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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Help: how to force apical top to bud out in a cutting
 
 


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toisanwu

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I've several healthy looking cuttings in a shoe-box being rooted.  They are the apical part of the branches.  They have developed pretty nice roots so far.  However, the top buds have done anything, that is, to bud out.  I have other sections of the cuttings that have already shot out side branches (from side nodes). 

My question, is there anything I could do to "encourage" the apical buds to start budding (the wordings sounds funny, but hope you all know what I mean here)?  Temperature is around 21C (room temp. at home) and pretty humid inside the box, as I mist it once in awhile.

Thanks.
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Bill
Ottawa, Canada, Zone 5 (USDA Zone 4)
rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
What 'soil' do you have them in?  If the roots are healthy and over 2" long try some very dilute fertilizer.  Look for instructions on houseplant strength and use half of that or less.
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VeryNew2Figs

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
I can tell you my limited experience. I cut the top off a one year old tip cutting. At least five new branches grew at the top. On a cutting that's s few months old looks like three or four buds are forming at the top. My thought is that the roots are important. I personally would let it grow for a while until you have good roots and then cut it back. If you have enough cuttings you could try cutting the top of one now and another after it's been going for awhile and see which works better for you.

With all that being said, all of my tip cuttings opened sooner or later.

HTH
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Cheryl
Chicago, Zone 6a (That's what they say, but it still feels like 5)
Growing:  Hardy Chicago, Black Mission, Brunswick, Kadota, Ischia Green, Desert King, Osborne Prolific (slow but steady), Malta Black, Violette de Bordeaux, Texas Everbearing, Beall, White Adriatic, Nolo Pink Eyed Lady.
Rooting: Ronde de Bordeaux, Celeste, Nero 600 m, Violetta Bayernfeing, Marseilles Black VS, Celeste.
toisanwu

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcantor
What 'soil' do you have them in?  If the roots are healthy and over 2" long try some very dilute fertilizer.  Look for instructions on houseplant strength and use half of that or less.


I use perlite + coco coir as my rooting medium (about 50% each), in a shoe-box.  I mist the mixture once in awhile when I see the top is drying out.  How would you apply the diluted fertilizer in this case?  Also misting?

Last week, I saw couple of cuttings with massive roots, but still apical bud not budding now, so I potted them up in a mixture perlite+coco coir+potting soil (I think it's Miracle Grow).  These are kept in an Ikea transparent tote box to keep the humidity high.  I will try to apply some diluted fertilizer to these.
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Bill
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toisanwu

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Quote:
Originally Posted by VeryNew2Figs
I can tell you my limited experience. I cut the top off a one year old tip cutting. At least five new branches grew at the top. On a cutting that's s few months old looks like three or four buds are forming at the top. My thought is that the roots are important. I personally would let it grow for a while until you have good roots and then cut it back. If you have enough cuttings you could try cutting the top of one now and another after it's been going for awhile and see which works better for you. With all that being said, all of my tip cuttings opened sooner or later. HTH


Thanks, Cheryl.  Appreciate the tips. 

Do you usually cut out the tip before starting the rooting process?
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Bill
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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
If you have good roots I would go ahead and pot it up.
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VeryNew2Figs

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Quote:
Originally Posted by toisanwu


Thanks, Cheryl.  Appreciate the tips. 

Do you usually cut out the tip before starting the rooting process?


Hi:
No, I didn't really mess with the cuttings before rooting them.  My cuttings were relatively long and I thought a fig "tree" would be cute, but reading through the posts that more wood equals more figs and how you should train the young plants for structure I'm playing around with pinching and cutting back and scoring and laying the branches horizontally to see what happens.  Plus, I accidentally broke the tip out of one of my tall plants ;-) and it sent out a lot of new shoots.

I had said that I wanted to have a lot of trees trained in a bunch of different ways and wasn't so much interested in the figs, but I've got to say seeing pictures of all the juicy looking, picked at the moment of ripeness figs I want to do what I can to help my babies grow up to be the best they can be.

(I much appreciate the good info found here)
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Cheryl
Chicago, Zone 6a (That's what they say, but it still feels like 5)
Growing:  Hardy Chicago, Black Mission, Brunswick, Kadota, Ischia Green, Desert King, Osborne Prolific (slow but steady), Malta Black, Violette de Bordeaux, Texas Everbearing, Beall, White Adriatic, Nolo Pink Eyed Lady.
Rooting: Ronde de Bordeaux, Celeste, Nero 600 m, Violetta Bayernfeing, Marseilles Black VS, Celeste.
rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Toysan have you been using hormone? Many times hormone will produce roots but inhibit bud break. I have several times seen an apical bud form 1 or no leaves, and then totally stop growing for an entire season, while a side bud takes over and becomes the dominant branch of the tree. Then the next season, in spring, both buds will break. Its just the odd nature of some cuttings.
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toisanwu

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rafaelissimmo
Toysan have you been using hormone? Many times hormone will produce roots but inhibit bud break. I have several times seen an apical bud form 1 or no leaves, and then totally stop growing for an entire season, while a side bud takes over and becomes the dominant branch of the tree. Then the next season, in spring, both buds will break. Its just the odd nature of some cuttings.


Rafael, I have in fact been using a powder hormone. if I could get side buds, I wouldn't really care if the apical bud stays dormant for a season . My concern is that the apical bud might be the only viable bud. Would you suggest not using any hormone at all?
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Bill
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jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Hi,
For now, there is nothing you can do, but let them become one year old trees.
Then if you are targeting a tree form, just cut the unnecessary stems.

Some times when using too much rooting hormones, the cutting will grow lots of roots and die without making leaves.
So as written, let them grow and see what happens. They may bud out later .
In the future, try to use less hormone or no hormone at all, after all that's th big advantage of fig trees: You don't need rooting hormones to propagate them (normally. But some strains are harder to root ...) !
I never used hormones and already propagated lots of fig trees .
Good luck !
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Windowsill_Gardens

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
I had a thick Salce fig cutting that took two months to finally leaf out after rooting. There was no rooting hormone involved in that case. Sometimes cuttings are just slow about leafing out. Perhaps the best you can do is just keep providing plenty of light, warmth, and fertilizer. I used very diluted fertilizer and fed with every watering. Fertilizing gives it some nutrition since otherwise it has to rely on its stored reserves without leaves. Plus, getting enough nitrogen might finally kick-start vegetative growth. You could also try a bit more light to jumpstart leafing out. Not a guarantee, but others had luck with these approaches.
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rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
I don't recommend using powder hormone, I'd go with Dip n'grow, or as a secnd choice, Clonex.
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toisanwu

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Thank you all for the suggestions and recommendations.  This thread has been very educational to me!

For the next rooting project, I will do without hormone.
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Bill
Ottawa, Canada, Zone 5 (USDA Zone 4)
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