Hello folks
Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Rudy and my family loves figs.  I want to get a fig tree.  Doing a yahoo search I cam to this site.  It seems there is alot more to fig trees than I ever knew about.  My parents have a tree that bears greenish figs that are great.  Last december, I cut off a branch and just shoved it in the dirt in the middle of my grass and it has just sat there.  My dad told me it would grow...LOL

There is about 12 inches of it sticking out of the ground, can I do something with it??? 

perhaps I can get some other variety since it is OK but I am open to a different type tooo....here is what I have
The place it will be planted will be an area of grass that is 20 x 20, next to my driveway.  I know fig trees can be huge, is there a kind that is tasty and can live in southern california, riverside area that is not a huge tree???  What kind would you recommend and where can I get one?  Thanks

Hi hedarud,

You are only about a hundred mi. from the Fig Guru on the West Coast :-)
He is Jon Verdick in San Diego
Here is a link to Encanto Farms, he has about 300 trees& plants
he will be able to help you for sure!
and Welcome to Figs4Fun
http://www.figs4fun.com/

Happy Gardening!

Hi! 
Sticking a cutting in the ground has been done before and with the right weather and lots of patients could make a tree.  But grass is your little figs roots enemy.  The grass will keep it from doing much but if you make a little bed of no grass for it might work! If its still alive you have all the options of rooting :) Welcome!

Most size control is accomplished by pruning. I shorten some of my trees as much at 10 feet in some years.

Thanks for the responses everyone....here is what I have decided, Black Mission for one tree and for the second, I would like a green variety with large sweet fruit (not like Kadota since the fruit is small) and also ripens at a different time compared to the Black Mission....the logic is such that I have figs at different times ....Thanks everyone....