I have been rooting figs per John's procedure for several years now, but this spring was a total failure due to mold/rot. Humidity control was the same as previous years - lightly damp paper towels in ziplock bags w/ 5-6 cuttings. To help prevent a repeat of this fiasco next spring, I have a few ideas/questions for those of you that propagate:

1. Do you let the cut ends of your cuttings dry/callous at all before they go into the damp paper towel/bag? My CRFG scion exchange cuttings usually go in the day of the exchange, but I am re-thinking this to give them a chance to dry a bit.

2. Do you sterilize your cuttings before they go in the bag? If so, what do you use? I was thinking of a 10% bleach solution dip like I do with my cheremoya seeds

In previous years it seemed like I could not kill a fig if I tried, but this year was a total bust, so I would appreciate your thoughts on how to improve my process!

-Zimmy

1) I don't callous the ends, it's not necessary.

2) On suggestion from others, I started to use a 10% bleach solution for a while, but I'll be honest, as long as you respect a few things, brush your cuttings with a clean toothbrush and some dish soap, don't constantly open and don't touch your cuttings/paper towel, it's not necessary to bleach in my opinion ... I don't bother with bleach anymore.

That said ...

Three most important things to respect:  Moisture, cleanliness and airflow. 

Moisture:  Almost no moisture is required in your paper towel when using the baggie method.  Leave the butt-end of the cutting bundle uncovered by at least an inch and wring out most of the water (clench with one hand to squeeze out enough water) - the goal here is NOT to cover the cutting completely, the paper towel is simply to generate relative humidity (thus not much water is required).  DO NOT water the rooted cutting into a pot, that's too much water - pre-wet your potting mix to the point that it is like a dry cake that barely holds form when you squeeze a wad in your hand.  DO NOT leave excess water in the bottom fo your bag or rooting bin, and wipe up any large water drops (fine mist is OK). 

Airflow:  By leaving the butt-end of the bundle uncovered by the paper towel, you are promoting airflow into the bundle AND you can see most root development.  Open the bag and allow fresh air into the bag every couple of days (careful not to spit into the bag if you're blowing air in, you have lots of bacteria in your mouth).  When transferring to pots and your rooting bin, be sure to crack the bin daily and allow the cuttings to breathe.

Cleanliness:  If you absolutely have NO CHOICE but to touch your papertowel and/or cuttings, be sterile ALWAYS! Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before and during initially wrapping your cuttings - wash your hands before touching anywhere inside the bag - don't leave your clean paper towel on a countertop, nor your cuttings (treat everything like it's a mold factory) - handle your cuttings bundle as little as possible - any time you must take the paper towel out of the bag, NEVER reuse, always get a new paper towel.

I'll be honest, using the old paper towel + baggie method, I'm lucky to have 50% success getting from stick to tree, although I'm normally achieving a good 90%+ root strike.  That method of rooting has its problems for sure.  The 'alternate baggie' method has produced much better results for me.  Link:  http://figs4fun.com/Rooting_Bag_New_Style.html  (note the product number of the baggies is on the label in the bag picture).

Also, if you haven't seen the original/improved baggie method Jon originally shared with CFRG, please re-read:  http://figs4fun.com/basics_Rooting.html  (skip the "update" link, I just posted it last paragraph).

Zimmy,

The main things I have earned in rooting any species of plant is cleanliness and consistency.

Currently trying various methods currently on rooting figs. My main method used for years is to wash the cutting well. Then dry the individual cutting with clean paper towels. My normal method is to use a cup of water that is changed out with new water daily. Also each day I clean the container with a new paper towel and wipe any debris or growth. Inspection of the cuttings and using a soft brush as needed. 

So far I have seen no difference in any of the various methods as all of them have their white spots swelling (roots). 

Chris

I don't use the baggie method. For me, the two main dangers for mold formation are too high a temperature, and too much moisture. And I guess not enough air. I have yet to wash or sanitize a cutting in any way. I also would never soak one - too much moisture for my liking - but that does work for some people. 

For initial root formation, I prefer to put the cutting horizontally and totally covered in a very loose, barely damp mix in an open container (like an open tupperware) that is held in bins (w cracked lid) for higher humidity. If it's a green cutting with leaves, I'll let the leaves stick up, but the entire stem will be covered with the loose damp mix.  I also use quite a bit of mist from a spray bottle in our low humidity climate. And micro-manage everything depending on the weather. :)

And once green shoots are seen, they are put in bright light, still in humidity bins, but zero direct sun. Some 'use' some sun, but if I forget they are in the sun, I don't want my cuttings to fry.

When roots form, the cutting is transferred to an opaque plant band (cuz I have them) in barely moist half perlite/planting mix. I rarely water at this stage, but I will use some mist.

We each live in different climates and do what works in our own areas.

This is my first year of rooting. I took many cuttings off my in-ground desert king in January, and kept them in refrigerator. I never washed them in any way. Just to experiment, I started one batch for rooting every month, to see if I can do it the whole year around. I use Jon's new Baggie method, and have a pretty good success rate. Interestingly, the closer it's getting to the summer, the better my results are, even though the cuttings are obviously less fresh. I don't know if it's the local cool weather (I am in Vancouver area, Canada, and the hottest this year has been a 2-day peak of 82F last week), or the fact that the cuttings' end gets drier.

If you are using the baggie method, you might like to try sphagnum moss instead of the wet paper towels, the moss itself has mold inhibiting properties.

Grant
z5b

I'm doing some now with sphagnum moss, and no mold yet after a couple weeks.  They are in baggies and wrapped with a dark towel.  Lots of root initials, and some sprouting happening.  No real roots yet.

Suzi

Six weeks ago I put 2 cutting in sphagnum moss inside a 500 ml plastic bottle of water with the top cut off and poked a couple of holes in the bottom. I used the top of another 500 ml bottle as a top to make a mini greenhouse (this way the contraption is almost as tall as 2 bottles). I see roots all over. it seems the most reliable method to get roots. I regret having lost a Petit Negronne in soil after it had rooted.  

I just wonder when these cuttings in moss will grow some leaves. I see only roots.

Moss is the key to success I'm done using paper towels only to find that my cuttings had rotted.