Is this a common occurrence when rooting cuttings? Is it the maturity/variety of the cutting? Or just a "they all do it" sort of thing? I have one of those rooting cube trays and I just started it 1 week ago. I have multiple varieties doing this in just one week and none of them are very big! I cut them all to 2-3 node cuttings, average 3" above the rooting cube. If they aren't growing brebas they are leafing out. I am removing the brebas once I am certain that is what they are, but still. This is common, right? I'm not doing something bad?

I had far fewer cuttings do this when I had them in moss. Maybe it's the light or they REALLY like these cubes? hmm.

Hi Nicole, it's a pretty common occurrence.  Removing the 'figlets' is the right thing to do...because all they do is sap the energy away from the cutting....energy it should be using to grow roots!

It is the Breba crop forming.  I usually do not cut the whole thing off.  I use a razor blade to cut about 75%of the fig off then let the cutting abort the rest.  Cut it as soon as you recognize it as a fig.

What is the advantage of that, James? Do they lose less sap that way?

I'm glad you asked.  It made me think about why I started doing this.  It is something I do and had forgotten where the idea came from.

There were some postings (I think they predated this forum) about removing material from cuttings (fruit, roots, branches, etc.) disturbing the cutting and putting it into some form of shock. I'm not sure how valid the arguments are.  If you damage the fruit, it will not grow anymore thereby reserving the energy stored in the cutting for roots and leaves.  At the same time, you have not cut anything off the cutting to disturb it.  It will recognize the damage fruit and abort it.

Thanks for the info. The whole process is interesting - I'm getting so many more brebas this way vs the moss. As long as I get roots, I don't mind either way.

Perhaps when the wood was cut the scion were in that state of development and when you awoke them they continued in that state.

For certain, cuttings will not produce figs at this point unless the source tree produces a Breba.

You asked, and of all the cuttings I have rooted, I had only two with baby figs.  I don't think it's normal, but evidently it happens.  Good advice from everybody!  Kills to harm a baby fig, but I do it all the time with my vineyard!!  They are not allowed to have clusters until they get established.  And that takes 4+ years!  Can't tell you how many darling baby clusters I've had to sadly pinch off!

You got good advice here!  Go for it Nichole!

Suzi

All this breba business DOES make me excited that once it is established and can safely cary some breba fruit, it may actually succeed in making me happy in my cool climate! I hope they give biiig breba crops!

Nichole, I'm going to bust your bubble!  Oh my!  Brebas are not typically as tasty as the main crop, but they are a teaser.............

:-))

Suzi

In the cool climate of Seattle, brebas are all we get ;)
I have never had a main crop fig to compare them to, but folks say the brebas here are quite good because of our cooler climate. Either way, those are our only option - which is why Desert King is indeed the king of fig trees here.