Thanks Toronto Jo,it was seeing your big sticks in bottles that finally convinced me about bigger cups lol.When you look at a 4 node cutting I've learnt that 4/2 does not = 2 fig trees lol,sometimes 4/2= 0 fig trees.Johnny K,looks like you got it Figuered out alright,nice goin,now you are gonna have to find space for all those

Yes! Dang!  I left off Toronto Joe, who correctly diagnosed my one sick cutting. TJ, it was definitely root rot from over watering- you saved me from losing my entire crop.  Thank you, in particular, very much.

Hey Johnny - Lower picture. Bottom row. Curious - What are those?

Nice setup!

So far, so good. I have a few that have not rooted yet. But none that have rotted. And I have at least two of every variety that I have tried to root so far. Here's hoping that continues!

I recently started trying Dip N'Grow rooting hormone, and it seems to have made a big different the quality of roots that I am getting. For me; much better than Clonex, the powdered stuff, or none at all. I am mainly using it on variety that are proving hard to root, but I am start to experiment with it some more after being impressed with my first few uses.

I have been using two methods, choosing between them depending on the cuttings. One is to stand in water cups until the white bumps show up in numbers, and then move to cups and the humidity bin. The other method is to stand in water for a 2 - 3 days, score the cuttings slightly, maybe dip in the rooting hormone, and then into the moss bin until roots show.

I actually use two humidity bins. The first on is kept at a higher humidity and mostly dark. After roots and the first leaves show, I move cutting to the second bin. This second bin has a clear top with ventilation holes for a lower humidity, and a grow light above it. This two stage approach keeps the plants from going into shock after coming out of the humidity bin and under the lights. When fully rooted in the second bin I move the plant under larger grow lights. No shock at all. 


CliffH

TJ,

Not counting the two figs, to the left is an African Spear Plant, Sansevieria Cylindrica.  i thinned a plant i have growing in my house.

The middle is a cana lily from seed taken from an old variety in Serbin, Texas.

to the far right are lemon from seeds.  i know they wont grow true, but i thought id see what comes out, just for fun with the kids.  

Anyway, i want to thank you, again; you saved my entire crop of figs this year.  


So my most valuable lesson learned is : WATER

- restrain the urge to water every day or two; only water when your plants show you they need it.

- Yellowing roots is the first indicator of too much water. 

- Less water means faster root growth.  Since my watering can is on restriction, i have seen a great improvement in root growth, the color, the size and the speed of growth of the roots. I'm not out of the woods yet, i still have some yellow roots, but the growth around them is doing very well. 

- Have begun to practice watering from the bottom.  will work as long as i have them in trays.  I flood my trays to about 1/8" of water, just enough to get some moisture in there.  

- I add a dilute fertilizer to the water, in a 1-.5-1 ratio.

Cliff,

two stage is a great idea.  I wish i had the space.  I've noticed the newest growth suffers when i move from the humidity tent to the growing tent, even though i've tried to maintain some humidity in the latter.  Whereabouts in N Houston are you?  I visit my mother there as often as possible, near the heights.

Johnny - There are several of us on the far north side. At least 7 active members. 

My first try ever. I have collected cuttings from two different "wild" varieties in my neighbourhood (with consent) wrapped in damp paper towels and put them in a plastic lid box .
I check them daily for mold and humidity.
But it is too soon, they're in the box since 28 december only. I'm still a bit unsure about the temp though, I keep them in the kitchen but close to a cold window where the temp is around 65F. Hope this will work.

Excellent,

Do you seven ever congregate?   I don't get into town very often, but would like to see how folks are growing figs in the area.  I will be planting several trees in the area near  610/shepard

Most of use are fairly new to growing figs, with only a couple of year or less in the hobby. We have not gotten together yet. PM me when you will be in town.

I haven't even begun to prune my trees yet, but found myself rooting a bunch of names despite having said that I'm done adding trees. Due to space restriction and after realizing that not all cuttings succeed, I crammed in many cases two or three cuttings in the same container. I figured that I really need one successful specimen, and when sprouting from multiple cuttings I get to reduce the space needed for my pots and maximize the odds of success. I could always propagate more plants if I succeed in getting at least one healthy specimen.
Most of my cuttings this year came from generous individuals, who gave me the chance to grow some names that were not available a few years ago and might still be rare. Whether you sent it to me directly or indirectly, the least I can say is Thank You and hope to be able to contribute more and more to the fig community in due time.
Since I could not keep everything inside I kept the majority of my cuttings on my patio and hope that they will begin to show some growth around February.
As for the ones that I was able to keep inside even in the smallest SIP, it looks like by covering the cutting with a plastic cup ensures a very high rate of success.
All I have to do is keep them near a sunny window at room temperature (around 72 degrees) and leave them alone for the winter.
I'll be buying more of those tiny SIPs next season since they are not available at Walmart at this time of year.
I'm almost sure that I have most of the figs that I need at this time, but know that perhaps there is always one more that I may have missed.
P.S. Drilling a hole through the bottom of plastic cup, will allow some circulation when using the cup to cover the cutting.



