A day ago - I collected 2 large cuttings from an unknown tree in an abandon area.  Not sure if someone lives there and couldnot identity the tree.  The mother tree is about 20 feet tall and similar width.  Last year around October - I was there and found the tree.  It had fruit similar to Celeste and leaf type looked what a Celeste would be.  Fruit tastes good but not outstanding.  So, I had plan to come back and collect the wood.  So, yesterday I got 2 cuttings roughly 3 feet long and over an inch size caliper.  (See photo).  I left the bottom soaking  in water in a tub overnight.  

I am in zone 7b/8a.  When I cut the branch - no sap came out but the cuttings seemed coming out of dormancy.  Seemed the buds are just about to leaf out and I noticed few very tiny figs popping out in some branches.  My other in ground fig trees at home are still dormant.  

This afternoon - I stucked both the cuttings in dirt.  We are expecting mild weather for the next couple weeks here in Dallas.  I had luck rooting cuttings directly in the ground but those were small tip cuttings (6 to 8 inch long, planted in February 2015).  These are the largest I am trying to root.  

So, what you guys experienced with large cuttings?  Is it gonna work?  I have few small cuttings of the same tree in plastic cups as backup.  If the large cuttings make to root - the small cuttings have to find new owners.

Thanks.  

http://imgur.com/7E98LaN

I would trim off all the side branches and tops and try to root them.  Looks like about 12 or more cuttings.  I would do that before trying to root the whole branches.  Then you could try laying what you have left sideways and bury it and see if it roots.

  I did something similar last year...  I took four branched cuttings, each 24 to 36" in January and stuck them into soil outside without any prep or protection.  Two flourished and two died.  I was pretty happy in that they were free, and took no work at all to propagate.
 

Size doesn't matter. 1/4" to 3" diameter all root just fine.

If you root 3 Feet long cutting, I am wondering that How many feet under soil and how many feet above soil, How can you keep top portion in high moisture level.

I think that it is better with smaller portion above soil, or you need to wrap up the top portion with grafting tape to keep moisture to avoid them dry out and dead.

Lol, first off - I would have only pruned a few small cuttings from that tree to begin with.  Geez, talk about overkill...

But given what you've already hacked off, I would chop those big branches up into about 50 finger-long cuttings...and root them all with your chosen method, before potting them into cups...and THEN into the ground.  That would vastly increase both your number of clones, as well as probably your success rate.

As you said, big branches are much harder to handle and keep entirely humid.  If I were to try it though, I'd probably bury as much of it underground as I could.

If it does work you'll have an instant fig tree as opposed to a small rooted cutting.  On the other hand, those small rooted cuttings do grow fast once it heats up outside.  Choices, choices, choices.

Put them into 2 liter drink bottles, the more soil coverage the better.  I have had good luck with scratching the trunks on the larger cuttings.  I routinely root 1-2" caliber cuttings for my own trees.  I usually put them in 5 gallon buckets and leave them for 2-3 yrs before moving them to 35 gal pots.  Keeping the total trunk viable is the hard part I usually use tall kitchen trash bags as a humidity chamber, it also takes the guessing out of watering.

I've taken cuttings around two to three foot long before, threw them in a large SIP and covered with potting soil. Kept outside on my patio all winter long they rooted every single time and grew fast in the spring. Being in Zone 8b helps.

shoelz,

Ancients farmers still use the traditional method of rooting long fig cuttings over here. They cut a 3-4 feet long cutting, they dig an horizontal trench, twist or break the cutting near the end, usually using the foot, place the cutting inside the trench, and they leave only a few inches above ground.

Montserrat Pons also uses a similar method for planting is fig trees (min. 14-16, in the following video).

I agree with the comments of Chapman and Sas. I actually had a very similar situation last fall. I took a few cuttings from a tree, and then returned to see about a couple more for someone else. On returning I found the tree cut down to the ground. I grabbed what pieces I could still find, including some large diameter limbs.

So, remove the smaller "limbs" and root normally per your favorite method (i.e. moss, cups, etc.). Then cut the larger branches into sections of 2 - 4 nodes, or what lengths will fit into your pot. Bury these completely, laying them down sideways, under an inch or so of soil. I would recommend a SIP, like Sas says (I didn't do this, but will next time). You will need to keep the soil just barely damp.

I now have several shoots coming up from the branches I buried in a bin and placed in our greenhouse (GH not required for this). You can even dig these branches up after they start rooting and showing leafed out shoots, and cut them up into individual trees.

CliffH

Thank you all who responded to this post - I appreciate your time and effort to share the experience and knowledge and NOT asking to pay a dime.  This shows our effort to keep alive this forum to come and hang around here (virtually).

I agree with dkirtexas and yeren about keeping the  humidity high.  I already planted in the ground.  Hoping the weather will cooperate.  We are expecting shower tonight and then next few days cool and calm.  I will be able to mist the cuttings twice a day.  One cutting is in the east side (front yard) of the house which sun from dawn to about 2 PM.  Other cuttings is in the west and gets sunlight from 8 AM to noon and then 3 Pm to dusk.  I have rooted small cuttings in cup and also in ground (BT, Alma, Celeste, Mission) - so this time - I am trying my luck to get a larger tree by rooting a large cuttings.  Considering if I be able to root a 3+ feet cuttings - means I already gained 2 years of growth by planting it.   I will keep you posted how it goes.  

