outside for the winter in a 25/75 perlite/potting mix (potting mix heavy).  Out of about 10 finger-thick cuttings, 5 of them have already began to show signs of dessication, yet I know they've gotten ample moisture and didn't have any reason to vent water.

I agree Jon.  Today we we already in the 80's.  The rest of the week we are in the mid-70s for highs and high 40s for lows.  The mulch should temper the heat through out the day and retain some heat during the night hours.  Even if we have a cold spell, I'm expecting the cuttings to be almost completely buried.

I haven't been able to come up with a good reason not to try this.  I hardly have the time this year to work the ground, much less potting up cuttings and babysitting them.  I'll report back how it goes.

Any Reason Not to Go From Baggie To Ground?
Yup, the ground is frozen here and will be so for a long while yet, but baggie to pot gives it a good head start for those in the cold regions.

I look forward to hearing your results James. I may even give it a try with a couple of cuttings that I have plenty of.

I'll do sphagnum moss to get the roots going and then set them directly into some well prepared soil. I'll just have to wait until about mid-April to do it though. 

 As a "rooting" beginner , the information and ideas from the members of this forum are great and very helpful.
 Jon.. your sentence,"It is a princples thing, not a recipe thing.", is something for me to remember.  Thanks to all !

I do all my rooting directly in ground (and this winter directly in potting soil).

Don't try it outside though until the soil thoroughly warms up.  And in pots, be careful to maintain proper moisture and avoid over-watering (which is probably the greater danger).

On the whole though, I have had reasonable good success (some cultivars root much easier than others) and it is a simple process.

It may or may not work well for others, but it works well for me.

It is easy, inexpensive, and simple.

And as the Quakers say: Tis a gift to be simple.

I always save at least one cutting from each variety and do that one (cut in half) in lateJune/early July directly in my vegetable garden, in a pot sunk into the soil.  My success rate like this is nearly 100% on figs and 100% on Pomegranate.

~Chills