Hi all!

I've been reading the forum (lots of great info and pics!) and I have a couple of questions.

My grandmother planted some figs (yes, just the fruits) about 40 years ago and the tree (or trees I should say) is thriving well after all these years. I am on Long Island in NY and this tree has done extremely well without any care whatsoever (the occasional pruning). No winterizing, nothing. I have no idea which type it is but it stands about 8 or 9 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide before pruning. There are also at least a dozen trees in the cluster.

I am thinking of getting cuttings or would it be more prudent to try and split a couple of trees from the cluster to plant at my house? I am asking because since this tree has proven to be quite hardy year after year, I don't want to screw up a good thing.

When I get a chance to, I'll take a ride over there and get some pictures. But in the meantime, I have to make a decision on what I'm going to ask my cousin for (since he now owns the house after she died) A) Let me prune the tree or B) Can I dig it up? I'm sure he'll let me have at it with a shovel after I ply him with a 6-pack.

Hi and welcome to the forum. Best time to take cuttings is when tree is dormant but you might be able to dig out some suckers with roots attached, if not this is a good time to start an air layer and you will have a tree in about 6-8 wks if not sooner. Here is a good post to help you succeed.

Thanks! That post was really useful but I'm not sure my cousin will go for silver disco balls on his tree, then again, he is a bit eccentric like that.

I was reading that you can "fool" the cuttings into dormancy by putting them in the fridge for a couple of weeks and then try rooting them. Is that what people are doing when they buy the "fresh" cuttings off ebay? I saw several post of them for sale claiming they will make fresh cuttings for each purchase.

I'm leaning more towards splitting a couple of trees off so they have more of a fighting chance.

Welcome, I am on Long Island too, West Islip.  Dont even think about digging up a leafed out fig tree.  Like Sal said, wait till its dormant, unless you can snatch up a sucker.  If you need any help just send me an e-mail.  I dont like taking cuttings while the tree is in its growth stage but I have taken some at this time of the year only on very mature trees and have not seen ill effects.

I'm in Holbrook and the tree resides in Farmingville.

I'll see what I can do with the tree and maybe wait til next spring to dig it up.

In the meantime, I still have to talk to my cousin and maybe try the air layering.

Thanks!

You can take cuttings now, and root them. Just take the browner colored wood from last season, and discard the new green leafy growth from this season. No need to refrigerate.

Awesome. Thanks!

For once, I am actually looking forward to talking to my cousin (lol) and my father is psyched about me bringing some of the tree here (it was his mother's).

At my job, I spotted a willow tree behind the building. I figure I can grab a branch so I can strip and cut up the leaves to mix in water for the growth hormone (saw a youtube video where the girl did that with her fig cuttings) to help out a little.

Hi Pearlheart.  I saw the same video, I was new to growing from cuttings, and tried using the willow cuttings to stimulate root growth.  I planted over 100 cuttings of different varieties: 1) Giving them a soak in the willow growth hormone extract; 2) Plant them straight in ground in high quality potting soil (on top of well dug ground).  Overall I had about 70% success and they look great.  I had 100% success with some varieties, and only 0% success with one variety, although the second planting of that variety still has one growing and maybe others will pull through as well.

So this method has worked very well for me this year.  The willow cuttings were free from a neighbor, and it's far better and safer than the toxic growth hormones they sell at garden stores.

Bottom line: It's like chicken soup: Even if it doesn't help it couldn't hurt.  It's just water and willow cuttings.  But it may not be necessary, who knows.  It could be that if I just put them in the ground they would have done as well.  But it wasn't hard to do, and it gave me a sense of having done the best I could if nothing else.  And you can't argue with success.

Hope you have great success.  An heirloom plant like that is very special.

Best wishes my friend.

John
Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Pearlheart & Georgiafid
I also thought it was the willow tree leaves too but check again. Later I read that it is the bark of the willow tree shoots that provides the mentioned harmone. Until ascertained, in the interim better use the leaves as well as the bark (or chewed up branch with leaves and bark).

I am pretty sure bark is the answer, from what I have read previously.

That is my understanding also.  I only used the softwood tips of the willow branches.  It worked well for me, it was free, and all natural (not toxic like the commercial rooting hormones).

But it also may be unnecessary.  I really don't know.

Best wishes.

John
Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Hey all!

OttawanZ5, pitangadiego, and GeorgiaFig, the tree I thought was a willow might not be a willow. When I got up close and personal, it had some random berry growths and I don't think willows have berries. If I'm wrong then feel free to correct me.

I went to my cousin's today with a 6 pack of Blue Point Brewery Blueberry Ale and got some cuttings. Let me tell you that this tree has gotten out of control, lol. Once upon a time (I haven't seen the tree leaved in a couple of years--only been there during the winter for Xmas family disfunctions since my grandmother died), it stood completely upright but a small evergreen, a bush of unknown origin, and a rose bush (behind all of those!) have started moving in and pushing the tree forward and out. My cousin said he will be getting rid of the evergreen and bush of unknown origin so the fig can stand tall again and that the roses can show. But my, oh my, the fig is EVERYWHERE. I spotted some growing in another part of his little jungle by the door and off elsewhere. I'm telling you, the place is like a gully! But with a nice back deck all for partying.

He is also interested in setting up some air layering and gathering some cuttings too. He has a friend whose grandfather has a white fig tree that has been around for about as long as my grandmother's (if not longer) and also has weathered without any winterizing or special treatment and they want to trade some bits.

He said I can take more when I want and even dig some up but I noticed that all of the "trees" were branches off of one mother of a root system. I think they would be good candidates for air layering.

I also took the green tops off the tree branches and set them up (mostly stripped of leaves) in a gallon container with water and some aquarium fertilizer as an experiment to see how those do. I stripped the last inch of bark from each and left a leaf on top.

The other cuttings are wrapped individually in paper towels in a zip lock freezer bag.

Here are some pics of the tree, cuttings, and a leaf. I spotted a couple of leaves that were nearly a foot across. Dang!

Hope it goes well.  See Rooting for some ideas. I think the organics in the compost have an affect similar to the willow tea. The compost is only about 5-10% of the mix.