So getting cuttings to root hasn't been a problem, in fact a lot of my cuttings are doing great, but after drowning a bunch I'm not feeling completely confident. I was under the impression that when you transfer a cutting to soil, you water it in until water comes out of the drainage holes and then water as needed. I understood that a good point of reference was if you don't see water droplets on the inside of a cup it needs water. I need some tips on this (when to water, how much, best way to apply water). Also, what color should the roots be? I think the ones I overwattered ended up with brown roots(and I assume from appearance they're mushy) If somebody could let me know how they work it from the point of putting cuttings in cups on I'd appreciate it. Thank you, Luke.

Watching for responses too.  Great question.

For me the best way is to do by weighing then by hand, just feeling how heavy they are.  If you want practice, you could buy a cheap houseplant, or a tomatoe or pepper etc, that will use water fairly quickly.

When you first water the pot feel how heavy it is then keep feeling the weight once or twice a day to see any difference to the weight, the reason I say use another plant for practice is because you will see those wilt first and you can get a feel for how heavy they are when they would need water or when they would have needed water (a day before they wilt maybe).

When the cuttings first start they will of course use a lot less water than when they get bigger so it is important to keep an eye on them as they grow.

Hi Luke,
overwatering newly rooted cuttings is usually what kills them
the soil is best damp but not wet,
a lot of people pre-wet the soil before putting it in the pot with the cutting,
prewet it so that it feels damp but not so wet that you can squeeze water out of it.
if the rooted cuttings are also starting to leaf out, you will also need some sort of humidity dome over the cup/pot as well.
if no leaves are showing, I usually just bury the cutting so that just the very top is showing, and find that no humidity dome is needed.
if there are water droplets condensing on the inside of your containers you have enough water, if there are a lot of drops, you might have too much and need to air it out.
roots naturally darken over time from a light creamy white/yellow to tan and light brown as they age.
over-watering turns them quite quickly into a brown mush.

Hi Luke,

Water has been my enemy so far so I asked this same question.  See the below link for some other recommendations.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Cuttings-to-Cups-6172214

I just did this for the first time myself. I put my perlite and potting mixture in a box and and misted it until it was moist but not wet, just like Grant said. It's been about a week and some nice roots are trying to escape out of the cups. I am also keeping the cuttings in a room where it is always 72 degrees plus. I think the heat is helping them out alot. Good Luck.

Russ

I agree with all  the below from Grant. In addition, plants that stay wet in potting soil are almost certain to draw the dreaded fungus gnats.



overwatering newly rooted cuttings is usually what kills them
the soil is best damp but not wet,
a lot of people pre-wet the soil before putting it in the pot with the cutting,
prewet it so that it feels damp but not so wet that you can squeeze water out of it.
if the rooted cuttings are also starting to leaf out, you will also need some sort of humidity dome over the cup/pot as well.
if no leaves are showing, I usually just bury the cutting so that just the very top is showing, and find that no humidity dome is needed.
if there are water droplets condensing on the inside of your containers you have enough water, if there are a lot of drops, you might have too much and need to air it out.
roots naturally darken over time from a light creamy white/yellow to tan and light brown as they age.
over-watering turns them quite quickly into a brown mush.


I drill 1/4 inch holes not only in the top (dome) and bottom of cup, I also drill numerous holes around the side of the cup about 1/4 up from the bottom. I then use a
plastic syringe similar to the one in the below link to water only the bottom 1/3 on the inside of the cup.



http://www.createforless.com/Monoject+Plastic+Syringe+Curved+Tip+12cc/pid160171.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&cagpspn=pla&CAWELAID=1439854363&catargetid=1552971215&gclid=COqbut_Ih7UCFQeynQodVHUAeg

What about using a wick?  I have a few cotton strings coming out the bottom of a few of my clear cups with roots for just this purpose, and then all cupped plants are sitting on a few layers of paper towel, which should (in theory) allow the water from the wicks to evaporate faster from the larger surface area.  Paper towels are changed once a week to avoid mold issues. 

Don't know if thats how it will actually work, but I'm giving it a try.  It does seem to keep the water moving though, which to me means less chance of overwatering. 

For a 16oz cup, I put 4 hole on the bottom and about 10-12 holes around the sides - offset.  I cupped some of them on the 5th, watered them well and have watered only one so far  - the leaf seemed a bit limp so I gave it a drink about 2 days ago - I just checked it and the leaf still seems a bit limp.  When I water the others I think I will add just an ounce or so.  If I see moisture on the sides, I will hold off.

I used Espoma seed starting mix and perlite 50/50  by a measured 16oz cup.  The seed start mix has perlite in it also.

I new at growing figs and I've lost about 5 or 6 cuttings to what I suspect was over watering. I took someones advice and started keeping a 16 oz cup of the dry soil mixture I use. When I'm not sure if the cutting need more water just by looking at it I weight the cup using my hand and then weight the dry cup and see what the differences is. I don't have my figs in a container they are just on a desk under a lamp, so I find I have to water them once a week. I don't water them until water come out of the drainage holes, just until I see that half the soil in the cup is darker. I also have started keeping a watering log so I know when and how much I watered. Hope this helps.

This is all great advice for the inexperienced (me). Thanks for asking - and answering.

Do a post mortem on your failures
if bark is loose - too wet
if bark is tight - might be larvae
if bark is shriveled - too dry
if bark is loose, check higher up cutting (above mix line), if cutting is green there - too much water

I have drowned plenty

This isn't scientific but generalities

This is a very helpful thread. 

