Yep, me again. We have two fig trees in Greece (Agion Anargyron, Itea, to be a bit more precise). One ripens white, the other yellow. Does anybody have any idea what variety the yellow one might be? We're going over there late August, so I'll try to get some pics if there are any left on the tree.

Thx,

if you can get some pictures of the leaves and fruit, and possibly fruit cut in half from the eye to stem, that might help some of the folks here to ID the fig. Put a 1 pound sterling coin next to it so we can compare the size of the fig also.

pete

Thx Pete, I was gonna do that anyway, but thought that if yellow was a unique marker, someone out there might be familiar with the variety. Guess there must be quite a few yellow varieties.

So, does anyone know if a fig tree can be grown from seed/fruit? Bringing a cutting/layer over is not an option, unfortunately.

Thx,

Costas...I have read many times that people just secure their cuttings in their suitcase.  Some put the cut ends in a raw potato, for moisture I assume?  Others just fold them in newspaper.  I wish you could get some cuttings home with you, so you could grow a few trees.  
   

Thx Sara. Hmm.....I wonder. Very tempting indeed, tho I might be risking a fine if I get caught @ customs. All flora/fauna are strictly controlled, for obvious reasons. I imagine the same applies to the US?

Thx for the idea tho. Not sure I'll be able to let it go now.

Hi Thx,

A friend of mine brought me three fig cuttings from Greece last year.  I have a friend that brought me cuttings from her mothers house in Japan.  When she landed in the US she she showed it at customs and said she was not declaring it and put it back in her purse. Nothing else was said about bring it in the US.  I have cruised to Europe and brought back fig cuttings.  When you fill out the declaration papers it says something like you can't bring in flowers, rooted plants, and soil.  It says nothing about bring in sticks.

Put the cuttings in a zip lock plastic bag wrapped in a damp paper towel and put them in your suit case.

Vern

Costas....please let us know if you are successful.  And perhaps one day you will be able to share cuttings with us.   So many memories for you I am sure!  And Vern is right...it is a STICK.

Thx for the input Vern & Sara.

Vern, my name is Costas, username loquat1. Thx is my shorthand for thanks! Sorry that wasn't clear.

OK, I get it. So I may well be able to bring some cuttings back after all. That's great - just what I wanted to do. I assume there is info. on the site about what to do with them when I get back, bearing in mind it'll be close to the end of the growing season by then. My guess is that they'll have to go in the fridge over Winter, right?

Sara, I'd love to send you some, but I live in London, UK, so not sure if that idea will fly. But if it's feasible, watch this space. And of course I'll let you know if I succeed.

See my post #5 in the Zone and Air Layering thread, currently on p.2. I'm wondering if my unidentified 'tasty but fussy' might also be of interest to you if air mail is viable. But I think it might be better to identify it first, just in case it's commonplace in the US.

Warm greetings from London,

Costas

When I travel, the first items in my (non-carry-on) suitcase are baggies with sphagnum moss, hand pruning shears and a black sharpie to mark the baggies...just in case I get lucky! You may be a fignut if...

If you don't want to carry them on the plane you can always try mailing them to yourself. Use a small box not an envelope and wrap in damp paper or moss and put in a baggie. You can do both to better your odds of getting them here.

Thx for the tips Vanessa. Not sure if the Greek postal system is up to the job, but could be worth a try just the same. Do you use the sphagnum moss instead of the damp paper towel?

Costas

Sue,

The odds of an envelope escaping the X-ray are greater than for the box.

I was going to say send several envelopes.

Not saying a box is not a good idea but my opinion is I would use the envelope.

Good luck Costas

Rafed, Only time I've lost cuttings to customs they were in an envelope so I'm shy about them but envelopes will work too. I have received several deliveries in envelopes.

Costas, If I have the moss on me I use it otherwise lightly damp paper is OK.

Sue

Sue,

I guess it boils down to if you are feeling lucky that day.

Clint Eastwood Style.

Castas,

Just do yourself a favor and I know it might cost a bit but you don't go to Greece every other week so box or envelope,, send several packages instead of putting all the eggs in one basket.

I think Jason mention this not too long ago on a different thread and it makes allot of sense.

Good luck and let us know when you get out of prison,,,,,,,,,,,just kidding
Prisons today are nothing but All Inclusive Resorts.

I might do both, esp. if there's any danger of WWIII breaking out between Sue & Rafed. By envelope, I assume you mean jiffy bag (if that means anything in the US)?

Rafed: Gk prisons not quite up to UK standards. And no, not speaking from personal experience! My rap sheet is still clean.

Alan: Only available shipping from Greece is via air mail. It is quite expensive, but as Rafed says, it's not a journey we make often. Your fridge comment is of % tho. My understanding was that cuttings potted at the end of the growing season always fail. You appear to be suggesting otherwise.

Thx for all the help/advice. Appreciated.

PS Just worked out how to use the search engine on this site, & found Jon's thread on rooting from cuttings. Think I'm ok to go now Alan, so don't worry about my query above. But thx for putting me on the right track.

Costas

Costas,

Sue and I have great respect for each other, there is no danger of WWIII here. LOL
We are all here to help you. Sometimes we all don't agree on one subject but that's what makes it good. It's be yourself sort of thing.

I wish you great success in bringing in these cuttings no matter what method you use. Box, envelope or ziploc bag in a carry on, we hope they make it home.

