Hi just a pic of cuttings i got from Steve that I,m trying to start in  sphagnum moss in  a baggie. Anyone have better success with  this method over newspaper in the bag?   Thanks
 Paul

Ciao, I love using sphagnum moss.  I don't bag them with the moss, I just put them in plastic pots and mix little dirt with the moss and stick the sticks inside, they all root fine.  You can just sort of tell when they are rooted, don't have to always see roots, and don't have to disturb them.  This is very good method. The moss makes good air flow and also helps to keep them from mold.  Ciao

I tried it on some of my last cuttings works great I had no mold compared to the papertowel method.



Thats 1 fico Genovese Cutting & 1 Capelas cutting.

 Do you cover them with a lid or leave them open
 thanks
  Paul

when I root, I don't cover if I root in a container.  The transition I think sometimes is too much from humid air to dry air and I think alot die this way.  But you stick your stick and only leave maybe last 25% sticking out top so whole stick is almost covered. They root and leaf out much much better I have found. I wouldn't recommend using paper towels.  Use Ink newspaper.  The Ink also retards the mold. Paper towels may get moldy. If don't use SM, use newpaper with ink. Not the shiny ink newpaper like you get with advertisements, use the News newspaper. 

So from what I am hearing;
(News) newspaper is better than paper-towels
and SM is better than both.

George, In my opinion the answer to your last question,,,, YES!

Yes I cover the container with the lid and usually check the cuttings every 2-3 days I have 8 cuttings in the same container right now works really well. Yes Gorgi my personal experience is that newspaper works better than papertowel and sphagnum is better than both atleast it has been with me.

satellitehead, your question you posted to Nelson is the reason why I said you can use the method of putting cuttings already into pot with moss, and after a while you will know its rooted and you can then when you are ready transfer the rooted mass from pot into your more larger "permanent" pot in the spring ect for as long as you want to keep it in the larger pot. There will be no checking and disturbing of the roots this way at all. It will just root in moss and when it is well rooted, just transfer into the next pot. I find checking and messing with them too much especially during those critical early rooting stages its too much stress on the roots. Your cutting will tell you when it is rooted well and when you use clear plastic pots or cups to root in, you will see the roots against the sides and at bottom of cup. Just let it be and it will do what nature tells it to.

Very Good question Satellitehead and im glad you asked it. You can do as exactly as Maggie mentioned the first batch I checked on then every couple days when I noticed root Initials starting I took them from between the sphagnum and placed it on top of the sphagnum and just mist them with water then check on them every day ,when the root initials where around 1/2" to 1" I put them in clear cups with about a 60/40 perlite & Potting soil.

Nelson,  I like this method you explained. I like that you took and layed on top when initials started. Very good job you mentioned the misting part, Yes, I didn't mention that, I should have.  Misting is very very very important! thanks nelson, I may try a few like you did it. Ciao

I like the sphagnum method I have done crotons that way,I have fig cuttings comming and will try this method on them I know on crotons you get alot less rot with sphagnum.
What is the best way to over winter cuttings rooted at this time of year?

I did try the SM  and the results were about the same for me but easier to manage in the SM.
I used clear plaastic pastry container wet the SM well rung it out and put the scion in between layers of it and they did get roots.
Never worried about it drying out.

I like the idea of using SM for rooting so I stopped by the nursery last night and bought a brick. I stuck some cuttings in a baggie with damp moss when I got home...thanks for the idea!

Sue

Just make sure that you're using "Sphagnum Moss" and not "Sphagnum Peat Moss"...  they sound almost the same, but they're not.

I found it the thread where i tried it SM and also Peat cups was another way further down that thread i tried . Here is older thread with some pictures for your fun viewing .
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3419081&highlight=sphagnum+moss

They also had a "Green Moss" that sure looked like Sphagnum Moss so I asked an employee. I did get the actual Sphagnum moss and not the peat. Thanks for checking.
Sue

Hi everyone. I'm quite familiar with sphagnum moss but being new to figs I have a few questions.

First, I have several cuttings in the paper towel/plastic zip-loc baggie method. These are the unknown brown and yellow varieties I got from my good neighbor friend. They've been in the baggies since 11/14 but I was thinking about transffering them over either to this sphagnum method or that method described by genecolin over on another recent thread. Anyone have any tips or warnings for me before I do so? Both methods sound great but I think I like this sphagnum method due to its obvious simplicity.
If I start them in containers should I cover them for awhile and gradually transition them to a container without a cover?

