Dormant cuttings can be sent across the country with no damage.  Pick a fresh daisy, and send it from California to New York.  Think it will be OK?  Nope!

I learned the hard way not to buy fresh cuttings mid summer.  They arrive wilted or slimy.  No saving them. 

Fresh cuttings are awesome if they are really fresh, like from your tree (or one 2 hours away) into the rooting mix. 

Dormant cuttings take a beating, and most survive.  They go across country biding their time...ho hum, and then they get all snugly in your rooting mix and comfy temps.  Suddenly, they root!

Just my humble opinion AKA JMHO!

Edit:  If you buy "rooted" cuttings, and they send them to you, and they look OK, but questionable...Brown roots are not live roots.... put them in your rooting mix in the dark for a week or two.  Success!!

Suzi

Gotta disagree with you on that one, Suzi. Hardening green wood or semi-hardwood (current year) ships just fine. Hardwood is good year-round. Only mold issues I have seen was when leaf material was left in the bag or an open terminal bud. I root year-round and success is about the same. It must be the shipping or the quality of the cuttings you are getting.

Or maybe the 120 degree heat they suffer while they sit in the postman's truck until he finally gets around to deliver.

Suzi

lol. that's part of shipping.

Ruben,

I guess many of us don't live in cool climates, and the green cuttings will fry in the mailman's truck!  I tried ice water, and they got perky, but, no go.

A living plant like you sent to me got acclimated in the house, and then is thriving in the partial shade outside.  We had rain today.  The figs love that!!

Dormant cuttings from afar are much easier.

Suzi

I got semi hardwood cuttings from a far away tropical country and they are all succumbing to mold. I don't think the long trip in heat was good for them and probably is why they are all failing. Yes I gave them a bleach solution bath but to no avail 

I discover that green cuttings rooted much faster. I got cuttings from California during very hot days and all are rooted Successfully, so far 95% success with green cuttings.

Barry, were those green cuttings or dormant?  A little confused, like usual, but which?

Suzi

Suzi, there is no dormant period where they came from. These were semi lignified or semi hardened. Still green but not the youngest green on the tree. When I got these they looked perfect, but within a couple days I noticed mold on one variety then the others followed. I am still hoping to get at least one of maybe 2 varieties out of the bunch. I have had very good success taking my own green cuttings and popping them into a pot of straight perlite, so it seems the long hot trip is the reason for failure. Fully dormant cuttings would make that trip easily.

 You made my point, Barry! 

Ty!

I've purchased green cuttings, they went through the mail, and I have watched them die, even though I tried to refresh them in ice water and given them TLC. 

The green cuttings I cut myself are just doing fine.  The heat here is killer on green cuttings sent from afar.  Dormants are just a stroll in the park.

Suzi

Oh I agree completely, heat and distance for green cuttings is death

So far the green or current years growth has done fine. I have had them shipped from central US to Virginia with no ill effects. 

Most sellers have done well in packing when they knew it was going to be hot. One idea though is to use cold packs. There are routinely used in the shipping of tropical fish and corals, however they are only designed for 36 hours max. 

OK, so the mandate is not to purchase green cuttings that need to make a long trip across hot deserts, and wait to be delivered in a more than hot delivery truck.

If the green cutting is local, go for it!  But I think dormant cuttings are best for shipping from states eons away.  And I think nobody should waste their money buying "green" cuttings when that poor little thing has to make a huge trip!!

Suzi

I had the same experience with cuttings from far away tropical places.  2 out of 30 survived and they were the same variety.

My experience was different.  I received dormant cuttings about the same time some green wood cuttings a total of 5 sources.  Dormant all from one source have all molded, I put the green wood in water, the cuttings from one source - Mom didn't make it, which I attribute to the way she handled them before shipping - hey it's Mom, I'm not going to complain to much!  The other 3 sources  are rooting and budding out and growing roots - I've got to get them potted!!

I am trying to save the dormant cuttings but I don't have high hopes.

hardwood cuttings, i have no problems with. greenwood.. depends on if they are hard or soft. no luck what so ever on soft greenwood. all died. hard greenwood, they are not that much different from the hardwood cuttings.