Using a larger container outside is a must.

I think it's fear of killing them that drives me, personally.  I am recently amazed at how dry figs can get.  i am not watering until i see no signs of water at all in the cups. So far, seems to be working and the roots i think, are growing faster. 

Also, i think i stopped applying too much, just in time-  a couple of mine look like the rooting on the outside of the container have receded.  i think the roots had died back, but not enough to kill them.  i am now seeing growth again, after a week or two.

im expecting the same from my lemons.  they are feminello lemon seeds from italy.  i knew as much about lemons as i did about figs this summer; but i got them to grow, so i'll report back in 5-10 years on the fruit!

Johnny - I've had femminello off the tree in Calabria. It's fantastic! I hope you can bring some to fruit. IMO It's a stronger citrus flavour than a Eureka and even without fruit the tree has a great citrus smell. It has a really thick hull that's light and fluffy.

I have some cuttings on the way. I'm excited to hop back into the Game of Figs. I'm brushing up on some reading to find a rooting method to try. It's been over two years since I rooted a cutting so I'm really rusty.

Well, I  am not having much luck.

My cuttings in coir show no sign of roots.  I keep checking at least twice a day.  Just a little impatient!


Well maybe tomorrow I will get some good news.  Just wishing.

Thanks Pino for the advice.  I will try to stop checking on the cuttings so often (but it will be hard).

Of the cuttings that I received from you, 3 Ciccio Nero and 1 fico bianco are in the coir.  The other cuttings are still in the fridge.  I just want to make sure that I get a few successes first.  

One of these days I might order a prickley pear plant from you.  I just love prickley pears - just as much as I love figs.

Hello Everyone and happy new year! I finally got a couple of days off so took a few pictures and am getting them up on here!  Since i will be responding to the posts of other members in one shot, for the sake of other people reading if you respond dont quote the whole message!  It is a lot to scroll through!  I also included pictures of my citrus, most of them are either varieties that are tending to Polyembryony and so growing mostly true to type or are polyembryonic/nucellar selections and so are guaranteed true.


http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt212/DevIsgroDesplat/IMG_20170102_220057_zpsakhlroja.jpg

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt212/DevIsgroDesplat/IMG_20170102_220109_zpsk5a316qv.jpg


http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt212/DevIsgroDesplat/IMG_20170102_220138_zpsbgw2spyo.jpg

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt212/DevIsgroDesplat/IMG_20170102_220126_zpsakxt12ev.jpg



Brandon I am very happy for your successes!  I used to use the bag and paper towel method a lot but i found that it had two major limitations.  Firstly, it only worked really well for me if the room temperature was between 70 and 75°F,  and after moving last summer my current grow room stays between 62 and 65°F.  Secondly, it doesnt work well if you have a lot of cuttings, it gets too cumbersome to manage and often I found myself filling up space set aside for the cuttings before they rooted with other plants.  This season i tried Harvey's method using grafting tape and perlite and i am really liking the results.  Rooting is never a sure thing, but this works well enough for me.  My lights are also about 4 feet away, in addition to not burning the leaves i simply dont have enough individual lights to cover the area were i to hang them lower.

Jveri, I water by feel, checking every two to three days at the least.  Overwatering is definitely a huge issue, so its better to give too little more often than to flood too often.  Currently i give for a belden jumbo square which is about a 3/4 gallon pot 1/3 cup of water when they start to feel light, 1/2 if they are very very light which is a sign of water absorption in the cutting or baby roots.  When you compare the weight of the freshly watered by lightly watered and the dry side by side you can really feel the difference. Some cuttings just dont take though, they start and then wilt.  It happens and its unfortunate, but it is a process of nature and part of the game!  Dont give up, you will learn lots for growing from cuttings that will help you take better care of trees.

Jrdewhirst, I am glad that your cuttings are doing well for you, I have found light to be an integral part of rooting cuttings, but if this works for you more power to you.

