A friend of mine is going to prune his fig tree and I would like to get some cuttings, can I store them on the fridge until spring? does it matters if the cuttings have some leaves? should  I cut them? or do I have to root them now?

Ok lets answer your questions one at a time....

can I store them on the fridge until spring?
- Yup, My best time to root them is in the spring when its warmer in the house and I keep cuttings in the fridge over winter all the time. In the fridge for 6 to 8 months is no problem. Just make sure that they are wrapped in a damp paper towel and in a ziploc bag with the name, date, etc. written on.

does it matters if the cuttings have some leaves?
-Yes, They will turn black or brown and encourage mold while in storage.

should  I cut them?
-Yes

do I have to root them now?
-No

Hope this is helpful. Good luck with your new cuttings!

Try a few in just Saran Wrap with no paper towel in the crisper drawer. Watch out for the back of the fridge. There are some cold spots near the blower where it may actually get to freezing. Just themselves wrapped tightly. Last year I had mold after 2 months in the fridge with  a moist paper towel and a ziploc bag- no wrap.

If this is the case, saran wrap. I wonder how one of those food saver things, that suck the air out would work. Might be worth the investment. Has anyone used one on fig cuttings yet? Is it the air, that causes mold? I hope you understand what i'm asking.

luke

I take it, that's a negative then. I'll cross the food saver thingy off the list to get.

                                                            luke

I thought about those food savers as well, but my concern that along with air, overall moisture could be reduced by vacuuming. There is no air so moisture is not surrounding the cutting, thus allowing it to possibly dry out at a faster rate. May be good for short term storage ( 2 to 3 Months), but I feel waiting until March may not be possible.

Saran wrap with clean cuttings works the best..

So you just clean them and wrap them in saran wrap, no paper towel? Then keep them in the crisper?

Hey Marcus.

I learned this saran wrap method for storing cuttings just last year. Someone shipped cuttings to me this way that took a few weeks to arrive. Those cutttngs arrived in great shape and were completley viable. I've now opted to always ship cuttings this way myself.  

I've also been storing cuttings, wrapped like this, in my crisper since early this year. I didn't clean them but just wrapped them tightly in plastic storage wrap then sealed them in freezer bags. I will be storing many of these this way until spring. I'll try to remember to give an update on how they perform after being stored long-term like this. 

It's now my personal feeling that this is by far the best way to store cuttings long-term without worrying so much about mold. Although mold is still possible so it's best to check on them about once a month. I would also guess that a good cleaning before storage may decrease mold problems even further.

So, that's my take on storing cuttings in plastic wrap with nothing added to provide any sort of moisture besides what is stored in the cutting itself.

-Bill.