Greetings All

Last Fall i started a few air-layers from my in-ground Hardy Chicago tree. Moved the new plants into pots in mid-October or so, and they were dormant all winter. As sun got stronger, and my storage, sun room warmed up these new trees quickly sprouted nice top growth. I've pinched the tops to encourage additional branching.

This past weekend, with nice warmer spring time temps, I moved them outside for the day. Only problem is that when I moved them back inside, I accidentally broke a side branch of new growth completely off. It was late, so i placed entire "cutting" in a barrel of rain water and later into a container with only water. It's been about four days and the cutting still looks healthy.

What's the best course of action? Keep in water? Plant in perlite, etc. trash? Don't waste time or effort?

Here's a quick pix of how it looks tonight.

I'd put it in a container with a fast draining soil and a humidity dome and hope for the best.  If you have clonex it wouldn't hurt to dip it in that first.

I second Bob's advice.  I did that with a couple of broken branches from an EBT last year... that all rooted just fine.  (EBT and HC seem to me to have a similar growth habit, by the way, despite the difference in fruit characteristic).

Mike

<<edit:  for me the humidity dome was a white plastic bag.  And they did lose some leaves while they were rooting, but came out just fine in the end. >>

Mark...sorry to hear about the broken branch...I think the advice you already recieved will do the trick...just a little story to encourage you...two Haloweens ago we had an unexpecdted heavy snow storm...leaves were still on the fig trees...so a friend of mine down in Flemington had a 6 yr old heirloom fig tree that suffered a broken branch (snapped almost completely through, only a hinge left)...a year later when I visited his fig nursery, that same branch, which had been splinted and supported with a brace, was fully loaded with beautiful ripe figs...these fig trees are like the old Timex watch commercial:   "They take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. " ...good luck with all your fig trees.

Do you all suppose he ought to cut the leaves in half, or trim off all but the top ones?  I've seen recommendations like that for trying to root green "summer" growth...
Jim

That is a veeery green-tender fig twig.

I would cut off the 2 bottom leaves (less the stem),
and cut off 1/2 the next big leaf, leaving the
top-most little one and tip as is. Rooting in water is your
best bet; add some vented dome (for moisture) and
change water frequently, then hope for the best...

It wasn't a new branch, but I accidentally severed a huge subtrunk branch from a BT TX Everbearing while cutting off an air layer and I potted it up. It lost all of it's leaves, but I kept it in the shade and it actually survived and I gave it to my neighbor. Good luck, there's always hope with figs.

Many thanks All

I appreciate the advise and fig wisdom from one and all. So far, I've gone ahead and trimmed back all of the leaves, spare two as you can see in the updated picture below. I still have it soaking in fresh rain water, contemplating next step:
1) leave in water and place in a humidity dome, or
2) place this stem in a mix of perlite/potting soil and place that in humidity tent.

Any recommendations on light exposure? This plant had been in full sun for a long time, but now that it is cut and disconnected, I'm thinking it needs bright, indirect sunlight. Tks for your thoughts.

Mark,

Like George said, take the large leaf off.
What I do with green wood that long is bury it with only the top inch or two exposed.

Keep it in medium light.

Just my two cents and what I have done in the past.

Good luck

soft green new growth... i agree with all.of above. "hope for the best". my record so far with green cuttings are fat zero so far.

sunlight + humidity dome (plastic bag) = steamed, dead cutting

Greetings

Broken cutting has been in glass full of rain water, receiving a few hours of filtered morning sunlight, all but two leaves trimmed, and still looking pretty good. No plastic bag/humidity dome, etc. Ive been misting it most, but not every morning.

Here's how it looks tonight, 10 days after the broken stem incident: