Most of us have had problems with the cupping phase of turning a cutting into a fig tree. We finally get that rare cutting to root, only to have it die in the cup. Crap! Why does this happen? Three reasons: over-watering, over-watering and last but not least, overwatering. Oh yeah, occasionally it will die from under-watering (life happens, we forget). You can optimize the growing medium by screening out smaller pieces of perlite, using turface or by sacrificing a chicken to Santeria. Still, none of these measures will eliminate our predilection for over-watering (or under-watering). Human nature to over-nurture our babies is too powerful an instinct to control completely. We literally drown out plants with love. So, what are the possible solutions? The benefits of SIPs (Sub Irrigation Planters) has universal agreement. Many forum members grow their adult trees in SIPs. See Bill's Figs for details (http://figs4fun.com/bills_figs.html). Why do plants do so well in SIPs? Simply because SIPs free plants to self-determination. SIPs allow a plant to feed and drink however much it requires and whenever it wants. In other words, we can't kill it by over or under-watering no matter how hard we try. The mini SIP in this tutorial cost $0 to make and around 5 minutes of my time by recycling 8 and 32 ounce styrofoam cups. I am experimenting with the notoriously finicky, FMV laden UC Davis Black Madeira cuttings. If these succeed, all others should be a cinch.

Frank ,
What a great adaptation of a proven growing system.
I think I will try this on some Summer cuttings.
Thanks for posting this now.


 

Thank you Frank for posting the pics of the build. Will give this a try on the next batch of cuttings to up pot.

Pretty sweet!

Anybody could do this on a nothing budget.

Kudos Frank

Frank,

  You are right and that is a great idea. Where were you in February when I needed you?

Very nice Frank . Keep us updated on their progress . John

Very nice.

Is it still advisable to sacrifice the chicken?  If so, can it be fried chicken with a side of cole sla... Hey look at that, it's lunch time.

Very clever!

 A MacGyver special all the way! Good luck.

Updated results...

I love this and I think I could even do it but I guess I'ma dingbat....where do you put the water in? Into the straw on top, or do you submerge the whole cup for the bottom spout, or what? <blushes>

Sophie, I use a 60 cc syringe to water from above but I suppose it would work using your method from below.

Am also a dingbat, does the water sit below the over flow pipe? And if you over fill it drips out, I always thought you need a wick of some sort for sip.? But as soon as I get my numskull head around it, I will surly be doing the same thanks for sharing you great idea.

[QUOTE=FMD]Sophie, I use a 60 cc syringe to water from above but I suppose it would work using your method from below.[/QUOTE]

OK, so you squirt the water from the syringe into the straw and it goes down to the bottom....then it overflows out the bottom straw if it's too much...or do you just throw your syringe full of water directly onto the base of the plant? or does it even matter?

TIA for the clarification!

Luke, there is indeed a wick. Look at picture 8. The potting mix around the outside of the small cup at the bottom of the big cup acts as the wick to the rest of the potting mix.

Sophie, I water via the top straw.

Thanks Frank! I'm definitely going to give this a try, and not just with fig cuttings either! :)

How often do you find that you have to water on average?

I kind of had the same idea, but my sip was not quite as elegant as yours.  It's a 32 oz plastic cup inside a clear 32 oz plastic cup. The wick is a Keurig coffee filter.  I cut a smaller clear plastic cup to use as a spacer for the top cup to sit on, so it would push the Keurig cup up.  No overflow, since I can see in the cup.  I just lift the top cup in order to fill the resevoir.

 

I made one like yours today, but used a 32 oz plastic cup.
  

Thanks!

Very nice, James. Thanks for posting pictures of both systems. The bigger the straw, the easier it is to water.

Sophie, initially, you may have to water every few weeks. As the plant grows, you will need to water more frequently. When watering daily becomes the routine, it is time to re-pot the plant. 

[Quote]Sophie, initially, you may have to water every few weeks. As the plant grows, you will need to water more frequently. When watering daily becomes the routine, it is time to re-pot the plant. [/QUOTE]

I guess that means it's time to repot my LSU Tiger Not. That 5 gal bucket SIP is empty every morning.

Hi Frank I can't wait to try this, I use Bill's pots for some of my big plants. Just to clarify, the 8 oz cup has its top ring sliced off, then you cut about 4 gashes in its sides, then you place it upside down inside the 32 oz. cup? Let me know. Thanks Rafael

This is awesome for baby figs! I had a few in cups, one seemed to not be doing anyting at all and didn't seem to have happy roots. It had only 1 leaf that didn't seem to be growing. After about a week of being in one of these SIP's, it has a new leaf and it neary doubled in size in the past 2 days. It seems very happy now. Thanks! I put a freshly rooted cutting in one (pics in another thread of mine) w/o going to a humidity bin. Waiting to see if it continues to grow. If that works, then all my new rootings will go straight to one of these.