VeryNew2Figs, I am a little confused as to why you would wait until after the new year.  It was my understanding that the fresher the cutting, the better the chances of rooting are.  I admire your generosity, When people kill my trees for stupid reasons I usually dont regift them trees.  If someone is not willing to pay you anything in any sort then they usually dont value the tree enough to take good care of it. That is just me though!  I'm a bit attached to my trees and it really gets under my skin when people are neglectful.

Looking good KK,  I always admire the two cup and humidity methods even if i never had good luck with them.

Pverde3 your little cuttings in cups look good.  Be sure that they get plenty of light and not to overwater as they are very delicate at this stage of development.  Frost damage on hard wood cuttings is not an issue usually, on the tree they will be fine to 15°F usually and i have received dormant trees and cuttings in winter with very little issues.  If you ever do receive moldy cuttings in the future you should try to soak them for a few hours in hydrogen peroxide or to wash them in a mild bleach solution with a nail brush. 

Congrats on your successes Leanderfig!  Florea is a nice fig, i'm hoping to pick one up this year given how early it is.

Indestructible87 arent you just itching to get those babies started??

Arachyd, I also run my grow room cooler, 62-65°F, and i find that they grow a little bit slower but i am losing less figs to dessication and bark rotting.  Now bark rotting is primarily from overwatering, but sometimes too much water matched with a bit of heat is causing it.  The grafting tape is doing wonders against dessication of above ground wood.  My heat mat situation is a bit spotty, I have four standard ones and one that is a bench mat, I was thinking of investing in some more bench mats next year but havent made up my mind.  We will see where the discretionary money is lol. https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/gro-mat/s

Nice work Toronto Joe, They are looking good.  The water bottle method looks like a winner so long as they have adequate drainage and dont get overwatered.  I switched over to square pots in 2016, a friend giften me a couple and then when i crunched the numbers and saw the space savings i got very excited!  These are worth the money for sure. https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/belden-jumbo-senior-square-pot/s  I used to heat a screwdriver on a gas stove to melt holes lol

Jamesoneil1012 thats quite the endeavor, I hope that you continue to share your progress and that they root well for you!

Keep at it Haroon!  One of the biggest challenges with humidty type systems (in my opinion) is introducing them to the outside world.  I'm still at 3/4 on your UNK wild Nova and going strong, fingers crossed it stays that way. 

Johnny K your baby trees look great, keep up the good work!  By the way look up 5-1-1 soil mixes for citrus, will save you a lot of headache.  I have even started to use it for my larger potted figs.  Do you remember which Feminello lemon?   There are at least 3 or 4.

CliffH that sounds like a great system, to move from full to partial humidity to prevent exposure shock. Good thinking.

Sas they look good, I had to double up a few because of space constraints as well, but its no biggie.  I figure if only one takes you end up with a tree per pot allottment, if you have better than 50% success which can often be the case you end up with a bushy little tree. 

Americanfiglover, welcome back to the game!  After two years i hope you enjoy it as much as you used to!

Angelad, i would advise you not to touch your cuttings.  They grow best when you leave them alone.  I only disturb them if i notice that the soil has become too compacted and heavy.  If this happens i carfully remove dirt with cutting from pot by tipping it on its side and then carefully remove dirt from cutting.  They you take some dry soil and mix it with the compacted soil so that it is loose and nicely moist again.  Trying all the while not to disturb or damage any roots.  If the soil compacts and stays wet it will kill your baby roots and rot the bark off of the cutting.  Other than fixing like that, they dont like to be disturbed too much.

Pino I completely agree and learned the same lesson the hard way.  I also found it to be the case that so long as the cutting does not dessicate above ground or rot below ground it can still root even after months of inactivity.  One of my two RDB fig trees actually didnt start rooting for 3 months.  I still can scarcely believe that it ever did.  It is a fine balance between too little and too much water and often varies by cutting.

I planted 12 different varieties of figs yesterday. I used 2 parts to one vermiculite to peat. I used solo cups with holes. These "pots" are in a clear plastic storage bins with a little water in the bottom to raise the humidity. The sides are a bit misty. Temps are probably about 75 and the light is indirect north light. This is the first time for me rooting figs, but I have cloned many other species so I am boldly diving in. Wish me luck?

Good luck Dig! I hope it goes well for you!

Nice setup Devin!!! I never thought to use plastic spoons as labels! I was fixing to have to order more labels but I think I'll go that route this time..

Thanks Brandon, they're like 85 cents for a box of 24. Super cheap. You can write name on front and date on back.