I have read but never tried to harves green cuttings in summer. i have read you take green cuttings and pop them in the fridge for about a month then treat them like any other cuttings. has anybody ever tried this.

Dave, if you try it please keep us all informed.

sure will but would like to get input on if anybody else has tried it before i start hacking up trees.

im thinking air layers are the only way to do it in summer but just wanting to explor options. to bad i didnt open the green house up this year. fridge went out over winter and i lost 95% of my cuttings (hundreds)

Easy, stick directly in moist soil and put a plastic clear bag over it. Open every few days and mist inside of bag lightly. This is my best method for green cuttings

might give it a try

Dave, that is sad to hear you lost so many cuttings during the winter. I always root some figs during the active growth period. You can put them in the fridge, it is supposed to help the stem drop the petioles which can cause rot. Maybe there are some other changes in the chemistry, like conversion of sugars to starches. It is not necessary though. I have found the branch tips need more humidity so they don't shrivel up, where as further down the stem where the wood is harder, it requires less humidity. Those lower cuttings seem to root easier for me, after leaves are removed. Maybe try it with a plant where cuttings aren't as valuable until you get a feel for what works for you. Good luck!

Mike in Hanover, VA

Other than using air-layering methods, I root semi-green, wood cuttings, and I find it to be very easy.  Here's what I do:

Find a short 7"-10" length of semi-green wood.  I like to use a short branch that recently sprouted so that the cut end of the branch has some harder, semi-lignified, wood near the base end section (where roots will form) and a terminal bud at the outer end.  I don't refrigerate these cuttings.  I cut off all leaves along the stem but keep just two or three smaller leaves toward the terminal end.  I cut the neck end of a large GREEN soda bottle off, right around the top of the label, but I leave the label on the bottle.  I melt a few holes into the 5 knobby projections at the base of the soda bottle, for drainage, fill it with some DAMPENED, NOT WET,  quick-draining, rooting mix and stick the cutting into the mix that is now filling the prepared, soda bottle.  Make sure the stem of your cutting is at least 2/3 buried. 

Now, using the same diameter soda bottle, cut off the top, cap-end of a CLEAR bottle but stop where the cut diameter of this neck section will be just slightly less than the full diameter.  You will need this smaller diameter, tapered area.  You will be inverting this clear bottle and placing it over the top of the cutting.  The tapered section will make it easy to slip the clear bottle on top of the green bottle holding the cutting.  This whole setup will become a mini-greenhouse for the new cuttings.  I also remove the label from the clear bottles so light can reach the leaves that you left on the cutting.  So you will have the green bottle holding the cutting on the bottom, and a clear soda bottle on top.  You could also melt a few holes into the clear top so moisture and air doesn't stagnate. (Note: It's best to prepare all your bottles in advance).

I put my bottled-up, cuttings in a very bright, and warm, window.  Within 6 weeks, roots will be seen through the clear, green bottles.  If I think the rooting-medium is getting too dry, I add just a little water.  Some varieties will strike roots quicker than others. 

Once the roots start filling up the lower bottle, and the terminal buds start showing new growth, I remove the top, clear, bottle for a few hours each day.  Eventually, you could gradually expose the rooted cuttings to stronger light, and more fresh air, but no direct sun.

When it comes time to pot up your newly rooted cuttings, gently, with a sharp scissors, cut the knobby bottom sections off the green bottles, being careful not to disturb/cut the new roots.  Push, and slip the newly rooted treelets through the bottom of the green bottles and into the new pot...or, simply scissor-cut the green bottle up one side and remove it from around the root ball.  Plant the new treelets into pots.  When done right you will have a minimum of root disturbance and little, if any set back.  Gradually introduce your new trees to full sun.

I have very good success with rooting semi-green wood.  It's a good method to use when air-layering is not practical.  There are some You-Tube videos featuring Ray Given that show other methods for rooting "green" fig cuttings.  If done in early season, you can expect to get some good growth by the time cooler weather starts.

Frank


It takes longer to explain this method than to actually do it.  Once you prepare your bottles, it's very quick and easy.

Jake-

Just looked over the photos showing your large-scale success.  The stacked tubs seem to work great!  Nice to see some more alternatives.  I never tried using soft, green-wood cuttings because I thought they would rot before striking roots, but I see by your results, that I was very mistaken.

What do you use for growing mix....and I can see that you trimmed some of the leaves.  Nicely done.  Congrat's.

Frank

Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix and perlite 50/50.

To me summer cuttings root better then dormant cuttings. I treat them the exact same way and they root a lot faster for me. Now, I am not talking about really green cuttings but more like semi green.  I do have good luck with dormant cuttings but they take twice as long if not more before they do anything. 

sounds good jake might have to give it a try on a small scale. if it works maybe something larger.

Again, as mentioned in another thread, I rooted 11 out of 12 green cuttings in gallon pots and waiting for the last to root. I start all cuttings in gallon pots after having a 95% failure rate with the bag and container method. Now I have about an 85% success rate and usually the failures are of the same variety. Also, I have no need to up pot for quite some time. Keep in mind that I live in humid Florida and all cuttings are started in complete shade all day long.