Many trails about big/fat cuttings, but I could not find anything about rooting a tall branch.


Would you say, if I am able to root   a tall branch, it would be like an airlayer in a way... a tall branch with few young roots -  I would have a tree starter quicker than from the bottom?  if I am able to do that, would I get figs quicker, since fruits happen in a year old and the trunk would be already  a year old?

I scored some tall branches yesterday and would like you 'experts' input...should I do?

Grasa,  I'm no expert, but how deep do you plan to bury that long branch?  There needs to be enough roots to bring water and nutrients into the length of the branch to support the length of it.  This is the reason we cut the leaves from the green cuttings, so the roots have time to grow long enough to support new growth.

I think your long cutting will die unless you bury it so deep, it can get thousands of roots.  Otherwise, it will die.

On the bright side, cut it into cuttings of 8 - 10 inches, and you'll have potential for a lot of trees!

Just my opinion!

Suzi

You said you secure  some tall branches.
If I had some tall branches, I will use one of these horizontally in the ground if you don't have coldwinters like ours.

Ottawan speaks like the Old Greek!  Horizontal rooting is amazing, but you will get 20 trees springing up from that long branch, and you will need to clip the branch at each section as though you had that many cuttings! 

Suzi

Grasa,

How long are these branches? I have rooted large diameter (1-1/2 inch), but cut them to 2 foot long. The variety that I grew did produce figs the first season ( the figs were pinched). The larger cuttings also provided the classic pruned container tree form (the reason for the 2 foot length) within that first growing season (3 months). They should probably be treated as cuttings not air layers (which have larger roots) in their first season. I have also rooted 2 foot cuttings 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter without a problem, longer cuttings survived but the tips died back and had to be pruned anyway. I do have 6 foot tall air layers, which are healthy and currently growing indoors and they require less care than cuttings. My maximum cutting length is now 2 feet from my experience.

It does not hurt to try. Please report on your results.

Thanks for your input. That is what I was thinking Pete... I am trying about 18" with my Adriatic, I had them (except for their tips) all semi wrapped in newspaper inside a box and inside black plastic bags...once they showed me their eyes to root, I planted them in large soda plastic bottles, rather than 'cups'. I continued the semi wrapping of their 10" exposed, so they would not dry out, I did put them laying down as I did not want them to shift. I put them inside the plastic tub and garbage bag for a while...and their tips started showing life, so I took them out of the bag, whoola, had roots, so, laying down in window they went, cover the bottles, so no direct sun light on them... the buds are trying to leaf.  I roll the bottles once in a while - they seem OK.

Now, I have some 4-5 feet branches...with 3 -4 year old wood... so, I want to do the same - since that long thing is already 'bent in a 90 degrees, I think if it roots, I have a prompto japonese espalier.  I am going to try... I have room in my basement for it, but it is not that warm there, so it may not root as quickly as it should.  I may get  a heating coil or pad for this experiment.   shall report!

If I have wood that old I put a little dip & grow on it.  Not recommended for food crops so you'll have to decide on that issue.  3 year old wood does not root as readily as 1 yr old wood.

I decided to cut one in half, will root the bottom as usual and gave it a shot on the top, but doing just that, planted, water, wrapped in garbage bag and  shoved it in a cabinet. it is up to him to grow or not, the bottom portion looks more prominent, so I will baby it.

Grasa,

If you keep the cutting at a constant temperature 70 - 80 Deg F. you should see root initials and or roots within 3-4 weeks. Jon V. has noted this temperature in his various rooting tutorials on this website. At 75 Deg F. I have gotten roots on all the cuttings that I have tried, green or dormant, within 2-3 weeks.  Rooting hormone can be used for insurance, I have just purchased dip and grow myself (but not for fig cuttings). Good Luck.
Please Keep us updated.

I decided to bundle them into one long newspaper wrapping  tube, and put them inside a bucket and covered the whole thing with garbage bags, leaving just their tips out for air.   I am letting them stay a week or so, and will decide if I should cut them or not... I want a fence and don't want wait for my tiny plants, so these large ones  would be in order for spring, that is if they make it as they are...