i mean, i know there is a good chance some of the cuttings won't make it. but it's so disappointing when they make it all the way to 1 gal pot and seems to just die on me. so far, i have 1 that's doing that and i'm sure it's my fault not taking good care of it. still, it sucks.

pete

Pete, I know how you feel...Hang in there!

Pete, sorry to hear of you cutting woes :(  I haven't checked mine in a few days.  I a few more cuttings from a man I know from the nursery I frequent (very frequently!) His tree is in E Texas and he said it is old and prolific.  I asked if he could spare a few cuttings and he did. I am going to try the baggie method with these and see how it works out.  I'll post my findings.

I have always used the baggie method, although I did have some mold problems from time to time.

A fig friend in New England told me to try the Sprag. moss, I did and she was right as usual.....Thanks Peg.

Pete,

I'm going to start calling you JR.
Life is full of disappointments, and this includes failing to root fig cuttings.

I too lost a few very rare and very hard to get cuttings.

But I look at the bright side. I compare the loss to the success, and the success far out weighs the loss. To make more sense, If you succeed with 3 or 4 variants to every one lost then in my opinion you are coming out ahead. Look foreword to next season, because next season you will be better prepared and more experienced.

Another thing I've learned is that young and newly rooted figs/cuttings don't like to be moved. I have had some looking perfect and once I moved them to a new location it's like they went down in a heartbeat. So try to be a just bit more patient next time when re-potting. I have had a couple more ones sitting in their original long pots till today. I just placed them in 1gl.pots earlier and put them right back to the spot they were. Point is, I waited this long to re-pot them for a couple of reasons.

Good luck

rafed,

fair enough.. :) i know figs will do what they will do. i can only try and provide what they will need to grow. and if they don't make it, so be it. but it is still disappointing when i got them to 1 gal pot and they die on me.

but like you said, i learned few things that will help me next time.

there is a good chance i'll be getting few more varieties this year.. green cuttings. i have few ideas to try.

pete

Pete,

Yep, it definitely sucks!

However I had a surprise last week. I had a JH Adriatic that I rooted in SMoss and it looked super. Roots radiating in every directions and many of them. It had a very robust green bud showing. I thought to myself this is what they all should look like. The perfect cutting.

I carefully potted it and the bud broke and pushed a nice green leaf. Then it just sat there. After a couple weeks the leaf withered and fell off. This was probably in early May. I was crushed. I really wanted this variety. Definitely sucked!

I resisted the urge do dump the pot and last week after almost two months I saw a green bud forming. It now has two leaves and is pushing a third. Life is good and I'm terrified to touch it even though my heart is telling me to get it in the ground. I'm trying to not even look at it too much. LOL

I have about twenty other recently deceased fig pots that I hope may be resurrected but I won't hold my breath.

Oh, the JH. I think I'm going to rename it. It will now be known as "The Lazarus Fig"! I think the fig world needs another fig variety with numerous names for the same thing.

Yeah the dead cutting, a common sight indeed. Charles, I have had similar experiences with apparently dead cuttings sending out new growth. It seems fairly common, as long as it has roots when it's potted. I also rooted Jh Adriatic this spring and found it a very strong grower, all my cutings rooted. That is an all too uncommon result! 

at least Socorro Black is showing bud. i should be happy with that.

Pete, I do feel your pain. Been the, done that.

I have learned to pot them up, and water very slowly just in the middle. The makes sure that the roots are well watered in their new pot, but the potting mix around the outside of the pot stays dry, and wicks excess water away from the roots.

I almost chuck out one last year air layered Verdal Longue for a buddy. Well, procrastination turned out this seemingly deader than dead twig came to life. If I had thrown this away 3 months ago it would have indeed be a goner. It would be on its way to the deserving recipient next week.

I am surprise this season on at least 3 variants that look like dried up twig is making me very happy now. I thought what have I got to lose and stuck them into my make belief inverted aquarium green house and they all have some small leaves.

Losing up-potted cuttings is indeed frustrating. Every season I have different issues and this season is "procrastination" - it killed almost all my well rooted 18 Desert King -- delays in watering, waiting too long to pot up, acting too late to air green house aquarium on hotter days. Verdict "GUILTY".

I've tried several different methods of rooting cuttings over the past 3 years.  And I, too, have lost plants at each step of the way.

Except: I have yet to lose one using Dan's peat pot in a cup method when transferring to 1 gallon pots.  That is out of several dozen.  I just put the peat potted fig at the bottom of a 1 gal pot and filled it up with any old potting soil, watered, and give a couple hours of morning sun each day.  

(I have lost a few in the transition from high humidity container to ambient environment before up potting to the 1 gal. Slow and steady wins the race.)

Pete, I know what you mean. My saving grace was grafting this year. I would have lost 2 of the 6 varieties I tried if I had not grafted! I think my problem was the soil mix I used. Anyway, I am tired of rooting cuttings. I don't have the patience for it. It is too much work. I will from now on rely mostly on grafting. It offers a different level of excitement!

I also use Dan's peat pot method. Thing this year wasn't issue with cuttings. It's my lack of experience with green cuttings and my lack of patience. I had two RdB cuttings. One hardwood and one greenwood. Greenwood started so well I was very sure it was going to turn out great. Then, just in last two days, top half of the cutting is drying out and getting air pruned. Really sad thing is, it has branch on it with two health leaves and fat bud. Since the main trunk is drying up, this branch has days marked until its a goner.

I'm hoping bottom half won't dry out. But, I already lost other green cuttings in same way before they got to this place. At least they didn't have roots.