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I have ROOTS!

I don't have the little circle of tiny roots that I see on some of the cuttings-

I have longer roots here and there.  This cutting was started in a bakery box
with damp sphagnum moss.  I "watered" it by using my finger to flick the top
and knock the condensation back into the moss before I opened it to air out
every day.  I was doing that today and there was a white linear thing in the
moss, so I uncovered it, and lo and behold, it was a root.  So now what?
Does it need more time in the box to develop more roots, or should I get 
it out of there now?

I have a syrup bottle (think DaVinci or Torani) ready- clear plastic with 16
holes burned into it (10 around the side and 6 on the bottom) and a Pepsi
bottle fits perfectly into the top (has 15 holes on the bottom only), so I figure
that should contain humidity without cutting off air supply.

Cutting was rooted in sphagnum moss ONLY so I guess what I need to know
is-- what do I use in the clear plastic bottle now?  Same stuff?

    Attached Images

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Hi Pami


The roots look good to me!

I would put those in 50/50 perlite & good potting soil, the soil must be damp only (not wet) Be careful when you cup them up, the roots are really fragile at this stage, but now is the time to cup them up.Just kinda crumble the soil mix in on them, you can barely pack the soil in on it but just barely.

Then keep them in a shady spot until they leaf out!

Then introduce them to sunlight @ about 10 minutes a day for a couple weeks.

You are on the right track I think!

Condgrads.
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Hi Cecil- thanks for the advice.  


I have one more question though.  Do you know which end of this cutting is UP??
Both pictures were taken with the same end to the left/right; I only just rotated it a 
little to show the roots on the opposite side.  The end that is on the left in the pictures
should be UP?  (If anyone can answer this, could you please explain to me how to
figure it out for myself next time?) 

Thank you all so much for your help!
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Pami,


Usually roots grow right under a leaf node!

So I would say roots first then nodes would right side up!

I hope I haven't confused you more!

IMHO left side should go up!

Maybe someone that speaks better than me will chime in?

They shouldn't be hard to find.
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For one thing, don't leave those roots exposed to fresh air for more than 2-3 minutes or they will dry out and shrivel up, then die.  They need constant humidity. 

Those are a little thin, but that can be OK.  Cecil provided great advice.  I would add a little extra point about the soil dampness to say "pre-moisten the soil till it's like a nice, fluffy and moist piece of chocolate cake.  Really work the moisture into the mix like you where kneading some bread".
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Yes Jason,


That's what I'm talking about!!
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Originally Posted by Figluvah


Maybe someone that speaks better than me will chime in?

They shouldn't be hard to find.

Cecil- HUSH!!  
Even Jason said you gave me great advice- that is high praise in my book.

Jason- that cutting was out of the moss for a minute to take a couple pictures, then it
went right back in the box.  I knew it was OK there this AM, so I figured it would 
be OK for a while longer, until I heard from you all on what I should do next.

My moss is fluffy and moist, and I haven't watered it in 2 weeks- other than flicking
the condensation off the lid of the box every day.  I think I will mix up some perlite
and soil and see if I can attain that same texture.  

Oh, can that moss be re-used?  Or should I discard it at this point?
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Pami,


What kind of fig are the cuttings from?

And how many fig plants do you plan on getting?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Figluvah
What kind of fig are the cuttings from?

Those are Black Mission cuttings that a fig friend from New England sent to me a
couple weeks ago.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Figluvah
And how many fig plants do you plan on getting?

Yeah, that's a good question.  Was thinking about ONE- then within a week I 
had FOUR.  Now I'm learning to root cuttings.  If I don't kill them, I'll have two
from cuttings.  I want MORE!  I may be turning into Dominick!  LOL 

OT- This is a picture from my front yard this AM.

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Here - look at this, it's the best I can do.

Three things you need to identify: 

1) The dividing line between each node
2) The leaf scar
3) A bud

To make it easier, I marked up this picture of a fig twig.  The BLUE is a leaf scar, which is the scar left behind when a leaf falls off, it's round and usually depressed, into the wood.  The BLACK line above it is the dividing line of the node.  The GREEN shows a bud, which is usally a protrusion of the wood, sometimes a tiny round bump, sometimes a large bump (they swell when they're about to explode and make a branch).

The bud is always on top of the node divider, and above the leaf scar.  Buds should always be pointing UP, leaf scars pointing DOWN.

If this isn't clear let me know, it's the best I could do with 5 minutes in MS Paint.
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Ahhhhh thank you Jason!  That is exactly what I needed.  I should be able to figure out

the next one by myself.  (But I'll probably post a picture and ask again, anyway.)  The
color-coding on the illustration is very helpful.  I am bookmarking it for future reference.  
You should save this to share with other newbies.  I'm sure I'm not the only one with
this question.  Thanks again!
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When confused which way is up or down to plant scion wood.