Thanks

Breaking the end of the branch is supposed to favour the rooting process. Similar to removing some of the bark near a node so the humidity and the dirt can stimulate the formation of new roots.

The trimming of the other apical growth has to do with reducing the chances of the new tree producing suckers. He wants to form a single tree trunk.

Just to post a follow up on my long cutting rooting by the traditional method that i posted a couple of messages above.






A couple of months since i placed them in the ground in a corner of my orchard (and forget about them ever since), it's still early to say it's a complet success but it seems that my 2 caprifig 4 feet long cuttings are doing fine.
I forgot about them and didn't water them but a couple of rains a few weeks ago may have helped.

It seems a very prolific variety of caprifig.






Even the smaller cuttings are prolific



Did you have any luck with your cuttings, sohelz?

Hello Jamie -  Thank you for asking the follow-up - I appreciate it.  I was thinking about writing an update but I haven't seen any activity on those large branches.  I didnot do the way you did for your cuttings.  I stuck then about 8" under the soil and the rest (over 2 feet) is above the ground.  The tips are kinda brown and dried up - but I did a scratch test on the branch and it's green inside - so - the branches are still not dead.  I am still waiting to see leaved coming out.  On a separate note  - I have tip cuttings about 6" to 8" long from the same tree and those are already rooted when I did a burrito method to root.  Couple are placed in the ground by those large cuttings and those have few leaves now.

If they are still green they may still awaken. Give them time.

The traditional method i used leaves only the tips above ground to minimize the chances of drying out. And it seems to work too.

It hasn't rained for almost a month and the temperatures are quite high. The top soil is completely dried, but the cuttings seem fine.

Keep us posted on yours...

This is a very poor picture but I took a long 'white mulberr'y branch  5' tall + and put it in a plastic drain pipe and filled with potting mix and watered well.  I will cut the tube with a skil-saw in a month to remove with roots and plant. Should work well with figs as well 




 

Hi,
Back to your top pic, the stems look to be the fast growing suckers of one year of age.
You would have been better with slow growing suckers of 2 years of age.
The problem is that the top has too many branches of "weak"/unhardened wood.
I'm a little late, But I would have left 1.5' (40cm) above dirt and 1' under (30cm) .
It is better if those are T-shaped ( under-dirt flat and above-dirt stem going up.
Whatever you did, now you should water the area every week, no more, no less. Water to cover a circle of dirt around the stems, and won't water directly at the base of the stem.
Water gently as in trying to keep the dirt in place.
I did root three like that 2 years ago, and I had 2 smaller ripe fruits on one the first year, and had more last year. I can see figlets on them for this season - although I lost some parts of the newer stems due to the winter and because the stems were in fast growth mode.
Mine seems to be a true BT but the taste of those fruits are a bit better than the ones on my first BT . So I'll be comparing them this year and eventually keep both, or just one of them (space problems ).
Burying directly in the dirt is the most effortless method (while still efficient ) of rooting . And it works well with figtrees.
Mine, the first year, were two months late at bud-break. Just, keep on watering them.
They need a sunny spot. I had one that made leaves and a small stem, shed the leaves after a while because it was shaded by her sisters , then snoozed , and woke up the next year and grew last year...

UPDATE - today I looked closely to find out if those cuttings are any good.  I checked with scratch test - failed.  No green bark even close to the ground.  I had put 2 cuttings - one that gets sun pretty much all day and other gets some morning and some afternoon sun and mostly bright light all day.  Both cuttings did not make it.  Once I pulled out of the ground - both had their bark turned black and rotten.

I had 8" tip cuttings of the same plant placed close to these large cuttings.  Luckily - both small cuttings leafed out.  One in the all day sun leafed out faster and already a foot tall.  Other one mostly in the shade has 2 3 leaves now.  

Summery: I failed to root large cuttings as I had high hopes.  Smaller tip cuttings are the best to root even when place directly in the ground in dormant time.

I think your cutting dried out and then rotted. It might be best to place large cuttings into a high humidity environment until established. When I root small cuttings I usually only leave one or 2 nodes out of the soil and even then wrap them in parafilm to keep moist.

Hi Jaime

Well done! Glad to see you followed the traditional system, same as done in the South for centuries
Given the typical warm and dryish spring many times with poor or no rains at all, grand dad would always cover the tips with a layer of fine dirt and flag with cross sticks.

The trench like hole had to be in a E-W line and cut previously,  after the first September rains
By October the trench bottom would get a mix of top soil and manure and around February the thick cuttings would be laid down and covered, the tips always 'looking' East.

Your new caprifig will be a good start to try and establish a wasp colony in your farm
Were any live branches with figs left near the pump station ??

Francisco
Portugal