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Best,
Tam

Rafael, you are correct in how you summarized the process. Good luck.

James, I've had similar results.

As a matter of interest, I believe that rooting cuttings with or without root riot cubes would work incredibly well in one of these mini-sips. Imagine setting up the cutting in one of these and not having to water again for 6-8 weeks! This is the Ron Popeil method of "set it and forget it".

Over the weekend I experimented with a 16 ounce clear cup producing a super duper mini-sip specifically to root a small KB branch that I accidentally cut.
I will let you all know how it turns out.

Hmmm.. I have some new cuttings. I'll try too root one like this too. Do you put a dome over it until the roots get started to keep it from drying out from the top?

Ottawan.  FMD is the expert here, but here's my 2cents.  

I target the "roots" section to be about in the center of the cup vertically.  Yeah, it'll be much more moist toward the bottom, than the top.  The roots will grow to wherever they are the happiest.

That is a lot more than 2cents for me, James.

I'll keep everyone posted on how mine perform, but what I've seen so far, is astounding.

The suggestion by Frank is very useful and easily made.
The reason I asked the question was that if the principle is moisture ingression through the soil upward as needed then using an inch deep saucer (or more depending on the rooting pot height) under the rooting pot should achieve similar environment for the roots (may be except the frequency of watering).

James, I don't see the need for a humidity dome especially if most of the cutting is burried in the potting media. Still, it would probably not hurt to have one.

Akram, I suppose a well constructed pot and saucer system could be as effective, but for me nothing beats the all-in-one concept championed by the earthbox people.

 One of the biggest misunderstandings of this system is the misuse of potting media. You cannot use soil! That will only get you a boggy mess at the bottom of the pot with zero wicking and rotting roots. With the proper medium (mixture of peat, perlite, etc), the water is wicked up evenly throughout the  mixture and you will not have a perched water table. Imagine the freedom the roots are granted being able to go where ever they want and drink as much as they want 24-7. Add to that a localized source of food that the roots can access 24-7 and you have a very happy plant.

[QUOTE=FMD] One of the biggest misunderstandings of this system is the misuse of potting media. You cannot use soil! That will only get you a boggy mess at the bottom of the pot with zero wicking and rotting roots. With the proper medium (mixture of peat, perlite, etc), the water is wicked up evenly throughout the  mixture and you will not have a perched water table. Imagine the freedom the roots are granted being able to go where ever they want and drink as much as they want 24-7. Add to that a localized source of food that the roots can access 24-7 and you have a very happy plant.[/QUOTE]

oops.. I'm using potting mix with a little bit of cow manure compost and a lot of Perlite.  They seem to be happy for now, but maybe it'll be a problem down the road.

What exactly is your mixture ratios for non-soil medium.  When you say peat, is that the same as Sphagnum moss? shredded or long fiber?

James, your potting mix is fine. Potting mix is not potting soil. You can buy it or make your own. Peat refers to peat moss from peat bogs. Coir can substitute for peat.

Ratios can vary but 70:15:15 is often used (peat:perlite:vermiculite) There are endless variations. Just no soil.

Clearly, I've lost all sanity....

7 Bryant Dark, 4 Joe Dark.

 

Fantastic information!  I have to give this a try. It is so heartbreaking to see those cups die. All that hard work!  Thank you for the ideas.

James, crazy indeed...like a fox!

Sarah, let us know how it works for you.

I'm definitely going to try this so thanks for the post Frank and the variation in design, James! One thing that many have stressed on the forum is the need for aeration of the roots i.e. the need for several large holes in the side of the cup.  Apparently, this system allows enough oxygen to get to the roots even with the cover over the top of the cup and only one hole in the side.  Perhaps the need for the holes in a conventional rooting cup has more to do this allowing the soil to dry out rather than allowing oxygen to get in.

My only question is where is a good place to find 32 oz styrofoam cups with lids?  I don't frequent fast food joints very much but maybe I'll make an exception to pick up a few of these cups.  I did a bit of on-line shopping but could not find reasonable quantities - 1000 is too many!

Very nice information, thanks for sharing.
Tam

I think McDonalds large cups are styrophone.

All of mine are plastic and I got them from Dickeys BBQ, Fuzzy Taco and McAllister's Deli.  The ones from McAllister's, I found about 30 of them at once in the dumpster when I was looking for 5 gal pickle buckets.  I like those because they are clear and I can more easily monitor the state of the roots.  I keep planning to stop by and talk to the manager to see if he can just save me a stack of used cups that people leave behind.

I expect to be able to reuse them, though I may have to replace the reservoir cup and straw.

