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Clippings ready for potting soil?

Hello Everyone,
 
I'm hoping I could get some advice on the next step in my fig clipping propagation.  I've been able to get them to grow roots laying/covered in peat moss.     
 
When the roots were 1" long, I moved the clippings to plastic cups filled with Perlite, Vermiculate, and some peat.  I put the cups in a large clear plastic bin with a cover. 
 
Roots are growing, but it's a constant battle against mold due to the high humidity. 
 
When can I move the clippings to an uncovered pot with potting soil so I don't have the mold issue anymore?
 
 

Welcome to the forum figlegacy...

Are you lifting the lid a couple times a day to get some fresh air in the bin? If the cuttings have rooted enough to be moved into 1 gallon pots you first have to harden them off before taking them out of the humidity bin permanently. Otherwise they will wilt soon after you take them out.

What I do is just lift one corner propping it open with something. This slowly lets the cuttings adapt to less humid environment. After several days I prop the other corner open a bit and let it sit that way for a few days. Once I see the cuttings are fine with the lid open I feel safe to take them out.

Good luck.

Tyler

  • Rob

Don't move them out of their cups until the roots are strong enough to hold together somewhat and withstand such a move without breaking into pieces.  Send some photos and I can opine on whether you are there yet.

If you are getting mold then it is probably too humid in there so I would open it up partially as Tyler suggests. 

One option is to take them out of the bin but put an upside down cup or clear plastic bag (with plenty of holes cut in it) on top.  This is another way to control the moisture.

I never use that perlite/verm/peat mix so I can't tell you any specifics on that part of it.

As long as you don't see anything bad happening, as in roots drying up or shoots/leaves shriveling, keep dialing back the humidity.  They only need so much humidity/moisture.  Too much can cause problems.  

When I first started rooting figs I tried to keep the cuttings covered to keep the humidity up, but like you I found that I had a lot of issues with mold forming and I ended up loosing a lot of cuttings.

This past season tried rooting with the bottom half sealed in a ziplock bag with moist perlite and with the tips of my cuttings exposed to the open air. I ended up having a 100% success rate with this method and had zero issues with mold of fungus gnats.

The moral of the story is if there is no leaf development you could probably get away with bringing the cuttings out of the humidity bin right now, if there is leaf development I might slowly lower the humidity over a period of several days until your cuttings are adjusted, and when they are ready I would bring them out into the open air. Doing this will solve your issues with mold and might just save your cuttings.

Thanks everyone for the advice.  I am going to try leaving part of the lid open to reduce humidity over a few days.    

For the mold that is there, I assume I can use some water/bleach mixture to wipe on the exterior.

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