Greetings,
I gave 25 cuttings to the science class because they were studying plant propagation. They put the cutting in coke bottle under a grow light and so far all have either roots or buds or both...this is where the help comes in... two are upside down and have buds and I wondered if they should bother with turning them rightside up or will they grow roots as they are?

At the LSU Fig Field Day this past July, Dr. Charley said that a cutting should be oriented up in the same direction it was cut.  He said the cutting will still produce growth but it would grow in the correct direction, which I thought meant that the growth would make a U-turn, As I remember.

I think the students should be taught to follow convention as deviation will often result in unpredictable results.  They could continue and document the deviation and see what happens.

Thank for your participation in the project.

Hope this helps.

Since this is 3rd grade I will let the teacher know to turn those cutting over, I might pop in tomorrow and take care of it for them. I think it is such a hoot that the kids are doing this and it is going so well..

Gloria,

As an elementary education graduate it is awesome to see you contribute to a project like this. Im sure this is something these students will take with them throughout their lives and are the future fig growers of America. I actually took a position in another field but would love to get into the classrooms doing projects like this with students here.

It has been a lot of fun, I took in an orchid and my hanging pitcher plants and spent and hour talking to them about plants and all the ways they feed themselves. I let them keep the orchid and one pitcher plant till spring. The orchid because it was about to bloom and I thought it would be nice for them to see  the process. I can't help laughing at all I go through trying to root cuttings and they just stick them in a coke bottle....
I think there may be a lot of Moms out there that are gonna get a fig tree for Christmas...

oh well, I saw several upside down sticks of blackberry at a nursery, when I pointed it to the sales person, she said that is how it should be....duh, why all others where right side up she could not explain... they only had small buds, so I have no idea how that would turn out.   It is nice of you to go and share with kids. Always fun

Hi,
The only important thing, is that the roots are kept in the water, and then in the ground.
If they are rooted upside down, they still will make their way in life.
It would only be easier for the trees to make it upside up ... They would grow faster.
I sometimes root them horizontally.

Right now on the upside down ones there are only small buds but if I turn them over they will be underwater..

I went in today thinking i would just be turning over the two (turns out there were four) cuttings that were upside down, the teacher had other plans.
She was interested in what I had said about what was going on with the cuttings and asked me to talk to the class about it and then go with groups of kids to check on and make observation about their cuttings, if was great fun and the kids really seem to love it, half didn't even know that you get fruit from a fig tree or what a fig is...
The other bonus was a friend of mine was there helping out with another class and she asked what I did with my figs... and then told me they had a tree too, I said what kind... I don't know it came from my husbands father he grows lots of them!!! She is going to find out what it is and give me cuttings!! Got to love the fig gods!

Very cool that you are fostering  horticultural interest with kids, good work!

Great job Gloria!

Grasa, when you propagate blackberry, black raspberry, any trailing bramble; it is very easy. In the later 1/2 of the summer when the shoots start to sag to the ground, you put the tips into small 1-2 qt pots(or whatever size you have) and fill them with dirt. You just water them when you water the mother and forget about them. At the end of the season cut it off about 6 inches above the pot and stash it in some leaves or somewhere kind of protected. It does help to put a tile or something under the pot though or else it will root through and into the ground as well. I do a handful every year to give out to friends and relatives when they ask. And if nobody asks, I just keep them under their mother where they are shaded and live as a bonsai bramble until someone plants them.

So that is why they are upside down.

Cool info Calvin I am going to have to get my sister to root some of her Blackberries for me that way.

Gloria,

You sent me cuttings and I would be glad to return the favor.  I have one Triple Crown Thorn-less blackberry I can bare root and send to you. You can still get it into the ground this fall and it will start growing happy next spring, just pay shipping.

That would be great Calvin just pm with how much and all...

PM me your mailing address.

I think that is just awesome that you are doing propagation project with the kids like that and it's beyond just stuffing it in some dirt and sending them on their way.  Recording findings can teach them so much. I vote to let it grow upside down also. Seeing what happens with growth would be educational.  
I hope that my husband and I can continue to foster a love for plants in my children that will be lifelong. 

I think the Coke bottle thing is really funny in that I tried water rooting and only had limited (almost none) success.  I think rooting in water is absolutely the hardest thing to do consistently.

Gloria, I cannot say enough accolades about your participation in this project.  Thank you.

We are doing a contest for 4H and FFA Senior students for our Big Fig Gig next year, we will provide cuttings to students and have a judged show with a cash prize for the best tree/plant.

Please keep us advised on the progress of the project, maybe some pictures?????

The teacher had them take pictures of each of the cuttings so I will ask her to send me some. It has really been great fun. I think having that grow light helps to with the warmth and all. There wasn't a single cutting that didn't have roots or buds or both... was crazy how different they all were...

I wanted to share the photos, 24 of the 25 cuttings are doing great, I will be going in on Monday to help the kids pot them up.

They look good, I think eventually you have to get them out of water...???    What varieties are they..???? , may have some cuttings of Black Mission or Celeste in the near future that I can send.

These are all from my Celeste tree...I will go in Monday and pot them into 32oz cups for the kids to take home. I need to write an instruction sheet for them to take home... The one with the biggest roots aside from my daughters( cause I need another giant Celeste tree) was the one the kid put in a cocktail glass about 3' tall...

Fantastic! You are also nurturing the Young Minds in that classroom - What a wonderful way to share figs :)
- Dave C. & Family
Southern CA zone 9B

Thanks for the photo updates! Glad they all turned out! So cool!

I went in today and helped pot up all the little figlings.... the best part was listening to the kids, the cuttings have been in a work room and this is only the second or third time the kids of seen them. She sent them in, in small groups... most of the dialog went like this, "wow look at my roots, well  have you seen so and so's roots. I have cray roots!" "Well look at mine!!!"  It was all I could do not to laugh, they were so cute!! This was a 3rd grade class, and some wanted to know if they could take it home and get fruit from it...it will be interesting to see the long term info I get back as these kids go through school together.

Bumping this Up: I have been trying the Gloria's Bottle Method and have been having great success. When I get cuttings I split them up into the baggie method and bottle method.