On 6/4/14 I did a couple of air layers on my Hardy Chicago.  I have not been overly successful with cuttings of almost any kind except a "BT" which has never given me a fig and died down to the ground this past winter. 

I removed the cutting on 7/25, about 50 days from the start and they are both doing fine.  I'm so ecstatic with the results.  Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed doing them and watching the process. 

BTW, as a result, I'm doing an another air layer with Battaglia Green and LSU Purple!

       

Good job!  Success!!

Suzi

Thanks, Suzi!

Hi twovkay,
Congrats.
Success even in small things is always a great pleasure to our lives !
Beware, you could turn into a Mr Jekill ! doing bizarre grafts ... Where is that frankallien figtree thread ... Check it out .
Extending a collection at no cost is as well great !

Yes! jdsfrance,

Figs has become an obsession, and other then doing a backup for Hardy Chicago, I have a few friends who have tasted this variety and have asked for plants. So a duplicates or 3 for each plant I like a lot, otherwise they will go to friends or for trade. 

They do not get any better than this! Awesome outcome!

That's a beautiful root system V, what was you rooting medium, and did you use rooting hormone or do anything to the bark?

Mike in Hanover, VA

Thanks waynea!

Mike,

I used a 50/50 of Fafard 52mix and Miracle gro 60% from Costco.  I did cut the bark on the bigger air layer, but just barely took a sliver out, added some powder hormones to the cut, pinned it down with sod staple, add additional soil on top of the cut.  As the roots grew, I took out the pin, added more soil and needed to add additional brace so more soil could be added.

On the smaller one, it was a green branch.  So I just scratched it a few times and put very little rooting hormones on it.  By the time I remembered to do those things, the bottle was already on and I was working in a tight area. Finally foiled to keep the sun off of the roots.

Both Air layers were put on the drip system, so they were watered twice daily.

 
Still attached to the mother tree with drip system.

 
 
Right after it was taken off.

 
Small one, when I started this the branch, it was only 1' high.

Nice work!  You saved a whole lot of time, versus rooting cuttings.  ;)

Thanks Frank, I agreed.

Great post!  

Very nice!  Great roots, well done!

Charles, Phil and Shailesh, thanks! I do find air layering far easier then rooting cuttings.