About a month ago I received cuttings from several sources.  This was my 3^rd  set, and I planned it to be my last, for this 2015-16 winter propagation season.  As with all sets, my goal is 100 % success but so far my last set (2^nd) was only around 60%.  Using school grades that might be a D minus at best.  This time I used the baggie method, with NO heating mat, keeping the potting medium just damp enough to say it wasn’t dry and placed them in a plastic storage container in the relative dark basement furnace room where the temperature is a fairly constant 70 degrees.  Two weeks in, I had two with roots hitting the sides of the baggie.  Yesterday I potted them. 

About a week ago I received another set of cuttings; so much for ending at 3 sets.  Anyway, I spoke with BIGBADBILL and made another change in my propagation process.  Instead of giving new cuttings a 4 to 20 hour soak, I decided to use his method of soaking until at least root bumps protrude.   A week later 10 out of the 23 had significant root bumps.  Those I placed in baggies.

All this got me thinking about the 3^rd set.  Out of 45 cuttings, only 4 shown roots to the sides that included the 2 I mentioned earlier.  Now I was told that rooting would be slower, but after a month I just had to know whether I had roots, not or rot.  So today I decided to de-baggie every cutting that had NO signs of rooting.  Of the 41 that I removed from their baggies, 4 more had very small roots.  Those 4 went into cups and the other 37 went into a wide mouthed plastic container of water with a very mild addition of liquid rooting hormone.   They will be inspected daily as I change their water and will be placed back into their baggies once roots or significant root bumps are seen.  I should mention that only 1 cutting appears to be rotted, all the rest still look great.  I credit that to the very, very low amount of water in the potting medium and relatively lower temperature.

Was this the right thing to do?  Should I be messing with the cuttings this much?  Is there a better way?  I believe after reading and doing what I have done so far, even though my experience with cuttings only started November 4^th of last year, this is right for me.  I normally soaked my cuttings from 4 to 20 hours but it seems as though leaving them soak until root bumps should give more guarantee that roots will actually develop and it should prevent any drying out.  Changing water every day allows close, detailed inspection of every cutting, which will permit intervention if needed.    This whole process is a learning experience.  Many on this forum have shared some really great information but I do believe we all have to find our own method and what works for each of us.  When I see something that does not appear to be going according to plan, I have to know why.  If I make things worse, then so be it as long as I learn from it, although failing is NEVER the plan.  Personally, I feel very good about these moves as I sense I will have a better chance to have more control over process now rather than leaving a lot to chance.  I have included few pictures to go with this information to help clear up anything that may be fuzzy from my writing.   I hope this is a worthwhile post.
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     Cuttings awaiting their turn to shed their baggie.

 
     One of the cuttings with a very small root.

 
     This cutting had the largest root.  It was cupped to just above the dark bark.

 
    2 potted and two cupped so far.  The other cups hold Plumria cuttings.

 
    The de-bagged cuttings in their soaking container.  It sits on top of the insulated furnace cabinet.  No, the water is not boiling, it's just slightly cloudy fom the rooting hormone.  Temperature is around 75 to 80 degrees.

Let me begin by saying that I really appreciate your thoroughness. The concern I have about the sealed bag method is mold and rot. Also, it's important to remember that roots need oxygen -- it's not uncommon for gardeners to literally drown their plants in water. I've been growing figs for about 7 years now and I have had varying degrees of luck with several methods. I suppose I am biased, because I learned everything I know about fig trees from old school, off-the-boat Italian immigrants who have been growing figs in the Northeast for over forty years. Simply put: I think the best way to root a general (not unusual/difficult variety) cutting, is simply to score the base of the cutting lightly (until you see green), put in in a peat moss/garden soil/sand mixture, keep moist and out of direct sunlight, and wait. If you want you can dust on some root tone before sticking them in pots. Old-school propagation takes time.  I do this outside, in an unheated greenhouse that warms up in the day but cools back down at night, the cuttings sit under the bench where I grow my tomatoes from seeds. Temperature fluctuates dramatically, but the young plants come in strong. Letting things go naturally has been close to 90% successful for me. Of 90 cuttings I attempted to root last year over 80 took and are now growing in one gallon pots. Getting the cuttings to root can take about 6 weeks, and as hard as it is, it's best to just keep them watered and otherwise forget about them. All the temperature control, moisture control, etc. methods are fascinating to me, and I love the passion that people show for their cuttings, but I prefer the simpler, old-fashioned way. I don't grow many especially rare varieties, but I think I have a great selection of about a dozen varieties. 

Figtrees, I greatly appreciate the response. 

