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skunk damage need help!

I hope I'm not asking a question that's been asked a hundred times already. My job at the Department of Redundancy Department keeps me ever vigilant. 


Anyway my cuttings were knocked over and pulled out. I replanted but probably (definitely) over-watered them. They are drying out after having wilted. 

If I recut them top and bottom and place back in ziplock bags and start over am I following the best path? Has anyone had success doing this?

The roots on them have turned brown and they are crashing hard and fast. The cambium layer is still green on the one I test cut so I think I still have a shot. The problem is none of the ones that lost all their leaves is showing any signs of stabilizing and I have no idea whether I should keep them real wet or try and dry them out. None of them have soft wood yet so I'm hoping I don't yet have a rot issue.

As they are currently (repotted) they aren't going to make it is my feeling. This was a new experimental soil mix for me and it doesn't drain as well as the one I used on the first batch. The trees that were not skunked are fine. Of the ones that were yanked up a good 2/3 are already in need of ICU treatment and the other 1/3 don't look great. But again, the others in this soil mix are fine.

Any help would be appreciated. 

BTW - The mix they are in is 4 parts perlite, 2 parts organic pine fines w/gypsum, 2 parts organic soil, 1 part organic dehydrated cow manure compost w/ humus. They are in the large size 1 gallon nursery pots.

Thank you very much for your time and trouble.
mgginva

Sounds like alot of work at this point just stick them in the ground almost to the top and cover with hay moisten and ignore should work fine 

Tony,

thanx 4 advise. Has this worked for u when they are at this stage? 6 of them are going to be hard to replace so no matter the work I need to do the best possible method. The others I can live without although I'd obviously rather not.

In my experience; whenever the (new fragile) fig roots are 'disturbed'; the

best remedy is to place the ailing plants in a full-shade, wind-sheltered place.

Some kind of a 'vented' plastic dome helps too...

Thanx gorge.

I put plastic covers on them this am and I've had them in my kitchen since it happened. I'm just slowly loosing them. I'm spraying (misting) them 4-6 times a day but haven't watered yet as they were over watered when I first repotted them. I looked at my notes from the last year (2008) I tried a large number of cuttings and I moved some of that year's crop I'd repotted and over watered back to 100% perlite in clear cups and that was unsuccessful. Have you ever tried re-baging a fig that has rooted and budded but failed? I have no experience trying this. I did recently trim and re-bag some cuttings that were moved from bags to perlite in clear cups as they regressed once moved. I did this recently so I have no results. I am attempting a lot of cuttings as 2 of my local nurseries have said they'd take figs from me next spring if I can supply them with additional varieties. They currently only get B. Turkey and Celeste. It's not a big money maker but will pay for me to get some new varieties. Maybe something exciting.
thanx again.
mgg

The cuttings have all of their energy used up, so removing the growth would oonlt set them back more. Although the roots are damaged some may still be functioning, and the tops (although they are using more water than the cuttings can take up now) will lose their leaves but be there ready for growth again.  The cuttings will scavenge all the energy they can from the leaves and try to grow some more roots. I have tried to "rebag" in the past and was unsuccessful, any growth they made was very minimal.
Gorgi's advice is good. If they were mine I would put them in the deepest darkest shade I could find and water maybe twice a week, now that it is hot.

thanx Brent.

Skunk damage usually leads to a damaged skunk.

I wouldn't want you to take my advice if you think you might lose them but i had cuttings that looked so dead that they where brittle and would almost crack if i tried i did what i said buried watered and covered and they came back the green house things is good to the bottle but if you cover with hay and wet them i say (set it and forget it ) sometimes its best to let nature take its course ?? 

thanx tony 

I do have a question: "the green house things is good to the bottle but if you cover . . ." confuses me. What bottle? green house?
mgg

If you plant in a shady area cut a 2 liter bottle in half and put over the top of it acts like a green house and holds in the moisture i took a cutting so small it was the size of  a sippy straw from a kids drink no one thought i could do it i put it in a poland spring bottle cut in half ( top off ) then i put gravel in the bottom of a chinese soup container small one so it sat off the bottom so it would drain properly oh yeah i drilled holes in the poland spring bottle at the bottom i sat it on the window sill it was only an inch and a half tall and then i cut a 2 liter bottle in half and took the bottom half and placed it directly over the poland spring bottle it fit perfect it was the same size as the original cap for the soup container whalla instant green house i told my dad to put a little water once a week and uncover it for a couple hrs a day and i went to florida for 2 months remember they ALL laughed at me when i came home there was 2 leaves on that little sucker that where about 5 in around it was the coolest thing it was tiny with huge leaves sorry i rambled but i had to share that    oh yeah and now its about 2ft tall in his yard 

thanx I really appreciate the effort.

mgg

No problem your welcome 

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