I did an experiment this year with cut-it-off-the-tree-and-stick-it-in-something.

Hi Jason.  I have had very good success with rooting directly in the ground, planting in Spring and Summer, 50%-70% depending on variety, etc.

An insane Buck attacked a fig tree in the late Fall (turns out the Buck won that fight; but given the intellect of attacking a fig tree as another Buck, I have my doubts he did as well against a real Buck), and I was left with a pile of broken branches, so I planted them around the base of the fig tree to see if they would root.  So far nothing.

It's of course too soon to draw any final conclusions, but the obvious lesson so far is that figs root in ground fine in warm weather, but in cool soil not quickly and maybe not at all.

Best wishes.

John

p.s.  By planting "in ground" I mean in a well dug bed topped with several inches of good potting soil.  Planting directly in the poor quality red Georgia clay only would probably not be as successful.

Hopefully he wasn't trying to mate with it!  Then he lost both ways.

Now THAT'S funny!  ;-)

Hope you are doing well my friend.

John

I remember that thread!  That came up in the first couple of months after you started posting.  Cracked me up!

deer wars, indeed:  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4969566

"May the Fence be with you!"  ;-)

http://www.deerfencing.com/?gclid=CIGE95S3jagCFQla7AodvVMHDQ

Deer Wars was a great read....it would appear this is Deer Wars II.  I bought some "deer fence/netting" from my local Lowe's, 7' x 100' for ~$12. I opted for that because it is not permanent, I don't have to get approval from my homeowner's association, and since it is flexible I can use it with inexpensive posts to create barriers around my vertical plants, or I can use it with pins to actually cover my plants on the ground.  It is flexible, it is reuseable, and not horribly expensive...IMHO.   And then I am picking up this week's hair from my local hair salon!    

I do know you can also plant grape vines by way of Jason's method, you have to make sure at least 2 nodes are in the dirt.  Plant them this way NOW and you'll be fine. Though of course it takes 3 years for grapes to be mature enough for a wine harvest. 

Hi Sara.  We now have a black pvc coated 7.5 foot chicken wire fence and the deer have never gotten in it (most of the figs are not in the fenced area.

I had the light weight material, and it worked for a while, but during a severe drought the deer were desperate.  So one day I got up and found a "deer shaped hole" in the fence.  I am guessing he went under to get in, eat, then freaked when he couldn't get out and crashed through the plastic netting.

Under normal circumstances though, the light weight netting may work just fine.

Best wishes.

John

Also, the deer never eat the figs.  Just that crazy one attacked one.

The deer would eat everything in the vegetable garden though, if it were not fenced.

I lose trees to the deer regularly, something about them being planted in the open makes them more attractive, or offensive, and just drives the bucks crazy, like you say. I notice the ironwood and dogwood saplings get the same treatment out in the woods here. A friend of mine swears that if you take sturdy sticks and form a tepee around the trunk then they will leave it alone because they have a fear of getting hung up. Did not work for me in the past, but maybe my sticks just were not sturdy enough because they were strewn all around and my apple trees were toast. Tying at the top well probably would have helped, as would sinking the bases into the ground well.

My uncle in Austin TX, planted cutting horizontally in his garden about an inch deep and had great results. I think vertically is not as good because any exposed part of the cutting will be losing moisture, and the deepest part of the cutting would be prone to rot because of staying too wet.

"I think vertically is not as good because any exposed part of the cutting will be losing moisture, and the deepest part of the cutting would be prone to rot because of staying too wet."

Brent said it all,about vertical planting,in above statement.!
I plant at an angle 45 degree or so,so I do not have to ,set it too deep,and also leave only one bud above ground.
Also planting in ground ,direct,is a good way when one wait till the soil is into the 55F+
That will be in May here in NJ.
Any sooner and  they will just sit in there doing nothing,and maybe losing energy ,every past day.