I have several practice cuttings with good roots and now three inches or less of top growth. In order to keep them from getting leggy , I want to put them under shoplights that I use for veggie seedlings. How much time can they spend under lights early on ? Usually I have the veggie seedling on a timer that gives them 16 to 18 hours of light per day. Would that be too much for young fig plants just getting started ? I guess they need to stay in their clear plastic tote for now for humidity control. The basement where the lights are is usually around 60F with low maybe 25% humidity. The insulated shelf with lights where the tote with figs could stay should be around 70 to 75F while the lights are on. I'll have to test to see what temp would be for the hours the lights are off.
Could the totes with figs just go on the tables in the basement where I also have seedling lights ? Temp would be around 60F with high humidity in the totes .I want to get this right for the 60 cuttings  that I will start soon.
Thanks for all and any help.
Best ,
Kerry
 Zone5

Didn't get any opinions on this when it was first posted.
Just to follow up with what I have found so far. I have been having the best results if I get the rooting cuttings into light as soon as possible when they have any top growth with some roots. I had been waiting to move into light until I had what I thought were lots of roots .
Lights in my situation are 4 ' shop lights , cool white bulbs , fairly close to the tops of plants , timer set for 16 hours a day.
If I ever manage to get myself out of the Dark Ages , I'll post some pictures.
Best ,
Kerry
zone 5

Hi Kerry
This is What I do when I have roots showing I start to introduce then to less humidity and more light as long as you don't leave them in direct sunlight all day they adapt vary quickly to light
here are some pictures of what I have done and they are doing vary well

I set my newly rooted & leafed cuttings by the window. Just the morning sun. I do the same thing as Marjo does -- that is an elastic
over a newspaper wrap around the container to protect the tender roots from sun rays.

I start giving cuttings light about a week after I put them in cups.  I use a standard shop light ballast modified with grow bulbs from home depot.  Nothing special.

I figure that if they were being planted outside or in an orchard, they would basically be getting 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark, so I am trying to replicate that.  My greatest success's in rooting happened in my greenhouse during the summer with natural light patterns, so I am considering it a variable I would like to explore further.
Good luck!
Nas

Thanks Mario , Paully , and Nas for your ideas .
How fast are you able to get them used to normal house humidity ?
Mario what is the mix you have in the cups ? The plants look great.
All the sunny windows are filled already with other plants so my figs are having to live under lights in the basement. One good thing is I found that I don't need to sleeve them with newspaper or in another solid colored cup if they are under lights. The outer cup seemed to keep the soil a little cooler so I left them off with no ill effects so far.
Best ,
Kerry
Zone 5a ( some say 4b ) 

There is a different between artificial light, indirect sunlight and full-on sunlight. Don't be in too much of a hurry to transition them to full sunlight. I usually put mine outside under my big tangerine tree, where they get acclimated with indirect light, and gradually introduce them to more and more sun. Indoor or shop light is not near as intense, unless it is just inches above the plant..

Jon ,
I can't find any tangerine trees to use for dappled shade up here . Any hints on finding one ?
Best,
Kerry

Good point by Jon, my lights are not very powerful.  They are grow bulbs, but not High pressure sodium or anything like that...
Direct sun when outside would probably not be a good idea in the early stages.

All of these techniques will work to some degree.  There probably isn't one "best way", but that's what makes figs frustrating and fun at the same time!

Regards,
Nas

Farmer,

They can be mail-ordered, no problem. The hard part is getting someone to ship you the climate that goes with them. :-))

Right now, I am using my Cherimoya tree.The point is, that you have to work up to full power. If you take many kinds of plants from the greenhouse (or other interior location) to full sun directly, many will have all of their leaves turn white, then fall off, and often the plant is toast as well. When you have worked this hard and gotten this far, you just don't want to blow it at this stage. A little more patience will work wonders.

Nas has a point: going to low power light before going nuclear is a good option.

Jon ,
An excellent cautionary note to sound regarding hardening off any kind of plant from indoor to outdoor enviornment. I do have the problem of sometimes rushing vegetable seedlings through their hardening off stage and I find the wind or strong breezes can be almost as damaging as direct sun in the first few days on such tender growth .
Best,
Kerry
zone 5

Dang Mario: those pics have me quivering with cuttings envy.

I NEED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT HUMIDITY. Got roots, leaves coming along but
a) having a hard time maintaining 70% humidity in my plastic box (the sunroom itself has around 40% at 65 deg.)
b) hardening off --setting the leafed out cutting into the room-- often causes darkening at the edges of the leaves which I take to mean: SLOW DOWN PAL, WE ARE DRYING OUT HERE.

Appreciate you all,