I read it three times to make sure I did not overlook a single point.  The one point I find the most interesting and more than likely one of my problems, especially after it appears I had a very successful rooting, is the pot planting survival.  My 1^st set of consisted of 68 cuttings and most began the rooting process the last week in November of last year.  About half root and about half of them looked strong.   But I think the unnatural environment of the basement in trying to keep the potted figs healthy was a huge issue as most seemed to fade away with leaves losing their greenness, turning brown and finally dropping off.  I’m going to give them a chance when spring finally breaks and hope the sun and natural heat of the sun will bring them back, but I have my doubts.  The point is I started the rooting process way too soon but it was a way for me to endure the winter gloom.  Being stuck inside can be a real drag.  Anyway, it was a great learning experience and with this activity, it made this winter endurable. 

Now that I will have some fig trees to work with, I will be able to not be chomping at the bit to try and hurry the process next year.  In a few weeks spring will arriving and just at the right time for this last set of cuttings to experience a natural setting.  I do have a small greenhouse that my brother uses to start his tomatoes.  I can sit them under the work tables also.  

As I said, I appreciate the information and I will be incorporating what you passed along to me. 

Thank you.     

First I do the water soak for 4-6 days changing the water daily.

I use rooting compound and go directly to a 1 gallon pot with soil combination and spray with water every day or two.

I do not use the bag method and have been over 85%. Some types are harder and slower to root. I see you have Logue d'Aout. Mee too. Slow growing but started Ok.

You may be moving them too soon. Although they can be vigorous plants, they seem quite "root sensitive " when they are young. It doesn't seem to take much for the plant to die off at the early stages.

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

Anytime someone gives me advise on anything and has a proven record or skill set that exceeds and especially when it far exceeds mine, I listen.  I hope I did not make it seem as thou I handle the cuttings willy nilly and without much regard as I do take care with them and I try my best to not mess with them once I settle them in.  I do like the idea of going directly to pots, as you mention, for the sake of having them left alone and undisturbed until they reached a reasonable point where they are not sensitive.  At the point where I must disturb them, it will be because they've out grown the pot they're in.  A few cuttings that I plan to make my personal keepers have been put directly into 5 gallon pots from the start.  All others will be in either 1, 2 or 3 gallon pots, depending on the variety, root ball and quality of the newly rooted cutting     Once set in pots, I will not go digging or 'rooting around', so to speak, until they are a size where they have to be repotted into a larger one.  My plan in potting up will be a 7 or 10 gallon pot for the 1 to 3 gallon pot trees and a 15 gallon pot for the 5 gallon trees.  But THAT is well into the future.  My immediate desire is to experience the crisp mornings and the smell and sight of the freshness of new growth that comes when spring arrives here in the northeast.     Again, Thanks, Mike    

I tried the bag method like you, and it's just not for me.  I have cuttings sitting in tray of coco coir, right beside the bagged cuttings and the coco tray gives me results in 2-6 weeks, depending on the cutting.  I did the bagged cutting months ago and no sign of roots, but the cuttings appear to be healthy still.
But as you mentioned, now is optimal time to start cuttings so they may experience a real outdoor environment at a young age.  I wish you great luck this year.

I have not had any luck with this bag method and have resolved to using what has worked best for me for years.

I had no luck with baggie too.

I also had no luck with the bag method. Recently debagged, cleaned the cuttings and they are presently in the cloner. Not for me.

I appreciate all the responses.   There is a lot of good information in them and I believe I have come to some conclusions that will be of a great help for next winter.  Thank you.

I believe the most valuable conclusion I’ve come to is NOT to start cuttings until a few months into the new year.  Even though I was able to root the cuttings, keeping them alive in a basement environment until spring was almost a complete failure.  I thought I had a good setup with an area that would average 70 degrees +/- 3 degrees.  I had grow lights, heat mats and all the good stuff as far as potting medium.  But about 3 months into the rooting process, I was in a constant battle fighting off spider mites and gnats.   I did learn a lot and I did not go crazy with cabin fever this year.  Maybe next year I’ll build model airplanes.  At least I will not have to be concerned about keeping the kit alive or fighting mites and gnats.

All the mature trees (anything that grew over the previous season – there were 10) got through winter in great shape.   They are leafing out as I write this.   I expect to go into winter with well above 50.   For the months of November thru February, I’ll gather, mark and store all the cuttings I plan to propagate for next year with rooting attempts to start around mid March.  I bought a lot of unknown cuttings this past year to experiment with and keep the costs reasonable.  I may get a little more selective next year, but first things first and that is looking forward to this years growing season.

