I am just beginning to garden and need a lot of help!  My neighbor gave me a cutting (?) from his large, healthy fig tree (I don't know the variety).  A branch of the mother tree had rooted into the soil, and he dug up the roots, cut it from the tree, and gave it to me.  The branch is about 3 feet long above the soil line. 

I potted it in a ten-inch pot using regular potting soil, and I staked it, watered it, and put it in the shade.  After a day or so, it started to wilt.  I thought it was just transplant shock, but now all the leaves are wilted, many of them curling in on each other, and the plant looks as though it is dying.  This morning I took it out of the pot to discover that at the bottom of the pot there is a foul-smelling sludge and a lot of extra moisture.  The pot has not been draining!  I now know that I made a mistake in using regular potting soil--I should have used a better-draining mix and a pot with more holes on the bottom. 

Can I still save this transplant?  Can I still repot it?  Wash the roots first?  How can I undo the mistakes I made as a beginner?

I hate to say it but it sounds to me that rot has allready set in on the roots it is probably to late to try and reverse the problem!! sorry!! try again with soil that is about 70% perlite and 30% soil and make sure there is more than enough holes for maximum drainage.

Just let it be. Keep it in the shade, keep it damp, but not soggy. It may lose all of the leaves,  but when it stabilizes it will push new growth. Don't fertilize till is has good new growth. You could put a bag over it to help control moisture loss through evaporation. Be patient.

I had an air layered cutting that was wilting the morning after I potted it. . I misted all the leaves with a spray bottle and it perked up and has done well since.

Alan is right, anaerobic wet conditions lead to the formation of organic acids and funky smells. A ground layer should have no problem in potting mix, drainage is what it needs, and less water till it resumes growth.

Granulated sugar will kill the roots because of the osmotic balance. The sugar would suck the water right out of the roots.
Just tip it out and put it in a proper pot with moist mix, put in shade, wait 2 or more days to water so any damaged roots can heal. Worry about the basics.

Depending on your climate, tent it:

Change out the potting soil to 50% potting soil 50% perlite. You need good drainage otherwise it will rot. Make sure the tent has holes. A 2 liter bottle with holes and with tree in shade works well.

It works everytime for me.

Thank you all--this is very helpful.  I am going to try to save it, as I don't have anything to lose.  After some consideration, I very carefully took the fig out of the pot and rinsed the roots gently to remove the smelly substance. The roots looked more healthy than I had expected, and I even saw a bit of new root growth at the tips, although in a couple of places I also found the outer layer of the root softened and peeling.  I cut the soft parts off.  Then I repotted it in a pot with holes in the bottom.  I mixed together pine bark, perlite, and potting soil to make a lighter medium, and I used less of it (to cover just up to the soil line on the trunk).  I misted the leaves, losing a few in the process, before covering it with a large clear plastic bag and setting it in the shade of my carport. 

Thank you again for all your help.  I've been amazed at the generosity of gardeners thus far.


I will keep you posted--I wish I could post pictures but I cannot find my camera. 

Hello Auroraleigh,

When I first started trying to raise potted fig trees, I put all the wrong soils in the pots, causing me to have to repot five of the little fig trees 3 times and one, 2 times.  In the heat of summer.  In South Louisiana.  Not good.

The first time I potted them, I used regular bagged garden soils.  The trees started to wilt and I knew the pot was heavy with water and it wasn't getting any better, so I carefully unpotted the trees and found foul-smelling, watery soil in the bottoms of the pots.

I carefully repotted the trees with Miracle Grow potting soil.  It was deja vu all over again.  Same foul-smelling, stagnant, soggy situation in the bottom of the pot.

I finally went to Garden Web and F4F and found the name of a potting soil that I was able to find and repotted the trees again.  The third time, the potting soil drained well and the trees sat for awhile, then took off growing and did really well.  I kept them under the carport for awhile until they took hold and gradually got them used to the sun.  They grew beautifully the rest of the season.

It's good you found some new growth of roots.  They may even have been water roots like I found in the bottoms of the pots, but it showed that the trees were alive and trying to survive.

Good luck with your little tree and welcome to the forum,

noss

Auroraleigh--it sounds like you're on the right track. Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

Make sure to also poke a few holes in the bag. If it is to humid you will kill the tree via mold.