Hi i am rooting some cuttings but dont exactly know if i am rooting tops or bottoms.
now no leafs are growing too so i am confused.
i tried doing my best with looking at the width of the cutting etc..... the large width is at the bottomn right? :)

anyhow these cuttings root so well i dont want to loose them.
is there a trick to this or somthing?

Check this out.

http://figs4fun.com/More_Info_Cutting_Direction.html

A long-standing commercial nursery practice (as I was told) is that the bottom of cuttings are cut flat (ideally about 1/4" below a node) and the top is cut at about a 45* angle also just above a node. This is the way I prepared all of my cuttings which I sold or traded and wish others would do the same.  One set of cuttings I received (it was a bargain, so I'm not complaining) included a cutting about 6" long but contained just 2 buds, each about 1.5" from the end, so it didn't seem that the person had paid attention to buds.  I think cuttings should normally contain at least 4 buds, though I certainly have used less (3 is "okay" and less than 3 is not acceptable).  I bring this up because I wish that we might come to an agreement as a group on how we would typically prepare cuttings, though Jon has already told me that he isn't going to make a second cut to accommodate this because of the large volume of cuttings he's dealing with.  That's understandable, but I think that it can be used as a model.  Just my $.02.

lately, i've been following what harvey posted. but fig cuttings are easy to figure out which is top just like the picture posted by gorgi.

I had luck maybe
3 out of 4 where in good direction just by noting that most times the angle of the buds is upward ?

the cutting i had problem with was old so it was hard to notice.

anyhow the trick is to notice for two small scars above a lrger one.

thanks

As bullet08 said; it is easy when one knows how-to (it was not always in my newbie time).
Still, being human, once-in-while, I still manage to put a twig upside-down! ...

Another (rare stupid human) mistake:
one of my rooting foam cups may lack drainage holes...

I've not stuck a fig upside down yet but imagine I've done it with more than one pomegranate cutting (suckers make good cuttings and usually don't have leaf scars or big buds).  Some of the older fig cuttings are harder to tell but not too bad.

The picture George provided is perfect. With figs, the leaf scare is usually quite visible just below the bud.

The link Pete provided is really good as well. Jon has done a great job of making it clear on how to tell top from bottom.

I've managed to stick a couple upside-down by mistake as well George. I did a couple this way deliberately too though. I've done this when cuttings have been wrongly cut just below the bottom node with no inter-space below it. So I've tried, on occasion, to save an otherwise "lost node" by cutting that bottom node away and sticking it upside-down as a "one noder". So far, so good, on about 3 pieces for me at this time.

Personally, I like when my cuttings look like one shown in the link Pete provided above - third picture down, cutting in the middle. The top of the cutting isn't shown in that particular image but the top cut should be just above the top node.   

I'd like to further comment on how I feel fig cuttings should always be cut, but I'm thinking that will make a good thread of it's own. A lot of good details can be added on that subject ;-) .  

The difficulty is that some buds are really hard to see because they are not very pronounced. The leaf scar is below the "line" that you see at each node. it also helps to go out and look at the cuttings when they are still on the tree, in the middle of the season. Then you can see how the branch and leaf, and fruit, and sometimes the bud all fit together, how they relate to each other, how they are oriented, so that you can better evaluate the cuttings when they are dormant; to see how the cutting came to look like it does.

Another trick is to let the cuttings age a little bit, maybe at something between frig and room temps, esp. with greener cuttings which have less distinct marks. When they are a little warmer, the bud will begin to swell a little bit, which makes it easier to see.

I think George's photo says it best.

I've rooted many cuttings this season.  Only managed to plant 1 upside down.   

I got lucky and am in no way advocating a new "rooting method" here.

Figgy Franks fig is a strong grower though, don't you think?