Here is some great information for those who are new to rooting figs. Years ago, this was all we had. Now there are there are other techniques and they all work. But this link was started by our administrator Jon Verdick. This info isn't easy to find so, I'm posting the link here. I hope those new to figs will read these tips. The pictures are also great. Enjoy.

http://figs4fun.com/basics_Rooting.html

cheers!

You're welcome Meg!  Whenever I search for the old stuff its really hard to find.  Jon added a few link on the main page of this forum but the basic rooting info isn't there.  I refer back to it every year and have a hard time finding it.  There is a lot of great information here but not easy to find.  Over the years, we went from placing cutting inside a plastic baggie to placing them inside a cloner!  HA!  Go figure!  But the old technique still works in small batches of cuttings.  My EZ Cloner 64 is full at the moment.  SO, I stuck the other 2 cuttings inside a baggie tucked behind the fridge.  I'll check it in 2 weeks. 

Hey Dennis. Ditto on the appreciation from another newbie in the world of figs and rooting cuttings. I'm excited to say that I have visible growth on 7 out of 12 starts from 11-11. ;-). Yeh. And I have to ask what is an EZ Cloner? Thanks for your patience with us kooks! ;-). Jodi

Jodi, a cloner is basically a large container of water with a pump in the bottom and a manifold of piping with mini spray nozzles.  When the pump is turned on, it sprays water 360 degrees.  So if you take a fig cutting and place it inside a cloner, it CAN have roots in a matter of days.  The beauty of this technique is you won't have any gnats!  Below is a post that I started last year.  I rooted 6 moldly Nero 600m cuttings in 17 days.  I also built a cloner too.  Since then I bought more cloners!  Today, I have a 32 cloner, a 64 cloner, a 128 cloner and a home grown 35 cloner.  All work great and do an excellent job!  Here is the original post I started on rooting inside a cloner.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/clone-your-cuttings-never-see-gnats-7023364?&trail=50

The main killer in trying to root cuttings is gnats.  They love the smelly compost moisture and the heat.  They live and breed and eat the cutting roots.  Once I clone my cuttings and pot them up.  I keep a 5 gallon bucket of water nearby.  I place 1 or 2 mosquito dunks in the bucket.  I water the newly rooted cuttings with that water and it kills any critter that tries to live inside the dirt.

Since I started that post, others have created something similar called a bubbler.  There are post here on what and how they created their bubbler too.  It works too but not sure of the cost.  Off the shelf cloners can be expensive--- but if you buy a bucket of figs cuttings at a high price on eBay, you will want to get every cutting to root, right?  Well, if you root them inside a cloner and sell a few as trees later, it will pay for the cloner in no time.  Which is what I do.  

My cloner runs 24/7.  In my setup, I built a table that has T5 grow lights on top and underneath.  My cloners sit on top and underneath.  As they root, they will start to leaf out.  The grow lights feed them and they grow fast!  So depending on the cuttings, you can have cuttings rooted in 17 days....some take a week or so longer.  Each cloner kit comes with rooting hormone that is added to the water.  Cloner kits work great.  The pump keeps the water warm which is why I place my cloner inside my insulated garage.  My garage is around 60 degrees and the warm water keep the cutting warm but not too hot.  If the water gets too hot, then you can buy a power strip with a built-in timer.  You can set one side of the strip to come on and off how often you want.

In the link I posted, I also added Youtube clips showing others who built their own cloner and others who bought cloners.  This forum has a wealth of knowledge.  I posted a lot of info that might be helpful including figs I grow in Charlotte.  Just click search, enter snaglpus and choose---Post I started --and you will see a lot of information.  And do the same for other forum members who've been here a while.  I'm not one of the original members of this forum but I do know our forum administrator (Pitangadiego aka Jon Verdick) quite well.  We hang out at UC Davis every couple of years or so and visit their huge fig orchard among other orchards in Winters, CA.  But there are some other forum member who been here since day on the forum started.  But the basic rooting techniques still work.  But if you ever visit your local hydroponic shop, they will blow your mind in different ways of growing things like figs.  Enjoy!

thanks i'm a fig newbie purchasing cuttings soo its always nice to learn new ways.

