For the first time I will be rooting a large amount of cuttings (thousands). I want to root them in perlite but I'm not sure what my best option is for buying perlite in bulk. Any suggestions????

Whittemore can provide it to you in 75 cu ft bags (tall pallet size), out of Mass.

sales@whittemoreco.com

Likewise, the west coast gets it through Supreme Perlite out of Portland, OR.

Many have posted here about rooting in straight perlite. I would encourage you do do your research before rooting all of those the same way.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/starting-figs-in-promix-6692131?highlight=stuewe&trail=25

Welcome to the Forum. Are you new to figs?

You can get 4cu ft bags on amazon with free shipping for about $24.00...

https://www.amazon.com/PVP-Industries-Pro4CU105408-Horticultural-Perlite/dp/B0094F1RLI?SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA&ascsubtag=812209150-16-1263514208.1482960182&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0094F1RLI&linkCode=xm2&tag=d_2b_a_o-20

I get mine in 4 cu' bags from whatever hydroponics store will give it to me the cheapest.  You have to carefully blow or rinse away all the fine particles. I use #3 or 4 perlite, not the much smaller coarse stuff.  I also sprinkle some peat moss over the top.

I should say I am new to rooting cuttings. I do have a fig orchard with about 85 fig trees currently producing.

I got mine from HD, but a seller on Craigs List in my area offers it for about half what I paid.

If you are not committed to using perlite, you might want to consider sharp sand - the type used in making concrete.  It drains very well, but stays moist enough - not having to be watered more than twice a day, even under hot windy conditions.  It also anchors the cuttings well as it packs tighter than perlite, and you won't have to deal with the dust associated with perlite.  I bought a large bag - I believe it was 4 cu. ft. - of perlite, and just trying to wet down a couple of quarts results in clouds of very fine dust that can cause lung problems.  We had a pile of sharp sand delivered, and use it for most of our cuttings.  It has worked very well.

I get mine from Levitt's in North Jersey. Last summer 4 cf bags were going for $16, even cheaper for a registered contractor. The bag says Super Coarse but it's really not too much bigger than standard stuff

@KK ... 4cf for $16 is a great price... Where in North jersey is Levitt's? Is that levitt's landscaping supply at: 621 Edwards Rd, Parsippany, NJ 07054 I think that I am on my 6th or 7th 4CF bag bought on Amazon.... I have been using it for mixing grow media for my garden as well as all my container plants, persimmon, hibiscus, mandevilla trees and cuttings as well so it goes pretty quickly....

@KK ... Thank you... if the prices are that good, I might make a run down there and get pro mix and perlite and fill my Ram 1500 with it...

AGM where in the world are you? Advice on getting perlite in North Jersey will not help you in N California. I easily had 2500-3000 cuttings myself this year. It sounds like you are trying to over winter them outside so you must be some place warm. With that many cuttings I'm assuming you want to sell them at some point. Why not start them in 1 gallon pots and get the pots in a hoop house now?

@ADelmanto I am in southern Oklahoma. 3hrs north of Dallas. It can get pretty cold here occasionally. I am considering rooting them in coarse sand as @fignut suggested. I will probably use a few different outdoor methods rather than putting all my eggs in one basket. I will most likely put a third or more of them in charcoal mounds as my friend did last year. He lives in the same area as me and out of nearly 2k cuttings he only lost a few of them. I am open to any suggestions/council. My friend didn't have to do any maintenance whatsoever rooting in the charcoal mounds. He just let them be until late spring.

"I easily had 2500-3000 cuttings myself this year"

Wow Aaron! I am amazed and awed. That is not a small number of cuttings! How the heck does one person manage such an undertaking? I am watching the threads documenting James "Greenfin" managing his undertaking on F4F and it seems that his efforts are just confirming my own thinking that that is a full time job to go through the end to end process.... Where does one put 3000 1 gallon figs after up potting? My pantry won't hold that many...   :-)

Tsparozi Believe me, neither does mine. I am a landscaper and have access to new unknowns all the time. Most people are happy to have me come in and prune back their unruly tree. Here they grow as multi trunked large bushes. I sold 600 cuttings to a local nursery who will be growing 6 varieties next year. The others I sold here, and the last few I have up on eBay. I only keep a few of each variety to grow myself. Still, I have about a hundred cuttings in the fridge.

You can get about 100 cuttings into a 2 Gallon Ziplock bag. 2 bags side by side in a Rubbermaid tote. 4 layers high that's 800 cuttings. 4 totes is 3200 cuttings. If you had a cool but not freezing garage they would store all winter in there. Or you could stack them all in a second fridge for the winter.

AGM what is the plan after the winter?

Planting them in backyard nursery. Expanding my current fig orchard with some of them and selling the rest. Should have nearly 20 varieties. My orchard now currently consists of 15 varieties.

How long will cuttings store in fridge for??

When storing in fridge, do you wrap them in damp paper towel inside zip bag or do you just put them in zip bag?

Don't kid yourself. This is a lot of work. I knew that from your first post. I want you to be successful at this so this is what I would do.

Cut into whatever length you want. 3 nodes is all you need but it can be more. 6-10" is perfect. Wash with water and dunk in a 10% Clorox solution to kill any bacteria or mold. (This is necessary for storage). Allow to air dry completely. Do not wash off Clorox solution. Cuttings can easily last 6 months or more in storage.

New cuttings will "sweat". They will give off their own humidity in the fridge. I wrap 3 cuttings per dry paper towel and then stuff in the Ziplock bags. Without the paper towel there will be too much condensation inside of the paper towel.

In the spring you can start them however you like.

http://www.perlitecanada.com/en/perlite-products.php