To make this interesting, it happens to be the top node of a four node unknown purple cutting. The bottom three quarters of this cutting isn't doing anything. No barking, no primordia, nothing.

I am thinking of cutting it to make a single node and then planting it horizontally such that the root and the bud (covered with soil) are parallel to the soil line. Any thoughts?

FYI. I did clean the mold.

NEXT are my first ever very vigorous roots from Nonnie's Purple (Thanks Mimi). This is the results of a "mashup" of best practices by both Dan and Al. The primodia were produced using the baggie method and the media is 1:1:1 Turface MVP: Perlite:ProMixBX.

JD

front view


front view (0 degrees)


right side view (turned 90 degrees)


back view (turned 180 degrees)


left side view (turned 270 degrees)


top view

JD,
Thanks for sharing. Beautiful roots.
Congrats on your success!

JD,  beautiful,  now I want to make Spaghetti!!!!

Nice roots.
I can dangle that in a lake and catch fish!
Oh la la sphagets and fish.  ; )

Nice job JD - thanks for posting the beautiful pictures.

Beautiful roots JD, it's a secure feeling when you see that. Those are like the roots I'm seeing using 1/2 Pro-Mix BX, 1/2 Floor dry (diatomite). I'm still losing some cuttings though, and I'm thinking it is because the mix is a bit too moist. I don't water the cutting until the roots really get going other than mist when the top starts to dry. I'm thinking of doing what JD has done, add one part perlite, and put some holes on the sides of the cup. Hopefully the improved air flow will stop the rot. Probably need to keep my mix drier too. JD, do you water your cuttings after you put them in cups?

JD,  do you remember seeing what Genecolin posted about recently with his - rooting his single-node cutting horizontally, as you said. 

Thanks to all of you for hooking me into WWF (Wonderful World of Figs). It is another nice hobby to have. Those photographs, however, are a testament to the vigor of the cutting from Mimi.

Mescalito,

I learned about putting holes up the side of the cup while reading a post of Gene and/or Cecil and/or Jason. I do not *water* per se but I do mist the top if it looks particularly dry and it rarely has. Concerning mix moisture, my mix to water ratio (MWR) is 2 : 3/4. Thus for every 2 cups of mix, I add 3/4 cups of water. At this point, I know what it should feel like. If I over do it (and I do not), it drains very well.

Jason,

Yes. I re-read Gene's post as soon as I saw it and thought about cutting it. I won't cut it. Burying is the only option. The question is vertical (likely in a 32 oz cup) or horizontal.

Concerning "monster roots", the results that people have with UPM are good. I believe that folks should start with a proven well-defined commodity/process. Thus as they gain experience (or if they already have it), they may expand or retract accordingly as I have.

JD

FYI: Here is what it looked like before it went into the mix on February 13th.

Personally, I would bury slightly off-horizontal, unrooted end deeper than the end with root and shoot.  I'd do so with the root and bud side facing almost horizontal (slightly downward), but under the soil with the hope that the root will grow down and the shoot will grow up.

Mind you, I have no experience with this, I'm just thinking about it logically based on other things I've rooted in the past that ended up with roots and growth on the same end.

1st thought: lay it down as I mentioned initially. Still my #1 thought.
Jose's ABQ White #2 post solidified the notion.
Cut to a single node: My solution to conform to what I have going in the limited space.

Mescalito, you are probably right about your cuttings being too wet. The floor dry is added to Al's mix to hold water so your mix is pretty much potting mix that holds extra water. I would bet if you add a ton of perlite to your current mix you would have a much better results. 

John, I believe you hit the nail on the head, I'm going to add more perlite since it really only holds some moisture on the surface, not absorbent like the floor dry. 

10 days later...the bud/root combo is doing well. Note the root: 2nd image, bottom center of container, growing down from right to left. It is the same root (and bud) from the 1st image from the message I posted in this thread on 02/22/10 at 02:09AM.

JD

JD,  
Do you have any update of this Nonnie's Purple fig or the other mimi's fig? 


I am also curious about results from other people who received cuttings from Mimi.  Mine are still too young to see any producing, so I am really interested to see how the fig will look & taste like. 

Scott,
Other than what you have posted in other threads, I do not have an update for you. Nonnie's Purple and Mimi's Green Honey did not survive here in North Florida.
JD