James,

I am not sure that clear is good for the roots unless you cover them with smth. I keep watching my cuttings in the cups separated into 2 groups, one is clear uncovered and one is inserted into the black pots. The roots in the dark are much stronger and longer while the roots subjected to the light are thinner. I just covered the clear cups after they have been like that for about 2 weeks.

yeah.. i'm planning to wrap some foil around them.  Just haven't had a chance yet.  Still, it will allow me to check on them now and then.

OK, so I've collected most or all of what I need to make a mini-SIP very similar to Frank's design as well as something like James' design in his first pic of post #17.  James, since you have done it both ways which design do you prefer?  The advantage with your first design (Keurig cup as a wick) is that it allows for more soil mix to fit into the 32 oz cup and it does not require the presence of either the short horizontal straw or the long vertical straw.

I'm still undecided on which one I like the best.  I ended up sticking a straw between the inner and outer cups of mine so I don't have to remove the inner cup for refilling the reservoir.  Both seem to work just as well for growing.

Here's the pro's for and cons for each one as I see it.

FMD's version Pros:  Looks better.  Uses less 32oz cups.

FMD's version Cons: slightly smaller soil volume (not really an issue), a little harder to make, can't see the water level, can't place directly on window sill's w/o some sort of drip protection from the overflow tube.

My version Pros:  Using a clear outer cup and opaque inner cup helps protect roots from light but allows to see water level, slightly larger soil volume (doesn't matter), a little easier to make, no fear of drips on window sill.

My version Cons: uses more 32 oz cups.  Looks a little ghetto.  seems heaver, thought I know it can't be by much.

With that said, I only have one of mine and 13 of FMD's with cuttings growing.  I didn't want to waste my cups.  If you have a place to put them (like setting them on a tray) where you don't mind a little water drippage, I'd go with FMD's version.  If you want to put them all along your window sills w/o worrying about water damage, go with mine.

Just found this source for 32oz deli containers that should work well. I know there was a link a while back to purchase these in a case of 500. This is a case of 240. After shipping it came to 24 cents each. Including lids. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/32-oz-microwavable-plastic-deli-container-with-lid-240-case/128HRD32%20%20%20%20COMBO240.html

Hi Frank, 2 questions:

1. Am a little confused by pic 5- according to my understanding, the majority of the 8 oz cup minus the top ring should be placed upside down at the bottom of the 32 oz cup, but in pic 5, it looks like only a small portion of the 8 oz cup is left-is that a deceptive photo or have I misunderstood something?

2. I have checked the thread, but I cannot find your exact soil formula.  Is it 50% peat moss 50% perlite, or what?

Thanks very much for your help!

Rafael

Hi Rafael,

Picture 5 does not show the proper depth. The size of the 8 oz cup used for the reservoir does not change after the top is trimmed. You don't really need a huge water reservoir for these mini SIPs since they are to be used for the early stages of rooting. The initial watering will last a month or more depending on the the growth of the plant. If you have to water daily, it is time to up-pot to regular one gallon or larger containers.

Just to be precise, we do not use the word "soil" to describe the growing medium. Soil implies dirt, silt, organic matter, bacteria, fungi etc that all come from the ground. 
Any good potting mix from a garden center or box store is adequate. You can roll your own using peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, coconut coir etc at various ratios.
I personally like the 80:20 ratio of peat moss to perlite, but I am sure 50:50 would work also.

Frank

Thank you Frank for your erudite response-I will be more careful when referring to the growing medium!

I love the streamlined concept of 'planting' a cutting and theoretically not having to do anything more than monitor it till its time to move to larger pots. May have to have some of my students do an experiment along these lines with a couple different experimental groups to test multiple variables. Thanks for sharing a great idea! 

Here's my variation on the same theme using the materials that I could more easily find.  Note that the images came out in reverse order for some reason.  The yogurt cup has three vertical slits that don't quite reach the top or bottom of the cup.  I decided to put a number of small holes in the bottom of the yogurt cup so that when it is turned upside-down inside the SIP it will facilitate gas exchange between the soil and the outside.  I'm not sure if this matters but I figured it couldn't hurt.

Thanks for the pics, Rewton.

Rewton, very nice.
I like the holes in the yogurt cup. As you say, it can't hurt.
One could also put holes in the bigger container above the water reservoir for better oxygenation of the roots.

Last winter I tried a similar method, only to find that peach web of mold on everything in less than a week- of course all with their lives sucked out of them by the gnats and mold. This method works for older plants, my blueberries do excellent, but my figs don't like to have soggy feet.  I found that what really work is to put about an inch of broken down wood chips at the bottom, the chips soak up the water and work as a sponge, but any excess, flows out.