Hey Dennis this is so much info.  I missed your post until late last night.  Thank you for taking the time to go into so much detail.  I am trucking down to "brown town" aka Phoenix today to hit a hydro store, more equipment for baby figs than a puppy!  And I have another question for you, the Gnats!  I have never heard of such a thing.  Do they seem to a problem in moister climates or pretty much everywhere?  I have to say that I lost some sleep last night worrying about my figlets being consumed by the bugs.  As in all things in the garden, time will tell how our choices work with the plants.  Till soon....

Jodi, gnats are surprise killers of dormant figs. I've learned over the years to water inside trees with somethings like gnatrol or mosquito dunks or mosquito bites. Since most of my pots are self watering pots (SWPs) I use both mosquito bites and mosquito dunks. And it works very well. So basically I'm killing gnats on top and bottom. And I also use a granule called Insect Eliminator. I sprinkle it on top because sometimes I do get lazy and water from my garden hose because I have a water facet inside my garage. But gnats are a major issue. So, take note now.

Wow I had no idea.  Thank you for the warning.  It would be a tragedy to loose the figlets to a bug.  This last summer I learned the hard way what the favorite innocent "june bugs" of my childhood like for breakfast!  My first peaches and JuJubees! Darn it.  Thanks Dennis for the safety tips.  ;-)  Jodi

Good information, now we need more info on why figs die after doing well for months.....probably to many factors.

Yes. I'm afraid for the figlets. Here I thought it was easy. Dunk and go! I should know better with plants. Just right is amazing but figuring out what just right entails can be a challenging process. What else to watch for after the gnats, over watering, mold?????

Soil composition is very important too. You can't overlook that. I quit using Miracle grow potting mixes. They just have too many gnat eggs and a wetting agent that I don't like. Mold can be a problem but physan 20 solves that problem. For me it's a race to kill the gnats and make the cutting put on major roots before the gnats get in. A daily dose of liquid fertilizer works very well.

So I started 12 cuttings off my Tx Everbearing 11-11 figuring it's easy vigorous etc. straight into organic soil with vermiculite. 11 of 12 w roots n leaves just under a plastic bag in the south window. Now trying 13 cuttings from members in a storage tub on a heat mat with a timer. Grow light and cloner next. Waiting for my precious darling boyfriend to figure out the extent of the fig habit! There is just nothing like a green thing to warm the winter. With the garden mostly dormant now the figging is a perfect diversion. I'm off to Home Depot for gnat control! ;-).

I am pretty new to figging, starting early this year. I got gnats and covered the soil with diatomaceous earth. All the figlets survived (4 of them).

Great post. Thank you!

Trying the diatomaceous earth and the mosquito dunks. Gnats have been warned! (Haven't seen any of the buggers yet!)

Came across this today.

During the winter months, when there isn't much to do except stare out the window or peruse seed catalogs, gardeners need to be on the lookout for a couple of tough pests that, once settled in, can be hard to control.
Fungus gnats, the near-microscopic flying insects that feed and breed within damp organic matter in potting soil, can actually be a problem any time of year. These tiny flying pests can spread pathogens, chew on roots and be a general nuisance. Fungus gnats' favorite hangout is the fungus existing in moist, organic soil, so the best way to battle these bugs is by letting your houseplants dry in between waterings. However, some overwintering houseplants — like those lovely amaryllis bulbs many of us are forcing during the holidays — like to remain somewhat moist. So...what to do?
A good drench of Neem oil through the soil is a good start, and a layer of sand on top of the potting soil works even better. This prevents the fungus gnats from reaching and subsequently laying eggs in the potting soil, but still allows moisture to reach the roots.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, spider mites can become a terrible problem for indoor plants when conditions are too dry, which is often the case during cold winter days when most of us are keeping toasty. If you notice a plant's leaves shriveling and dropping, or webbing in between stems and leaves, you've probably got a spider mite problem. Again, Neem oil is an extremely effective solution, and its low toxicity makes it safe to use around the house. The mites can be killed with several sprays of Neem. However, the humidity around the affected plant will need to be addressed to keep mites from returning:
Keep plants away from the hot blast of furnace output vents.
Spray sensitive indoor plants with water daily if possible.
Move all sensitive plants together and run a humidifier near them to keep air moisture levels high.