Ok I admit it, I suck at getting cuttings to adulthood. Rooting I can do. Potting them up sucessfully, not so much, maybe 50% rate. I think it's my soil mix, still to dense, holding too much water.

I was at the nursery to pick up some gopher cages the other day and they had plumeria trees. Well of course I had to buy a couple. Asking what soil to plant them in I was told a cactus mix. The cashier overheard this and said he grows plumeria and to use 1/3 cactus mix - 1/3 orchid bark - 1/3 pumice for good drainage. He said the water will flow right out and not rot the roots.

I think I will give this mix a try with fig cuttings. I'm just not sure of the orchid bark? Is there too much tannin in this bark? Would some other bark/mulch filler work better? I have some rare cuttings that are just showing roots and I don't want to lose them.

I'm at the stage where I'm convinced that the cup phase is just not a good idea for people who don't have a lot of resources.  And to add to your comment, in said cup phase, orchid mix saved my ass on the more vigorous cutting when I overwatered my cups.  Will definitely use 1/2 cactus and 1/2 orchid mix next year, provided I can get the scratch to buy yet another set of cuttings!  ?:~)

I hear Pro-mix is good for cuttings but it's not sold anywhere in SD that I can find, not even Lowes. Closest Lowes that has it is 100+ miles away in LA.

I was wondering if coconut coir would be a good substitute for the orchid bark?

Sue, I am using this product from Home Depot... has worked for my up pottings to 1 gallons. If anything, I would mix more Perlite into it, but it does an excellent job when it comes to moisture control.

 

get creative with covers...:)

  
 

I went through a lot of failure myself, I too was able to root but not to transition. I found that I was able to dramatically increase my transition success rate by putting rooted cuttings in (preferably) 1/3 peat moss 2/3 perlite mix in 16 oz cup in sealed humidity chamber with a heat mat underneath and temperature probe set to 80F. It works like a charm for me now! I have monster roots!

Rafael, yes, those are some real fine roots!!

I'm very new but have had very good success (12/13 so far once cupped up) by barely watering once cupped.  I don't water until the cup is very light, or basically the mix is nearly bone dry.  I used 3 parts MG perlite and 1 part MG seed starting mix for most, but switched to regular perlite recently.  My humidity bin is just a clear storage bin.  I leave them in there until the roots are good, then transition to window sill, where I have a 42W compact fluorscent "grow" light (6500K).  I water using an eye dropper so I don't over water.  I air out the bin daily and mist occasionally.  During the dry winter, I put a pie plate of water in the bin too.

Sue, I'll bet you $1,000 that you can find ProMix HP not far from you if you look a little harder.  The best bet is a hydroponic shop.  The huge hydroponic shop I wet to on Tuesday had a fresh shipment of 4 pallets (120 bales weighing 65#).  Gloria couldn't find it either and then I searched and the first hydroponic shop back in Charlotte that I called had it and they happened to know Dennis and his figs very well.  Rafed has also got it at a hydroponic shop.  Based on the improved success I've had in using it I won't using anything else for any tree that I place any value on.  Some extras and stuff like that are getting my own blend of compost and perlite and they generally don't do as well.

http://sdhydroponics.com/pro-mix-hp-3-8-cu-ft.html  :)

Hi Sue,

I think Harvey's right about the hydroponic shop being a good bet and you might find course perlite there too.  I'm using Fafard soilless mix right now with course perlite and some fine pine bark.  Farfard's is pretty similar to Promix and figs seem to grow fine in it.  I think I lost 1 out of 29 cuttings this year.  Orchid bark should be fine but is normally a bit more money than a pine bark.  I have a bag of Orchiata Bark which is one of the high end orchid barks which orchids grow roots like crazy.  Maybe I should try mixing in some of that.  who know maybe it will start a new potting mix crazy. 

