i cant remember were it was cut.  this cutting is from one of the trees that initially spurred me to grow figs, so i knew nothing about taking cuttings or growing them when i acquired it. i had to begin drinking from the firehose to learn more.  unfortunately, these particular fig cuttings weren't afforded the optimal start.  i am feeling good about my chances though.  I took 3-4 cuttings from six trees and so far, i have 13(12 now) doing well from 21 cuttings.  my intent is to have one from each tree.  i know i have lost one tree, but the cuttings were so thin and small i didnt give them much hope.  and, i took the cuttings with virtually no knowledge of what i was doing. 

Not the best percentages, but, they all suffered through poor handling before i knew better.  there are still five cuttings that are sitting in coir. one looks like it might start to root soon and the other four are just maintaining- no change to appearance. im hoping that eventually, they will wake up and go. 

kind of a shame i didnt know more.  after gaining a better understanding of how to provide the optimal growing environment, my purchased cuttings are doing very well. 


Wow!  The input is faster than i can react to!  Thanks for all the great information.  Exactly why i love this forum and read every day.

Here is my current set up.  The box on the right is where i start the cuttings in cups. Once the roots are established, i move to the right.  Eventually, i will put lights in the bottom left.  I had to strip the lights out for a lack of room and move everything to the right box.

 

The smaler box on the left has much more light, heat and humidity.  The 50W cool white LED is a monster.  I have a heating pad under the tray and the temps are 83 on the roots and 76 on the leaves
 
 

The tupperware in direct contact with the top of the box is at 83 degrees. Is that too warm? The top tupperware is at 80. I think that is ok.  


The box on the right is a little cooler, with a root temp of 78 degrees and a leaf temp of 71.  I also have a heating pad under the tray.  The lighting runs much cooler, with a larger heatsink.  There are 10 cool white LEDs  and 5 blue (460 nm) with an additional 24" full spectrum aquatic plant fluorescent bulb.

i stack a tupperware box between the heat sink that runs about 78 degrees. 

 

The two plants not on the heating pad are at 71 degrees.

 
The wall is below ground and radiates at 70 degrees, The humidity is noticeably lower than the root growth box, since it is not sealed all the way around.  This is where my wilted cutting lives (second from left in the front row). 

I read on here recently  about bottom watering and think i may begin doing so.  This may stop my over-watering and also add humidity. Although my first cups only have one hole, I took note of writers on this forum and now punch several holes in the sides as well as the bottom to better aerate the soil.


Any feedback on my set up, system or procedures is always greatly appreciated.

There is not a consensus on how to handle cuttings, but here is how I do it.

Make the initial cut to remove from the tree midway between nodes, leaving sections of exposed pith at first. Wipe off sap, wrap in plastic wrap bag them and store in the crisper. After storage, wash cuttings with soap and warm water to remove any residual sap and microorganisms that may be growing on it, soak overnight submerged in warm water if they have dried from a long storage period. Make a fresh cut below the bottom node, ideally grazing the bottom edge of the leaf scar, this removes any fungi that have begun to enter into the cutting during storage and removes almost all of the pith. 

Since you are rooting in coir you can see that most cuttings will root at the lowest point first, that is because plant hormones migrate there. If the roots form on a section with open pith there is a chance that microorganisms will begin to attack the wood through the open pith and cut off the flow of water to the leaves. If the cutting also has roots above that bottom section it can recover, but some cuttings only send out roots at the bottom. The best way to handle it is to remove the pith, the solid portion of wood through the node is much more resistant to pathogens. Large diameter cuttings have a smaller pith ratio and seem less vulnerable to this problem, or at least are better able to handle it because they have more wood.

https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/1513-why-cut-just-below-the-bottom-node

those look nice and healthy!!

Thanks Peter. I think ive veen somewhat lucky, especially with the unk italians when i didnt know squat about growing figs. I still dont know mich, but i keep learning.

Hoosier Banana, what do yoh think about the temps im growing at. I would assume that 80s is ok, since figs do so well in texas, but i dont want to cool them. Thank you for the how-to on starting cuttings. I had never heard of removing the pith. I still have 14 cuttings in the fridge to go, so i will give this a try.

Your setup looks great. Just keep paying close attention to your plants needs and you will do fine. Temperature controls growth rate so a little warmer will speed the whole process up if you are itching to get them moved to larger containers, and vice-versa.

thanks.  i am itching to get them in bigger pots.  more dirt, more room for error.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You've got a great setup. And I don't know anyone who bats 1000. I know that doesn't mean much when it's a cutting that's important to you.

I'm still not sold on the "root in the dark" thing. I haven't noticed a difference either way.

Quite correct that thicker cuttings are more reliable...This is why I'm big on fertilizing.....especially the skinny ones.

Regarding bigger pots. I think this saved a couple of mine. If there's a problem with the soil and the cutting is on it's way out....it may be best to gently remove it and start in fresh mix. I managed to save a couple of near-death cuttings this way.

So,

Is there a consensus? leave it in the pot and let it dry or pull it out and start over?  Im open to either at this point. 

Are the stems stiff like a healthy cutting or have they shriveled or gone rubbery? My guess is there is no turgor pressure at all in that cutting. Usually when the leaves wilt and dry out but stay attached it is a sign of total collapse, if it was less severe the cutting would drop them.

the leaves are more rubbery- they wont easily pull off.  the stem still looks ok; no shriveling or shrinkage. i guess that's not a good sign.