Since this is my first year starting with cuttings, can you please help with the following.  Have been doing a lot of reading about starting cuttings with the bag/cup method and several mention that some types root faster than others.  Lets get a little more specific, providing that the set up has proper warmth and humidity.

1.  Which type of figs show roots fairly quickly (say within a month)?
2.  Which type of figs take forever to show roots (say 2-3 months out)?
3.  Some members have mentioned that certain types don't root well with the bag method, which ones?

Every cutting I read was "hard to start" last year started really easy for me.

I even saw cuttings from the same tree have radically different results.

Your results will also vary wildly based on the rooting environment and whether the parent tree has FMV or not.

The only difference I have seen between cuttings is that some varieties - once rooted - will absolutely explode, while others are a little slower. For example, Chico Strawberry, 143-36, Sal (Gene's), Native D'Argentile, and Unknown Voiture went apesh** once they struck roots, roots multiplied like crazy. Others would push out roots, they just wouldn't go as fast as these did. But all of them were easy to root.

The only cutting I had a hard time with was Hardy Chicago. But others who got the exact same cuttings from the same source had no problems. So this is why I don't necessarily buy into the "hard to root" concept.

Many people said Marseilles Black VS was hard to root before I got it. I had a lovely rooting experience, I rooted several 1-, 2- and 3-node cuttings without issues.

So I say it is speculative. It has less to do with the cutting, more to do with the environment, how much you can resist the temptation to water (overwater), and your level of patience than it does the variety.

Well said Jason.

I read the same things concerning the MB VS and they rooted very easy for us, and where among the strongest growers.

Overall our success rate was about 70% in rooting cuttings, without really doing anything but putting them in the ground and watering when needed.

The Almas were 100% and very strong growers; the Raspberry Lattes from Jon were 100% and were the strongest growers in the entire bed of cuttings.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Last season some of the hard to start ones for me were LSU Improved Celeste and Violetta. All never made it eventually. The most easy starts & good growth were Salem Dark, Takoma Violet, Florea, Lattarula ejp, Branco, Rattlesnake Island, GM#5(Maltese Falcon), Preto, Kathleen Blk, LSU Tiger and Dark Greek(LP). An easy start that died easy(all cuttings), likely more sensitive to moisture is Col de Dame Noir.

Exactly what Jason said has been my experience through out the years, even the Hardy Chicago for some reason i have hard time with this type but when i send out folks tell me they rooted like crazy go figure.

Satellitehead (Jason) expalined it so well i could never have put my experinces into words like his post but exactly the way i experience the rooting process - Way to go.

Some, such as Black Madeira have been tough year in and year out. Others have good seasons and not so good seasons. It depends on the quality of the cuttings (size, how long stored, and under what conditions, etc), consistency  of your rooting process, temperature, humidity, fresh air.

As Jason said, take a dozen cuttings from the same tree, at the same time, and treat them the same, and sometimes they all root, sometimes some root, and sometimes a batch (for whatever reason) just doesn't work.

I air-layered several varieties this season, and most took 4-6 weeks. Black Madeira is doing it, but at 8-10 weeks they are not as far along as others were at 4-6 weeks.

There are so many variables, that it is always hard to discern exactly what the reasons for success OR failure were.

When I sell cuttings in February, I take them as close as possible to the first shipping date (last year most were less than a week), refrigerate them immediately and only offer them for about 8 weeks. After that I feel that the quality drops off, so that I can't be sure that they are a product of peak quality. But I have rooted some cuttings after more than 6 months in storage.

It is still an art, not a science.

Hi Jon.  The cuttings we got from you were outstanding, with a very high success rate, often 100%, so they definately were of very high quality.

As I mentioned the Raspberry Latte was 100% in rooting, and a very strong grower, up to 4 feet and lightly branched in just this summer.  I don't know how it will respond to our climate in the winter, but hopefully we can overwinter it successfully, and it should fruit next year if it can take our climate (still unknown; but worth a try).

Excellent cuttings Jon.  All did well, thank you very much.  We look forward to seeing what you will have this season.

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Ditto to what all has said.  I was successful getting Hardy Chicago, Sals, and MVS to root.  I truly believe soil moisture, temperature, humidity, soil medium, and cutting strenght are the key.  I will never for the life of me use vermiculite!  Here in the Carolinas it is smaller than sand!  I got a huge bag medium perilite that worked the best.

Jon, your cuttings were outstanding!  My Black Maderia cuttings rooted, Rattlesnake Island cuttings rooted, and many others.  The only ones that did not root was Long Yellow.  But those cuttings looked weird anyway.  Can't wait to start my cuttings and watch them grow!!!!