As to the method, I have not ruled out using the baggie method altogether.  I also like plastic cups and then there are the occasional unusual cuttings; like ones with several fingers or endings.  They will not fit the traditional method of baggie or cup.  For the latest odd cutting I used a flat rectangular Chinese take out container.  (Pics included)  The point is, depending on the cutting variety, shape and value; I’ll try to adapt the best method to prevent failure as best I can.  I’m sure as time continues; I’ll favor one over the other, but I like to keep the options open.   For sure, those here that have outstanding success rates and share their advice are the ones to closely listen to and learn from.  To keep from forgetting about the many points, I will go back and read the post again from time to time.

Well, we just had a 3” to 4” wet snowfall around here but should quickly be gone in 3 or 4 days as the temps start closing in on the 60s to 70s with in the week.  Then it will be time to get my last set of cuttings out into the greenhouse for a little regular springtime temperature and natural light swings.  I’ll keep the cuttings under a workbench so as to not fry them in the sun.    So, Happy growing season, everyone.           

 
I forgot the shape of this cutting but it just fit in this container.

 
It is a 5 gallon squat.

 

 

Update: Since I started this post a little over 2 months back, I potted around 8 of the bagged cuttings seen in the photos.  Of the rest, NONE have show green or roots.  I decided to check ALL remaining bagged cuttings, after all, it has been over 3 months since I started the rooting process with them.  I figured at this point I do not have much to loose.  6 of the cuttings are going to get a reprieve so I trimmed about an inch off the bottom and potted them in a cup.  All the rest are totally gone.  I would like to further note that not one that I threw out had a hint of green or one single root or even a bump.  Not one even tried to root.  To say I'm a little dejected would be an understatement.  This was just a quick recap of what I seen today.  I plan to go into further detail later on because it is now late and I'm tired and I'm calling it a day.  Not all is lost as I do have around 60 very healthy, growing figs to play with.  Quite frankly, if the great majority had made it, I'm not sure what I would have done with them, but I still would have liked to try.  I would have taken pictures but I'm sure many of you have seen dried up and rotted cuttings; it's not a pretty picture.  Next post will show the successes. Take care.

Some cuttings might take much longer than you think. I've had certain varieties root after 120 days.
If you were to stick 10 cuttings (taken from the same tree on the same day) in the same medium and in the same pot you will find that there will always be some that wont make it. Unless I have a lab, I'm now almost sure that no matter what method I use some cuttings will be non viable. This might have something to do with the energy stored in the cutting itself rather than the method used.
Controlling humidity especially during the dormancy cycle of the fig is key to maximizing success. The way I do it now is simple. I place my cutting in a self irrigated pot and place the pot near a sunny window where the temperature is around 75F and water from below.
Success will vary not only with the time of year but also with the variety and the quality of the cuttings.
And finally, since I'm dealing with many variables, the last thing I want to do is to up pot a cutting too soon before it had some significant growth.
I found that spring rooting is not only easier but faster too as the timing coincides with the natural growing season of the fig tree.

Thanks, Sas  I started into figs only about 10 months ago so this was my first winter working with cuttings.  I did this in order to have something very interesting to do over winter, which it did.  But what I think I found out and you helped confirm, I should have kept all the cuttings in the frig and waited until this spring before I started to try to root.  I did get many to root but they really did not take to the basement environment.  Next year I will not get carried away with winter rooting and I will not get nearly as many cuttings.  I wanted to learn and I did learn a lot......a lot of what NOT to do.  I did learn that some varieties had roots popping in just 10 days and other varieties (White Kadota comes to mind) took a minimum of 6 weeks for me and mostly more.  I was only miffed because so many went straight from fresh cutting to flat-out rot.  As to the 6 that are getting another chance, after I cut 1/2" to 1" off the bottom end to remove the rot, the cutting still looked fantastic.  I do have 50 to 60 out of about 270 cuttings growing strong, so it was not a complete wash but the percentages are terrible.  My lack of patience and over managing may very well contributed to much of the failure rate.  I do have 7 trees that are above 4' (bought last year mostly from Lowes at their 1/2 price sale) with a few figs.  So if we get a couple to eat, that will be reward enough this time.  Thanks again.       

The most enjoyable part of growing figs is when you succeed in rooting them. There's a reason as to why some fig sellers send more than one cutting. It's all about the odds.
I Rarely have 100% rooting success and something might go wrong even after they push some new leaves. Even seeing some leaves is only the beginning as I might still loose some.
Rooting is the easy part, getting the tree to fruition is more challenging. Some varieties will need several years before you see a decent crop. Enjoy...