I'm far from being good at transitioning rooted cuttings to cups but I did try a few different methods recently. First I always sift my perlite and come out with 2 grades. A coarse grade, around 1/4 inch which there is not a whole lot of in a big bag and the rest is 1/8 to 3/16 which makes up the bulk of the bag of perlite. All the dust is trashed which is around 1/4 to some times 1/2 of the bag. I put rooted cuttings in cups with pre-wet coarse perlite, some with the smaller perlite, some with miracle grow moisture control (blue bag), some with a mix of 50/50 coarse perlite and MG soil and finally some with mostly perlite and MG soil at about 70/30-80/20 mix. All grew roots and most all made it regardless of the mix. Some grew roots faster than others but is probably more related to the quality of the cuttings rather than the mix. The whole key to IMO is water control and air. I feel it's imperitive to use a clear cup with holes in the bottom and sides for air exchange and to see how much humidity is in the cup. If you can see mist droplets on the inside of the cup do not water! When they are almost completely gone I take. Spray bottle and and put 1 squirt of water in to the side holes on the cup and leave it alone until it drys up again. Of coarse the coarse perlite dries faster than all the other mixes I used and required more water but from the cup to potting faze I probably only watered the cups maybe twice. I did this in a plastic bin out side in the shade with a clear lid on top of the bin proped up on one corner with a brick for good air circulation. I also placed bricks in the bin to put the cups on and put about an inch of water in the bottom of the bin for evaporative moisture. This set up might not work for everyone bu here in the humid south along the Gulf Coast it's worked good for me the last couple months. Another thing I learned recently was to not start cuttings in my area until at least late April so cupping out doors can be done mid to late May as the gnat population seems to just disappear at the end of April. When potting up to one gallon I've been using the MG blue bag and smaller perlite at a 50/50 mix and the plants have been great! As I pot up I will back off on the perlite untill I'm using a 10-20 perlite and 80-90 MG soil mix at around the 5 gallon pot mark. So far so good! Hope this helps as learned the hard way this spring as well. Seems everyone here has been humbled by these figs at least once or twice. Good luck!

Hi Sue,

I just sent you an email.

-Frank

Hi svanessa,
The key is to root more cuttings than you need.
Sometimes, cuttings are just not meant to do it.

A neighbor gave me a cutting - ok a branch - that I split in 3 bits.
None of them has shown signs of life.
At the same time, that neighbor has planted (what looks like) a tree - probably from the same strain - same lots of "cuttings".
That tree has shown no signs of life so far - so for me the cuttings were already dead , although still looking greenish.

I had some cuttings making roots, like they wanted to exhaust them selves ... and they died .

But, some cuttings made it, and that is already good :)

Orchid bark is just pine or fir bark at a very uniform size.  There are no fine particles to trap water.  It's very expensive.  I use pine/fir bark for my young figs.  It stays wet but allows for lots of air spaces because of the large particle size.  You can't let a lot of them clump together or you'll have the same problem.

Lava rock or pumice can damage fig roots so #3 or #4 perlite is a much better choice.  I get mine at a hydroponics store.  Even guys who ship orchids use perlite instead of pumice.

I use #3 perlite, which can also be found at hydroponics stores, with a little peat moss and Napa Floor dry.  I go from there to pro-mix HP with a little Napa Floor Dry and some small bark chunks (no fines) to hold a little extra water without interfering with drainage.  Don't be tempted to put bark in the bottom.  That becomes a swamp.  Guess how I know   :)  Once they've grown a little in that then they're ready for your usual potting strategy.  I use large chunk pine bark and add small amounts of worm catings, compost, epsoma and napa floor dry.  Pine bark adds a lot of calcium as it breaks down, which the figs love.

I also use dilute fertilizer as soon as I see roots.  Some cuttings really don't have what they need to get started.

I get the pro-mix HP with bio-fungicide from nursery distributors.  If you tell them that you grow 150 fig trees they'll let you buy from them.  The 4 cu' bales are much less expensive than the bags in the long run. 

I used to grow Plumeria and they loved the same mix my mature figs get.  They all died their first winter in KC.  :(

It's been mentioned before but the 2.8 CF bales have much more than the 2 CF bales because it's highly compressed.  At about $30, the 2.8 CF bales are a better value.  They also provide the opportunity for more exercise to carry around. :)

http://www.pthorticulture.com/en/pro-mix-hp-biofungicideplusmycorrhizae-growing-medium/

that is a nice product, I just watched the intro video clip. Thanks Harvey

2.2 cu ft is the only one Home Depot carries in this area: http://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-MIX-2-2-cu-ft-Compressed-HP-Mycorrhizae-20221RG/204678989 

$25 does seem kind of pricey, but I only use it in my 1 gallon containers. Once I get bigger than that, I don't think the trees are as picky - especially since my trees will all eventually get potted to open ground. I'm mainly using it to improve my success rate going from cup to pots.

