hello all, 

i wrote some time ago about propagating some trees from my grandfather's tree.  everyone was so helpful and all the help had me doing great.  until a couple of days ago... my leaves started wilting and turning from a nice deep green to a light green (looks like they are losing their color).  they are currently in 32 ounce pots with 40/60 vermiculite/perlite.  i am careful about watering (i went away for a week and asked my boyfriend to add half a cup of water to each (before that i hadn't watered for about a week as it take about a week and a half for the soil to nearly dry out)).  one of them has withered up completely and the other four look like they are on the way out.  i can see some roots at the sides but not a ton... should i repot with compost/vermiculite in bigger pots?  i will be heart broken if i lose these... my grandfather passed away a year and a half ago and my grandmother had the tree cut down.  please help!

thanks so much, 

jessica ann 

Jessica - Are they wilting and then turning yellow or are the turning yellow first?  I am going through a similar ordeal and I do not know what is going on.  My leaves are turning yellow and looks like there is a little rust on them.  We went through a terribly wet spring and mine may be too much water but I really don't know.

Good luck, keep us advised.

>>> they are currently in 32 ounce pots with 40/60 vermiculite/perlite.
That sterile combination may be good to start the rooting process; but IMO not very good to grow a fig.

>>> should i repot with compost/vermiculite in bigger pots?
Yes please do. Also add some/a-lot of good potting soil.

Hi,
Here lately the sun tries to make a come back. On those days trees and cuttings will dehydrate. On a cloudy day, they won't as much.
So watering should be adapted to the outside weather.

Now, to make it simple, I would put them in a greenhouse - there some small ones for raising tomato plants.
Put the greenhouse in a shady / half shady spot .
I have 2 pots with cuttings in my tomato greenhouse and so far so good.
One of them I was about to toss it because the stem looked rotted , but there was a little green weed coming out of the dirt. The leaves were thick and I recognized her as a root-shoot .
So for me a greenhouse is the easiest way to go, especially since the humidity will be higher on the coming dry summer days.
Good luck !

thank you all for your help!  i will repot them today.  hopefully i'll have good news to report next time!

sincerely, 

jessica ann

Also water with half-dose MG plant food asap (they maybe starving?).