On Thursday, I finally received my UCD order, first placed about 15 months ago, and received the following cuttings:

(1) Black Madeira
(1) Violette de Bordeaux
(3) Panachee
(3) Calvert
(3) Excel
(3) UCR 143-36
(3) UCR 291-4

The only cuttings I ordered but did not receive were Ischia Black and Raspberry Latte.

I was lucky enough to be home when UPS delivered the package and, immediately after doing a quick inventory of what I had, they all went into the fridge.

I decided to start rooting some of the cuttings today starting with my only BM, only VDB, and one each of the two UCR's.  Each cutting was divided in thirds, except the Black Madeira, which, of course, was the only cutting UCD sent that was so small that I could only comfortably get two cuttings (which is still a good-sized cutting - I'm just happy to have received one!).

I put one of the BM segments and one of the VdB segments in sphagnum-filled plastic containers with some small aeration holes in the top.

All the other cuttings went into Rapid Rooter cubes (similar to Root Riots, which are discussed a lot here on this forum, I just have always had good success with the Rapid Rooters with other fruits & vegetables) and all cuttings, including the ones in sphagnum, were dipped in rooting powder.

In all cases where I had three segments to work with (all except the BM), one of the segments was scored at the bottom, on another I shaved a few 1/4" strips of bark off the bottoms, and the last one was unaltered (other than the rooting powder).  I did score the bottoms of both BM cuttings, since I already had the control going of sphagnum vs. Rapid Rooter.

The cuttings that went into cubes all went under a humidity dome, also with small ventilation holes.

It will be interesting to see how they do.  As long as I get at least one of the BM's and one of the VdB's rooted, I'll be happy, since I still have plenty more of the others to play with.

Also, allow me to share my low-cost humidity dome method...

Every time I'm at Costco, I pick up one of those rotisserie chickens since you can't make them yourself for as low a cost as they sell them for (unless, of course, you raise your own chickens!).  Well, the plastic cartons they come in, once cleaned, are perfect for sprouting seeds (drill some drainage holes in the bottom or bottom-sides). 

The trays themselves are rather shallow, but the tops are pretty tall to be able to fit a whole chicken and they are slightly vented.  Plus, they are food-grade and heavy duty, so can be re-used multiple times and washed in the dishwasher.

I always mist the inside of the top before placing it on seedlings, or other rooting plants, and when I stop seeing condensation on the top, I'll re-mist it on the inside and check the moisture of the rooting medium.

The fig cuttings were a little too tall so I inverted one of the tops on the base and put a second top right on the first.  Any moisture that drains through the vents on the lower (inverted) top gets captured in the base.

It's a great way to get a low-cost, ready-made humidity dome and recycle something that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

it took me 3 yrs to get Ischia Black. i think they are hard to come by. 

I think you're correct, sir!  When did you get yours?  Did it come from UCD?  How's it doing?

I already have more figs than I have room for, and still have just a few left on my wish list including the IB and a CdD.  Luckily, a few I have are duplicates and everything is in containers, so when it's time, I can make some extra room. if needed.  And, there's always grafting! :D

i got my IB from USDA/UCD last yr. it's growing slowly, but better than i expected.

Quick Update...

I started rooting the Excel and Panachee cuttings today.  I used two of the USDA cuttings of each, one of which was further divided into three sections and the other was divided into two sections.

The 1/3 pieces got put in the Rapid Rooter cubes under humidity dome and the 1/2 pieces got put straight into some home-made potting mix and put in a shaded area of my patio.

All pieces were pre-dipped in rooting powder.

I'm excited to know how quickly the outside ones grow. It is my preferred method when it's warm enough. Congrats on getting your cuttings!

I thought I'd post a couple of photos for you Figaro and Tami. These were extra cuttings I had from exchanges that didn't fit in my indoor set-up. I just stuck them in random pots with potting soil and put them out on my work table in the yard. That was in February. No protection from sun, rain, or frost. Night temps went into the 20's a few times. The Marseilles VS seems to be the most vigorous, and I just up-potted it into 2 gallon. Other varieties rooted and leafing out are Panachee, Vista, St. Rita, and Strawberry Verte. Next year, I think I'll do more this way. So much less hassle.      Gary

Thanks Tami & Gary! 

You both give me good hope for success & Gary, those pics look great - nice job! 

I just rooted a couple of Parfianka Pomegranate cuttings just by sticking them in some soil on the patio and they took off fine/quick.  I think the figs are even hardier than the pom's, so assuming I don't let them dry out, they should be OK.