Personally, I am a visual person and found this video helpful. I can't recall his user name here but I know he is a member here (so thank you for this video!)
He pre-moistens the soil/perlite mixture with a spray bottle.

very good ideas, thanks. I was feelin real confident with 100% rooting success, but it ain't over til you got figs on the trees, it's a marathon not a sprint.

Luke,

I improved my success rate with cuttings when I started putting a layer of pea gravel (max 1/2") in the bottom of the cup.  I usually do this with all my potted plants to help with drainage, but somewhere along the line I saw posts that recommended against it.  This year I decided to test it for myself and I believe it has helped me avoid overwatering.   Good luck!

Hi,

I have some cutting started rooting with some leafs, i dont water the cup frequently as i'm afraid of over watering and kill the figs.  However, i found that some of the new leaf on the top started to get black/brown in color.  Does this show not enough water or the root has problem.  How can i save the fig?

So, I understand that one can check the moisture level buy looking at the "water droplets condensing on the inside of your containers".
But when you need to add water? When all the droplets are gone?

Some cuttings can root in water it is maximum of level-of-moisture. haha

Hi Karima, you will need to provide more information about how you are caring for that cutting, how many days between watering, where is it kept, how long in the container etc. It looks like the humidity might have been too high because i see mold eating the dead end of the cutting.

Laurentiu- Condensation droplets are caused by temperature fluctuations in the air. It is a sign that there is adequate moisture in the container but if the air temperature raises those drops will evaporate and be absorbed back into the potting mix. When the temperature goes down and the container is warmer than the air the water droplets will return without any added water. So it is an iffy way to tell depending on the conditions. Most of the containers I root in are not clear so I go by weight and put the ones that have just been watered in one area and the ones that are drying out in another so I can pick those up and judge their weight every other day or so and give them more time to dry out if they still feel like they are moist/heavy.

One other way that can work is to stick a skewer deep into the container and pull it out to check and see if it is dark/wet. You must leave it in the container though so it can have time to absorb the moisture and then give it back to the mix until it is nearly dry. It is another good way to learn how much weight reduction you should expect before watering.

Thanks Brent,

1. I shield the end cutting with Broduex mixture (Copper sulfate + lime) that is why its look blue.
2. The cutting is kept inside the container & almost 3 weeks now. I open the cover almost every day for fresh air.
3. I place the container inside the house and the temp is about 27C
4. I pour little amount of water when i see the perlite dry.

OK, I am not really sure what happened but as long as the other leaves are OK it should be fine. When roots rot because of too much water the whole stem shrivels quickly. It probably grew its top too fast and does not have enough roots to absorb that much water yet.

The problem with addressing watering issues is compunded immensely by the type of soil each of us is using, also other factors such as the temps in your house, humidity, air circulation window or light stand etc. As some have mentioned, you are looking for moist but not soaking wet. Soil mixes with lots of perlite or other chunky porous material such as turface, diatomite or pumice are best as they hold moisture and allow air in the mix which is critical to minimize rot. The best way to know how much and when to water is through experience and consistency. If you are mixing your own soil, you want a mix which is at least 50% porous chunky stuff, the rest a good commercial soil. As I have stated on several threads I find that Pro Mix HP (High Pourosity) can be used straight from the bag. I have not closely analyzed the contents of this soil, but it seems much lighter than I would expect. With this mix I can put the rooted cutting in it's cup or small pot and water thoroughly, then not for a couple weeks or so. Someone also mentioned feeling the weight of the pot which is another way to know if the soil is moist or dry. Key though is to find a mix you are happy with, use it exclusively and then learn through experience how often and how much to water with that mix and with your particular environment in your home.

Thank you hossierbanana,So I did this (put a skewer in the soil mix) and after over 20 hours when I pull the stick out it was wet, not dropping water form it, but definitely different (in wetness if may say so) then the part that I left it outside the pot. Should I conclude that is not yet time to water again? thanks
Lukie29 my apologies for jumping on your thread with my questions.

two words....moisture meter

I have a moisture meter but it is kind a bulky with to sticks 4mm each in diameter so it disturbs and compress the soil when I want to check the moisture, but will do that also. So on a 1 to 10 scale where 1 is dry were should we be? Thanks

I like using clear water bottles as the rooting containers.

*I cut about 4-6 nice wide cuts on the bottom of the bottle with a knife then twist to the sides to open up the cut, for drainage

*Clear containers its easier to see moisture in the soil, when the soil warms up condensation will be visible on the edges of the container. If there is no condensation or wet appearance, or added weight to the mix, then add a little water and check again. I use the 50 oz Trader Joes water bottles, they work great and its reusing something :).

*Make sure you use a good draining porous mix

*Less water is always better then to much

*First time wetting pour about half the water volume of the soil volume. If the the cup is full with soil then pour half of that cup with water. Water should drain from the bottom after being finished. Make sure the soil absorbed most of the water and did not run down the sides of the container. If it ran down the sides, then add 1/3 of the volume with water to the soil.

*Remember the weight of the cup after the first time pour, water level should be around this level or slightly lower most of the time.

*Remember with water less is usually better then more, figs are drought resistant to start with. 1-2 days of dry soil is not going to kill any fig with a decent root system.

*When using the clear water bottles, I make sure they are in partial shade or when moved to full sun the outside bottles are covered by solid containers, or white or black plastic to block Sun rays from frying the roots in the hotter days.