Italiangirl74 what kind of "dirt" do you use? What is upm soil BTW? Also, I'd like to hear/read a little more about how to care for cuttings rooting this time of year. For example what general temperatures do you keep them at to get them rooted and for how long? How long before you start providing some light for them and how much? Keeping in mind that I start with the sphagnum method.

Thanks for all the help on getting me started.
-Bill.  

Bill, I don't have all of the answers for your stuff above because I'm just starting my first "official" batch of cuttings.   Anything I'd done prior was tinkering.

UPM = Ultimate Potting Mix.  It is made by Ferti-Lome, http://www.fertilome.com - it is a soil-less potting mix, with no added fertilizer, but lots of good stuff like sphagnum, vermiculite, pine bark, a "wetting agent" and other things ... you get the idea.  The two big things are 1) soil-free, 2) fertilizer-free.  It has nutrients that your cuttings will like, via the mixture used.

I couldn't find UPM in my area, although I have several places that are ferti-lome suppliers.  You may not be able to either.  So, I did some research in my area, and found that a company called Fafard carries a mix that is insanely similar in content (if not exactly the same) called Fafard 3B.  It is what the Atlanta Botanical Garden uses for all of its cuttings, propogation, and even plants.  More info on the product and what it contains is here: http://www.fafard.com/?p=139

I'm using Fafard on mine. 

For temperatures and light, everything I have seen has said 1) Room temperature, 2) Avoid heating pads, 3) Indirect light, put in a sunny room or on shady side of a house, 4) Keep going till you see good roots that are well developed.

Thanks Jason.

I know we have suppliers in the area that carries Ferti-Lome products- yet to be seen if they have the UPM.  I'll just have to check around.

I just remembered a tip I wanted to share with you all. When you are making holes in the containers such as the clear plastic cups (any plastic or styrofoam material for that matter) I've found it very helpful to use a hot soldering iron. It's fast and easy and you don't have to wrestle with a drill. It is a Soo much smoother process and it leaves perfect little round holes. The only drawback is that it creates a little smelly smoke in the house. So if you don't warn your spouse before trying this he/she may come running in a panic thinking the house is on fire!- I'm speaking from experience by the way :).

Thanks again for the tips. I am learning volumes via this forum and the F4F site.

-Bill. 

You're very welcome.  I hope others will chime in and answer your questions, because I'm curious about them as well.

About UPM:  I had the same experience.  I have a dozen Ferti-Lome (I'm using FL from now on) carriers in my area.  Not a single one had UPM, but they had other FL products like fertilizer, soil conditioner, and a myriad of others.  Just no UPM.

I read on the other fig forum (GW) that one person called his/her local nursery that carries FL products, and they said UPM in his/her town it would not be the same as the UPM product that another member from Arizona has, because FL sources their products locally, and it differs from region to region.  Now - this could just be the kind of thing a nursery tells you to get your business, or sell you on another product....or it could be the truth.  This is just something to think about.

From what I've seen, if you can't find UPM or the 3B I've chosen, just go for something that is soil-free, no added fertilizer, and preferrably something with a "wetting agent".  This seems to be what everyone recommends for cuttings.  Any respectable nursery should know what these three things are, and which product fits.

Cutting the drainage holes:
Bill, I agree with you that a drill is the last thing you want to put in drainage holes.

I have used the soldering iron, but mine is small and slow as well as smelly.

Fare easier and faster if you have it is a table saw.  Clamp a stop across the table so that the blade just barely penetrates the bottom of the cup when the cup slides toward it on its side.  This will make a hole about a quarter inch long across the bottom edge of the cup.  Rotate the cup a quarter turn, cut again, repeat until you have four holes evenly spaced around the cup.

You can do fifty cups in hardly more time than it takes to tell the story.  No smell, perfect repeatability. 

This might not work well if the cups are very flimsy, but I use the soft drink cups from the Quick Trip convenience stores here and they are pretty tough.  Kept out of the sun they should be good for several years. 
Ox

Hi Ox,
The table saw really is a good idea. I don't own one or have acces to one but still a good idea.
Thanks.

Bill