My apologies to everyone.This is probably one of the dumbest posts that you will read today.

So.After numerous tries,I finally succeeded in getting a VdB to root.It is 3 months old and is currently in a 3 gal terracotta pot,in a mixture of garden soil..coco peat ,and rice hulls.I have this VdB out on the deck where it gets maybe an hour of sun in the late afternoon.So far,it has not grown an inch.Do I need to give it some supplemental light or something?We are very nearly in the rainy season,so I am reluctant to introduce it to more sun,unless it would be beneficial.I could bring it in when it is raining suppose. (?)

I just really really do not want to lose it.I played heck even getting the cuttings here in the first place,and after having lost the previous 10 cuts..I really want to succeed with this one.

Suggestions..opinions...rude references to my intelligence (or lack thereof)?  Lol

do you see any buds or leaves? Did you root it using the bag method, then transfer straight to 3 gallon with minimal/small roots? or did you root using cup method  and transfer only after strong root growth? 1 hr of sun definitely seems on low side, but maybe not? depends on how long ago it was up potted, and under what conditions (hardened leaves, etc)

Thanks so much for the reply akrouus.

I rooted in plastic cups with sterilized coco peat.This VdB had some roots,but the cup was not filled by any means.I was getting really concerned,because time after time,I would see the cutting develop some minimal roots,and then leaf out and die,so as soon as I saw some roots,I potted it up to the 3 gal pot figuring I had this 1 last cutting,and might as well try it.Happily,it held it's own and finally threw out some leaves.This is what the plant has looked like for 2 months now.

I attached a couple of pics for everyone amusement.

not sure where you are, but it recently started to warm up in Los Angeles and I am immediately starting to see growth after what appeared to be slow/no growth (like your situation).

Again, i am not aware of all the variables in your case, but I am assuming its  hardened due to the 3 month outdoor environment and especially the one hour of sun a day. So i would move it to an area that gets more warmth and more sun. And do not overwater. I use 100% pro-mix for my new plants that are up potted to 1 gallon size and I only water well once every 7 to 10 days. Key is warmth, light and balanced watering.

I had a very similar problem,including the however many died.  Finally I used somw mircle grow and superthrive and that helped. Larry

Thanks for the help guys.

I keep forgetting that for you folks stateside,that warm weather is just returning.Here in the Philippines,there is no shortage of warmth.Out on the deck,it gets pretty good light,but very little sunlight.Perhaps I should give it increasing amounts of sun and se what happens.The only thing is,that the sun is so intense..but we'll give it a try.

I know it doesn't get over watered,as I let the plant droop a little before watering.It perhaps needs a feeding tho.

What would you guys recommend to fert it with?


I have fertilizers in these variations:
5-0-1
0-5-4 
5-1-1 fish fertilizer 
14-14-14.
What would you suggest I use,and should I apply it at maybe 3/4 strength,or would it be ok at full strength?

First great job getting this far, perseverance pays off!

In my opinion, I agree, I would gradually give it more sun, and of the fertilizers you have, I would use the 5-1-1 fish fertilizer at 1/2 dosage for a time.

I find fertilizer almost useless if plants aren't getting enough light to utilize the extra nutrients.

Maybe move in when it gets rainy, you don't want to over water, at this stage it is very easy to do, especially with your humidity.

Good Luck!

I have two VdB in the ground and both are very slow growers, even with regular fertilizer and lots of sun. The more sun you give it, the more the leaves curl up over a day's time. It's my slowest growing variety. Even my Figo Pretos and Black Madeira are growing faster than these two trees. 

One I started last year as a Dave Wilson Nursery four foot tree with four 3-4" top branches. It grew around 1" on each branch over the whole season and produced two figs. I'm planing on moving it to a pot and giving it afternoon shade to see if that will help. The other was a 5' tree with long trained branches in a 15 gallon pot. It perhaps grew a half an inch over last year and also produced several figs. There is little if any new growth on them this year either after leafing out and about the same number of developing figs.

Fertilizer: FoxFarm Grow Big 6-4-4 and Diluted Miracle Grow 24-8-16

Best of luck with this variety. Its figs are delicious and worth the trouble and patience you'll need to get it to a good size.

VdB is a slow grower, so I would probably perk it up a little with some Miracle Grow. Give it a weak solution, maybe 50% of normal, it can't hurt and might really push it into taking off.

Don: Thanks for the suggestion of the fertilizer and the increased sun exposure.My main problem is fear.Fear that the fig will freak out no matter what I do,is a real hindrance to the plants well being. :)

AltadenaMara and Gene:

Thanks for informing me of the VdB's tendency towards slow growth.I don't know how I missed that in studying up on varieties to choose from.I don't know that it would have changed my mind tho,because I wouldn't have known what slow growth was,until I had grown one.

I guess I will just have to move the plant in and out to give it increasing sun exposure,but limiting it's exposure to the rain.

I have a few VDBs of various sizes and I have noticed that they want a lot more water than my other figs.  My Conadria is almost just as thirsty but it grows and produces much more than VDB.
Since I started hitting every stalled young (rooted and growing) cutting with mild doses of fish emulsion they all start growing again quickly. I have very hard water and must flush the pots a little with each watering, the nutrients are quickly leached out. My solution is a little compost on top and some fish emulsion every second or third watering depending on the vigor of each plant. All my plants are in pots by the way. I read somewhere that figs should not be allowed to dry out for the first 2 years but be careful too much water is just as bad. I pick up every small pot each day and feel the weight and then decide whether to water.