I'm glad you posted that, Harvey because my distributor told me it was 40 lbs and I thought I was going soft.

you guys... is there a composition difference between the Potting-Mix I have been using and the one Harvey is mentioning? If so what is the difference besides the weight...the one i am using is saying 54qts and it's $16/bag, which is probably most expensive mix that I have bought so far @$0.30/qt price not including the Tax...weight comparison-wise...how much is the Pro-Mix HP?

Aaron, what type are you using, ProMix HP or ProMix BX?  HP has about 35% perlite and BX has about 25% and, I believe, they are the same otherwise.  The hydroponic shop I was at earlier this week had both and I compared the ingredients again just to check to make sure.  I like the higher perlite content for young trees to help avoid over-saturated soil but would probably prefer BX if it was a larger tree that was going into a large 20-60 gallon pot.

Paul, check a hydroponic shop.  $30 for the 2.8 CF bale is a better value and a trip to these hydroponic shops is always an adventure! LOL  The clerk that usually helps me thinks it's "cool" that I grow figs and I remind her of her uncle.  Like wow, man!

New product!

PRO-MIX® HP-CC MYCORRHIZAE™ is a lightweight, high-porosity peat-based growing medium that contains chunk coir. It ensures optimum growth, especially when high air capacity and extra drainage are required. It is ideal for water-sensitive crops, rooting cuttings and/or low-light growing conditions that contains a beneficial mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus intraradices). These microscopic fungi attach to and colonize the root systems working in symbiosis with plants. It benefits the plant by increasing water and nutrients acquisition (especially Phosphorus, Copper and Zinc). This symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant, results in an overall improved plant growth PRO-MIX® HP-CC MYCORRHIZAE™ is suitable for a wide variety of horticultural plants.
Learn more about Mycorrhizae

 

POTTING GUIDEMAKE YOUR OWN MIX 
COST CALCULATORBIOFUNGICIDE
CALCULATOR

Features

• Designed for water sensitive crops, crops susceptible to water related root diseases, low-light growing conditions and high humidity
• High air-porosity
• Excellent drainage and leaching ability
• Contains specialized CHUNK COIR
• Contains MYCORRHIZAE™mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus intraradices)

 

Benefits**

• Greater frequency of dry-down periods (compared to general purpose peat-based mixes)
• Grower can more easily leach fertilizer salts during crop cycle
• Reduces overwatering risk
• Well suited for undesirable, year-round weather condition
• CHUNK COIR improves physical properties to increase porosity for higher aeration and drainage
• CHUNK COIR maintains its structure when in use which is important for long term crops
• MYCORRHIZAE™ improves overall growth of plants and increases yields of flowers/fruits

**Benefits may vary among plant species and cultivars.


ps. Harvey, BX has vermiculite, best choice for seed flats.

Harvey I haven't used Pro Mix yet, I have been using Potting Mix by Miracle Grow, the one in the picture above.

I forgot - coco coir is more like peat moss than pine bark chunks.  There's coir chips that have the right size but I've heard some testimonies that people are having less success with it than pine.  I believe there's one on this forum somewhere...   :)

I don't know if the mycorrhyzae makes a lot of difference for figs.  The relationships between plants and fungi tend to be very specific.  The fungi that work with herbaceous plant roots don't often interact with tree roots.  I don't know that anyone's studied which fungi form mycorrhizal relationships with any ficus.  There's been a lot of work done for commercially valuable mushrooms.

The biofungicide would be much more valuable, in my opinion.  :)

I use fafard #52 for everything now and it works great. I have been buying it in bulk so my price on 2.8 cu ft bags is less then $20. Because it drains so well the stage going from cups of dirt and perlite to 1 gallon pots full of soil is no longer an area of loss.
There are issues to address, however. Because I water so much I need to be careful to add back micronutrients, etc. but this is a small price to pay for soil that has been performing much better then anything else I've tried. I have not tried Pro-mix HP-CC, but next time I order soil I'll buy some and do a comparison. Until then, I'm very happy with fafard #52.