I received a cutting in a bag filled with sphagnum moss and removed it to find half-inch roots poking out of the end. What a surprise. So as I put the cutting back in, two of the three roots broke off. 

I divided the cutting in half and prepared them as I normally would with some of the original sphagnum moss, perlite, rooting hormone, etc.

I think the "new" one should be fine but I'm not so sure about the "first" one. I've killed a pomegranate cutting by disturbing the roots before.

What do you think the survival chances are of the damaged cutting? Do you think dividing it in half added more stress? Do you think this one's lost?

Thanks

It will be fine, quit messing with it.

Lmao. Right on.

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]Fig cuttings sometimes they shed roots on purpose. Like I started an air layering, and I started soaking the cutting in water. All the roots stayed on except the root that was there from the air layering. Roots from water rooting are different than the ones from air layering. Since the cutting was being water rooted the fig tree lost the root that was created the other way. Yet when roots are good and strong they do not fall off that way. Our in ground fig trees have two kinds of roots. Some people say that the new roots fall off and new stronger ones take their place. I think different things can make the roots fall off. Yet if you take care of them and have patience there will be good strong roots as long as you know what you are doing.

With pomegranates a 2nd or 3rd season cutting at least as thick as a pencil is best, anything else younger, or thinner is way less likely too root successfully. I have had 1st season pomegranate cuttings root and the roots just died and so did the cuttings.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice. That's really interesting about the rejection of roots b/c of different growing environments.