Look at all the angle of leaf scars on the piece of scion there will be usually at least one showing its angle clearly pointing up or down some scars not so good but 1 is all you need if there are enough of them on the piece.

Scar with angle upwards is top
Scar with angle downwards is bottom -plant that end in soil.

I never planted a scion the wrong way with this observation .

Look at those scars carfully and you will see what i mean.
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I just had a surprise!  I realized I hadn't aired out my other cutting- what with all the

excitement of roots for the first time and all- so I went out and pulled the dome off 
the pot (this one was rooting in 4 parts perlite to 1 part mushroom compost- in a pot
with a 2-liter bottle dome) and there was a little white root on the surface of the soil.
I got the other bottle ready- figure if there isn't really a root there, I'll just put it back.
I very carefully rolled the pot in my hands- to make sure everything was loose in
there, and made sure I had my phone with me, and dumped it out.  It all stayed pretty
much in a pile, so I don't think I stressed the roots.  I brushed away the perlite little
by little, and I had way more roots than on the one I already posted!!  Snapped two
pictures and put it in its clear bottle.  Then pictures of the bottles that I used.

    Attached Images

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  • Click image for larger version - Name: Black_Mission_#3_fig_cutting_with_roots_2.jpg, Views: 23, Size: 48997
  • Click image for larger version - Name: Syrup_bottle_with_rooted_fig_cutting.jpg, Views: 24, Size: 26017
  • Click image for larger version - Name: Syrup_bottle_with_Pepsi_bottle_dome.jpg, Views: 24, Size: 22651

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Congrats! The roots look great!


I'll volunteer a little additional advice--once you've got it planted, don't keep the top part too humid. It might even be best to bury the cutting completely, with the top just slightly below the surface. You've got roots before leaves, which is good, because once it starts growing leaves it will have a good enough root system to be able to draw up plenty of moisture to support the leaves, even without much humidity. I found out the hard way that too much humidity = nasty mold and gruesome death. My guess, speaking as one unfamiliar with your climate (so others' opinions are likely more valid), is that you may not even need that "greenhouse top" at all--just the shade and shelter of keeping it under a larger plant till it really gets growing.
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Martin, thank you!  I put the 2nd cutting in its syrup bottle all by myself, and I 
am pretty sure it's right-side-up.  Between you and Jason, I think I understand
now.

Thanks Ken- my "greenhouse top" does have 15 holes in it, so it's not airtight.
I had my cuttings buried, but then I got an email that said to leave one node above 
soil level.  So I took a teaspoon and scooped out about 3/4" of soil.  I'm only going
by what I'm told- I won't even pretend to know what I'm doing here.  So should I 
put it back??  As for my climate- it's HUMID here- most of the time- so you may 
be right about not needing the top.  I figure I can sniff at it and take the top off if it 
starts smelling moldy.  The main reason I have a top is because they are outside, in
the shade, but outside nonetheless, and we have rain forecast for the next 2 days.
I realize that a few drops could get through the ventilation holes, but it's not likely to
be much.  I don't want them getting a lot more water than what they are starting
with.  ALTHOUGH (just thought of this) the cutting isn't below the drain holes, so
maybe the roots won't rot since any excess moisture should drain out below the
cutting itself.

This question goes out to everyone:  About the moss that I used to root the first 
cutting- can it be re-used?  Or is it discarded at this point?

Ugh, so much to think about.  I need to just stop thinking and enjoy my plants!

Thanks all, for your help!  I couldn't have gotten this far on my own.  ♥
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Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to re-use moss, but maybe somebody else has a reason not to.


As far as whether to bury your cutting completely or not, either way works. My suggestion was based on my very limited experience of not having seen mold develop on any part of the cutting that was underground, and also seeing the green shoots push their way up through more than an inch of soil. But, I can't say that covering it completely is any better than leaving a node exposed, and I suppose that being able to start photosynthesis immediately (rather than spending energy pushing up through the soil) might be an argument in favor of not burying it. Who knows? I'm still learning too, so probably the best advice is to do whatever makes the most sense to you.
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OK, what makes sense to me now is to quit messing with it and see if it grows.

That was the goal all along, right?  Then next time I get an opportunity to try my 
hand at rooting cuttings, I can try burying the whole cutting and see what happens.  
Or root two identical cuttings and leave one node showing on one cutting and bury
the whole other cutting.  That should tell me what would work best here.  I'd read
somewhere that sphagnum moss has anti-fungal properties, so I guess it would make
sense that you could store it to use later.  I'll just let it dry out and keep it in its bakery
box- worked for me once- could work for me again!
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Sounds like a good plan. I expect it will all work out great!
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Experimentation is a winner ANY day of the week.  Experimentation is a critical part of learning, and if we stop experimenting, we stop learning what works and doesn't work.  We're all unique.

Best of luck to you!  Keep us posted on your successes!!
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