The prison part was added for humor, I hope I didn't offend you.

Good luck and hope you take some pictures of some local trees to share with us.

Hey Rafed

I too was only kiddin' about WWIII, & I took your prison reference in similar vein. We really must get used to each other's humour! So no, no offence taken (or intended, for that matter).

Yes, you have all been of great help, & I really appreciate it. If I could buy you all a beer (or sherry Sue?)........Maybe one day I'll be able to send you some cuttings instead as a token of my appreciation.

Pictures? Sure, no prob. Watch this space.

Take care,
Costas

Hi guys & gals (aka fellow fig nuts). Thought you might be interested in this update.

Arrived at our villa to find that some local yokel had yanked a bar from our metal gate, and stole...........wait for it...........our watering hose and white-ripening fig tree! Unbelievable. I've put the word out, & friends will be looking for an alternative source of cuttings for our next visit in a couple of years.

On the upside, we still had our yellow ripener - guess that was too big for them to dig out. Managed to bring back 7 cuttings in the suitcase, & I'm currently using a variety of rooting methods to improve chances of getting at least one tree out of these. Also shared loads of fruit with friends whilst out there - all agree they have not tasted better, so this is worth the effort if I can get it going in the UK.

Sorry, despite my promise above, no pics. We were rushed off our feet with Gk bureaucracy (trying to sell our property, etc.), so very little time left for leisure pursuits. Will try to post some pics soon of what I hope will be some rooting cuttings.

I put 2 cuttings directly into PM (one with a 'wound'), 3 in damp paper towels inside resealable bags (two with a 'wound'), and left 2 in a single pot in sphagnum moss until I can decide what to do with them after a bit more research on rooting methods. I'm hoping that at least one of these will come good for me.

So question: I'm wondering if I should fridge the 2-in-a-pot? Unfortunately, they are mainly green shoots. I only found out later that I should take cuttings from previous year's growth, so guess I kinda messed up with these. Annoyed with myself for not doing more research before going out. Oh well, maybe next time I'll be a bit wiser.

Costas...I think the mainly green shoots can go in water, if they root they would need to spend the winter in your home and then come spring they could proceed as normal.  Check your PM.  
   Please keep us updated on how things go.
Oh, and I hated to read about the water hose and the fig tree.  CRUEL CRUEL CRUEL

Hi Sara,

Funny you should advise water - that's how I rooted my first cutting (an Italian purple) some 8/9 yrs ago. It was also one of 7 cuttings - the other 6 died. The odds don't look good, but ok, I'll give it a try. My intention was to over-Winter all of them indoors anyway - I don't think the great outdoors is an option over here. But thx for the advice, & sorry if I upset you with the bad news.

If anyone knows:
1. Does rooting gel in the water help?
2. If cuttings are, say, 8", how much of that above water?

And of course I'll keep you posted on progress.

Costas,

Short answer;

1) No.

2) 1/2 to 3/4 of the scion's length.


Good luck.

Thanks Navid. Surprised that rooting gel doesn't help. So ok, I won't bother trying it. I'll let you all know how many make it soon as I know.

Ciao,

"I put 2 cuttings directly into PM (one with a 'wound'), 3 in damp paper towels inside resealable bag"

Most of us never use this method any more. Your cuttings will get mold and prob die.  Put these cuttings is 50% UPM potting soil and 50% perlite. Bury the cutting at 45 degrees, with only .5 inch showing.

Hello again fellow fig nuts. Here's the promised update:
I think I can claim at least moderate success. What surprises me is that I have 7 cuttings, and 7 different results, as follows:
3 Pots: All rooted - one rampant, one midling, and one only modestly so.
3 bags: One DoA? - looks like some kinda white fungal growth @ various points (thanks for your warning loslunasfarms - unfortunately, I saw it too late to save this one). I assume this one is for the trash can?
The other 2 bags look ok (only modest root development, one with tiny initials, the other with 4-5 longish hairy-type roots), but I will tfr to pots asap based on loslunasfarms' advice. My only problem is getting hold of perlite. My regular gdn centre doesn't stock it, so I will have to look further afield. Or else use the same mix as in my current rampant sample (50% sphag. moss, 50% UPM).
Finally, green shoot in water, as advised by Sara. This one has sprouted a tiny leaf(!!), and what appear to be very fine small roots that barely look viable. So not quite sure how to assess this one. Should I risk potting it now, or await further root development?
Pics to follow soon - my camera gone kaput, so will have to borrow daughter's. Anyway, reckon 6/7 to date not a bad result if I can keep the 6 going into next stage.

Thx for all your help/input.

Well, you're obviously all too busy attending to your figs(!!), so in the absence of a response to my queries above, I'm gonna assume I should pot green shoot in water with new leaf immediately. And on the basis that I've got nothing (or very little) to lose against a possible gain, I'm also gonna attempt a rescue of DoA by doing the same.

Until next time/update,

Costas....sorry for late reply.  Glad to hear that the one you put in water has some roots going.  When do you pot it up try to make sure the soil is light, I find my plants like 2 parts spag. moss, 2 parts perlite OR vermiculite and 1 part plain potting soil.  I found a bargain buy on CACTUS potting soil mix and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.    You may want to try to let the one in water go a bit longer to see if the roots will get stronger and longer.