That being said, I decided to take a little more care with the Black Madeira and VdB cuttings, since I only had one of each of those to play with! :)

That's awesome Gary! Those are about the results I get as well. I'm convinced they do better with the natural cooling off at night and random changes they get outside.
I realize this isn't an option for our friends in cooler climates but for us it's great!

The only variety still left to try to root is the Calvert.  I'm running out of room quick, but cut one Calvert cutting in thirds and the sections are soaking  in bleach solution now.  I'll likely put those in the Rapid Rooter cubes, too. 

I took a second Calvert cutting and divided into two sections and, with some inspiration from Armando's recent post, attempted my first two grafts by attaching them to my Texas Everbearing ,which is being grown in bush form, so there are still plenty of TE branches...hopefully I'll get a branch or two of Calverts! :P 

For those of you who would like a Green Ischia Fig tree, I found a great source on eBay. The seller has 9 more trees in inventory. "Totally rooted out in 1 gallon nursery pot. Ready for up potting or yard planting. 18 to 30 inches."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261447671672?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

Liquid fertilizer gives your slow growing tree a major boost.  My 2 Ischia Blacks UCD, doubled in height and size last year.  After it rains, just give your tree a drink and watch what happens in a few weeks.  You will be glad you did!

Dennis, as for your reply to me, I gave all of mine a drink  of Foxfarm Big Bloom after the last rain. Can't wait
to see the results.

Just a quick update...

I just checked the cuttings and the first two are showing roots outside of the Rapid Rooter cube.  Both are the UCR 143-36.  Some other are leafing/budding out and one is forming air roots, but still none others out of the cube.

I need to meet someone for dinner, but will try to take & post pics when I get back.

That's only 11 days from starting the cuttings to seeing visible roots outside of the cube - not bad! ;)

OK...here are some pics after 11 days from starting the first batch of USDA cuttings:

I have 20 cuttings I'm attempting to root on my kitchen counter in six separate containers:

 

The two containers in front-left each have one cutting only, a VdB positioned horizontally in sphagnum in the tan opaque container and a Black Madeira in the yogurt container with the clear top.  The two inverted potato salad containers (yeah...I do make use of what's around!) each have three cuttings (mixed) and the two clear containers in back that probably most resemble an actual "humidity dome" each have six cuttings (mixed).

All "tip" cuttings are starting to leaf out.  You can see one of the roots coming out of the cube on the UCR 143-36 that's in the left-center.  In the right-center is a UCR 291-4 with a nice leaf starting that isn't showing roots out of the cube yet but if you look close, you can see is already trying to push out a fig!

 

All the containers I'm starting these cuttings in are vented EXCEPT for the two inverted potato salad containers.  I don't snap the lids shut, but it's pretty much 100% humidity in there, and another one of the UCR 143-36 cuttings is has both an aerial root forming and a root showing out of the cube now.  This pic shows the aerial root:

 

Here's the same cutting with the root coming out of the grow cube:

 

Here's the other UCR 143-36 with root showing out of the cube:

 

Finally, the Black Madeira cutting that's in the yogurt container with sphagnum is starting to bud.  I don't know what's going on with the roots, especially since it's in an opaque container, but the signs are positive:

 

More updates when there's more to update! :)

It's been five days since the last update when the first two cuttings, both UCR 143-36 were showing roots coming out of the grow cubes.  Maybe I should have waited a little longer (we'll see!) but I did plant those two in some soil mix that had a VERY high concentration of worm castings, but also a lot of perlite to add some air and allow good drainage.

Now, we have three more cuttings showing good signs of rooting, including the ONLY two Black Madeira cuttings! (WooooooHooooo!)

The bottom of the Black Madeira was put in the yogurt container with sphagnum moss.  Because of this, I can't really see what's happening below the surface, and haven't wanted to disturb it yet to find out.  But, above the surface, there's an aerial root that's about an inch long and just finding it's way to the sphagnum.  So, if good things are happening up top, I'm pretty sure good things are also happening below:

 

The tip of the Black Madeira was placed in one of the Rapid Rooter cubes.  It's been leafing out for about a week now:

 

And, just starting to show roots coming out of the grow cube:

 

The final one currently showing roots is one of the UCR 291-4 cuttings.  It's had the most growth up-top of any of the cuttings, so far:

 

And, roots are coming out of two sides of the cube on this one:

 

I'd really like to see some roots from at least one of the VdB cuttings soon.  That was the only other cutting started on the same day as the other three varieties that have already rooted.  That being said, I'm very happy that, so far (knock on wood) the Black Madeiras are looking good, since I've heard they can be difficult to root and was very concerned getting only one cutting.


