I have a bunch of different cuttings going and they don't seem to really be taking off like I would like. Most have roots going to the sides of the cup but they seem kind of stalled. When do you guys first fertilize yours? I was thinking about just potting them up to 1 gal containers and using a little potting mix with fertilizer already added and just add a ton of pine bark, perlite, and turface to it.

John -- Good advise to ponder by Dr.Tapla over in Garden Web Fig Forum on "Fertilizing New Potted Fig Trees", March 11th 2010. I wished I had read this posting. Too late to discover it this morning.

This afternoon I threw out a nicely rooted AdrinA. I am quite sure its the supposedly "dilute" fertilizer application. I was using MG non foliage type fertiliser. It's leaves went limp in 3 days after fertilizer application. I should have just let it be as it was doing well.

Don't be in to big a hurry to fertilize. If you do it needs to be very, very, very diluted. Also, the plant should be well watered and left to stand for an hour or to before fertilizing, which is somewhat counterproductive on tender young roots which you don't want to over-water which can lead to rotting of the roots. If you have it rooted and potted up, you've done 90% of the work. Don't screw it up by being impatient.

Thanks. I guess I better hold off for a while. 

When potting up to a 1 gallon from a 4" container I use slow release fertilizer. If you use liquid fertilizer at this point you may damage the roots. My trees respond excellent to the slow release that I have been using.

Small amounts of top quality compost or high end, light professional potting mixes (i.e. Pro mix hp, or I believe UPM in the USA) added to rooting medium is an option as well.  I could see the nutrient release being "calm" for the new young roots using these types of ingredients.  Then when they reach 1-2 gallon size and need to be potted up, both Bass's (above) and Jon's approach (see his presentation) are sound approaches.

When they are growing well in the 1-2 gallon pots, very dilute fertilizer applied more often in "snacks" seems to be a popular strategy.

Take care...Nas

My plan right now is to pot them up in a few weeks to 1 gal containers and use 50% perlite, 25% pine bark, and 25% commercial potting mix which has some fertilizer in it. My only concern right now is that the leaves on a few of the cuttings seem to be dying from the tips inward and a few leaves look fine but drop off with a light touch. I am going to let them dry out a little and see if that helps. I have them all in a tupperware to hold in humidity, and I think it may be keeping them a little too damp.