Niagara Black i got few weeks ago are doing amazing. they were two hardwood and on hard greenwood. they are all rooted and putting out leaves. in the bin to make sure they don't dry up.

I've had relatively good luck rooting both... with one exception - some precious greenwood cuttings recently sent during particularly hot weather. Sadly these 'did not prosper'.

There are so many variables to rooting cuttings and many things can go wrong. It's impossible to make blanket statements about what works and what doesn't for everyone - other than the cuttings themselves should be as fresh and as unharmed as possible. Unfortunately excessive heat encountered during mailing is simply beyond anyone's control.

Suzi,

Update on my earlier post. 

For the Green cuttings that are started and rooted locally. The bag method seems to be working with more success. The green cuttings in a cup of water are not fairing too well...  Discovering these cuttings are loosing their exterior and not rooting. Looks more like rotting than anything else. 

Trial and error is the only way we teach ourselves what works and does not work. 

Greenwood seems to do better for me using the Ray Givan method of using a 2 liter bottle as a greenhouse.  You can see this on Youtube "Interview with figs with Ray Givan"  still the mortality rate is higher than hardwood.  The singular cause of mortality in greenwood cuttings. in my efforts, is withering of the tops from the inside out, seems the core does not support the tips.  Soaking in Aspirin or Willow tea for 24 hrs before planting seems to help, or could of been luck of the draw.  I use 50-50 spag moss and perlite. in red solo cups with a clear cup cover for individual cuttings or the Givan method when doing multiple cuttings.  I sit them in indirect sunlight inside.  Ambient temp seems to affect them.  I do not put any water in the cup, moist moss and wet the inside of the cup to start the condensation.

Hi Danny!  I've seen that method, loved it, and tried it on a bunch of green softwood cuttings.  Every one rotted, and I had them inside in indirect light, too.  Should have used Sphangum moss instead of potting soil, I guess.

I'm getting 100% success in just plain damp Sphangum in a baggie with a paper towel changed every couple days (when it gets too damp) to absorb moisture.  Been keeping them in the dark until I see roots, then potting them up and putting them in the vineyard shade canopy to get used to dappled sun and weather.  Most still rooting have leaves now, but no roots.  Most have root initials though, and no signs of rot at all after 2 weeks.

Chris, you are right about trial and error!  It's good to read all the methods and I'm thankful for whoever posted here that Sphangum moss inhibits mold.  Wish I could have my rotted cuttings back to try again with the way that I have found works best for me. 

On another note, it's nice to know that we all have our little failures!  Looking forward to my UC Davis order and dormant cuttings promised from several of you!

Suzi

Thanks for this post - I'm trying cuttings now (hardwood) in sphagnum moss had, read about it inhibiting mold. Hopefully will be successful.

I know some people like to soak their cuttings in this or that, but to me soaking in any liquid is the opposite of what I would ever do. I only have my own experience in my own Mediterranean climate, but it's been my impression that moisture is usually the leading cause of rot. Other than 'barely moist', the less moisture the better.

I'm no expert, but from my experience this year, fresh summer hardwood cuttings root at about the same rate as do fresh winter ones. But hardwood cuttings can take more abuse than greenwood. Greenwood cuttings (assuming most of the leaves have been removed) seem to root either very fast, or just sit there. I've only had one batch (2 varieties) of those 'decay' - and those came through the mail during very hot weather as mentioned above. I don't htink they ever had a chance.

Yup, we all have what works in our particular area. 

Being lucky enough to have high humidity allows for the cuttings to exit bags or "mini greenhouses" faster. Still the various methods either do well for  one or poorly for another. Gotta love botany and agriculture on getting out little plants going. 

My recent experience with green cuttings was to just put them in potting mix and perlite about 30%/70% and place them on the table under the grapefruit tree. It's safe now since all of last years Kamikazi grapefruit are now off the tree. Anyway the really green ones are pushing leaves and looking good. I don't now if they are growing roots or not but they look good. No cover or anythying. It rains almost every day and I don't even water but I do check.