 

At this time, while not all cuttings have rooted, I all varieties have rooted except for the Calvert & Excel.  The Excel I started about two weeks ago, but it's been closer to three weeks with the Calvert.  I can't see what's going on with the cuttings started directly in soil mix or with the Calverts I grafted onto the Texas Everbearing, although, from some budding below the grafts, I'm not confident in my probability for success.  All of the grow cubes were transplanted into a soil mix with very high concentration of worm castings except for one each of a Black Madeira, VdB, and UCR 291-4 that I have in a perlite/vermiculite mix under fluorescent lights.

This was my first attempt at using sphagnum and my experience is much better with the grow cubes.  I had to take the VdB cutting I had in sphagnum and transplant it into some soil mix since it appeared to be molding.  Part of the issue may be that I used rooting powder on all the cuttings, but the ones in the cubes seemed to tolerate it much better than the ones in sphagnum.

It also appears that the cuttings that had the strips of bark taken off rooted the fastest and the tip cuttings also seemed to root quicker than the lower cuttings.

EDIT:  Ooops...I was mistaken... I started rooting the Calverts on 4/18.  It was the LAST variety I tried rooting, so it's been two weeks and not three!

How do you prevent these set ups from molding?
Do you let it air out during the day? I received these beautiful cuttings in the mail that are resting in my refrigerator and I'm cared to death to ruin them. I have the cuttings from my monster. I was thinking of "practicing" on the fig pieces from the yard first.

Figaro, really nice work by you AND your cuttings. Everything is looking great. I've used those Sam's club chicken rotisserie containers in the past and they worked well. Thanks for sharing via photos too!

OK..Here's some updated pics of the UCD cuttings...

First, here are the ones that were started in the grow cubes and haven't yet shown roots:

 

The three in the left-side container are leafing out considerably:

 

The three on the right are moving a little more slowly.  The one in the front-right just starting to break buds is one of the VdB cuttings:

 

There are several that I started outside in soil and some that have rooted in the cubes have already been moved to soil.  These are in full shade:

 

These have been getting early morning sun:

 

And, there are three more cuttings that have rooted and are in a perlite/vermiculite mix under fluorescent lights getting "babied" a little.  This is one of the UCR 291-4 which has the "coolest" looking leaves I've seen on a fig.  I'll post some better pics of the leaf shape in a future post, but here's the newly rooted cutting:

 

Here's the first VdB cutting to finally show some roots:

 

And, I guess you're not a true fig collector until you get a least one fig with FMV and I was aware the Black Madeira from UCD was known to carry it.  Sure enough, it's my first fig to really show signs of FMV.  It's not as obvious in these pics, but there is serious mottling on the leaves which almost look yellow under the fluorescent lights:

 

Here's a closer look at the discoloring in the Black Madeira leaves:

 

One of the reasons I've been using high concentrations of worm castings for these cuttings is that I had read (although, I can't verify the accuracy!) that seeds started in 10% worm castings develop natural pest and disease resistance.  I'm hoping this can help with any possible FMV and, once this Black Madeira roots out a little more, I'm going to move it to soil mix with lots of castings to see if it can "cure" the signs of FMV in this cutting.

It's been almost 60 days since I started rooting the new USDA cuttings and almost 30 days since my last update, so I FIGured I'd take a bunch of pictures and update on the different varieties.

The good news is that, I do have at least one healthy plant of every variety I received, and in all cases except the Black Madiera (one of the two cuttings didn't make it) I have multiples. 

The bad news is that, after the third picture I took, the batteries died on the camera.  To make matters even worse, the first of the three pics I took was of one of my Imperial Start Artichoke plants that's just starting to flower and the next two were of two different UCR 143-36's (a.k.a. "Emerald Strawberry"). 

So, for all my efforts, I'm ready to post pics of only one variety of fig today, so the full update will have to wait.

That being said, of all the cuttings, the UCR 143-36's were the quickest to root and have been the most vigorous growers with leaves that are already almost as large as my hand.

Here's two of them:

 

 

If it's any consolation, here's the Imperial Star that's just starting to flower:

 

Have a great weekend!