Once a week I sit the pots in a bucket with water, the chips soak up, and once out of the bucket all excess water runs out.  So far, so good, how challenge is to stay alive for the winter. Hope you have a better less moldy city for the cuttings.

I need a safe house/safer way to overwinter a few layers with lignified roots that are promised to fig friends in the Spring. I have done it "my way" in the past but this way looks better. Thanks Frank. Good idea and I am putting it to the test. Five minutes is more than enough time to make two of them.

Repurposed Stuff & Gear: 32 oz yogurt container, 4 oz apple sauce container, straw, soldering iron, scissors, ruler, time.

Photo with the layer to follow...

JD, thanks for posting the pics.  I don't know why I didn't think of using a 32 oz yogurt container.  It's a better shape than the cups which tend to be top-heavy.

I am wondering how this system improves upon an ordinary wick situated in a pot above a source of water mixed with nutrients. I used to grow African violets and we simply put a small wick in the pot above a water source. The SIP method seems to be quite a bit more time consuming to set up. How is the SIP method better?

Milehighgirl, I've never used a wick but you may be correct that you could get the same outcome and spend less time setting it up.  I thought about trying the wick approach a while back but wasn't sure what material was best for the wick itself.  With both systems one needs to consider the wicking ability of the soil used.  I'm currently comparing a couple different mixes to see how they do.

Hi Frank

I am finally ready to transfer some rooted cuttings into the SIPs, I have a couple of questions:

1. It is common, the first time one uses a SIP, to water from above the first time, before proceeding to water through a tube thereafter.  Do you recommend that with these homemade SIPs?

2. About how much time should the cutting spend in the SIP before transferring to a 1-gallon pot?

Thx

Rafael

For me, I usually dampen the soil as i'm putting them in these little sips, and water a little from the top, but not enough that it drips into the bottom.  Maybe 5 to 10 ml?  Then just water from the bottom.

Mine are doing quite well.  Here's a Joe Dark that I took to work and put under a 20 watt 6500K T12 florecent.  This pic was 18 days ago.  I was out of the office for 5 days over thanksgiving.  When I went in this morning, it was touching the bulb.  It burned the end of the leaf.   It grew at least 3 inches in those 5 days!

 

I have another Joe Dark in a SIP just like this and it's just as big.

Thx Frank. See #45 above, you're not supposed to call it soil! Lol

James, previously you said " I'm using potting mix with a little bit of cow manure compost and a lot of Perlite."  Have you refined your potting mix since then?  I have been using a sand/coir based mix and that has been working well for bare rooted cuttings.  However, I've switched to rooting in root riot cubes and the cube of course comes along with the cutting.  I thought maybe peat (or coir) with vermiculite/perlite might be better than the sand-based mix for the root riot cuttings so I'm trying to decide on the best proportions so that that upper part of the cup is a bit damp but not wet.  Previously I tried one mini-SIP with promix-bx mixed with a little perlite and a little compost but it stays too wet throughout the cup.  It looks like that cutting has bit the dust.

Also if anyone has advice about fertilizers to use that would be of interest.  I've been adding really dilute foliage pro to mine but I'm a little concerned the fertilizer level will build up too high.  I wonder if slow release fertilizer would be better?

Is there a pictorial for the "maxi" SIP?

[QUOTE=Rewton]James, previously you said " I'm using potting mix with a little bit of cow manure compost and a lot of Perlite."  Have you refined your potting mix since then?  

Also if anyone has advice about fertilizers to use that would be of interest.
[/QUOTE]

Nope.. still using the same mix. But it's not an exact mix.. i just kind of eyeball it.   Take a large plastic tub and filled almost half with MG potting mix, put a layer of compost over it (tub is about half full or just a little over) add Perlite till nearly full (needs room for stirring).  Then I just mix it by hand till it looks uniform.  If i have a bunch of dried fig leaves, I crunch them up, removing the stems, and add to it.

It's been working great for me in SIPs.

[QUOTE=milehighgirl]Is there a pictorial for the "maxi" SIP?[/QUOTE]

This one, also from FMD?

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/the-2-minute-2-swc-pictorial-tutorial-6536498

I have 8 of these going right now.  6 outside going dormant and 2 inside.

DallasFigs,

Thanks for the link. I tried numerous searches but could not find it. Now I know why; it was listed under SWC instead of SIP!

I have rooted cuttings going in my basement, including some in mini-SIPs.  One Col de Dame Noir started Oct. 22 has really put on large leaves.  As you can see from the pic that one is growing in the tall cup using the design presented by James further up-thread.  Yeah, this look might not be something I would want in my office at work but the plants really like it.  Along with the large leaves it has roots growing directly into the water reservoir and it sucks a lot of water.  I'm adding water (with some dilute foliage pro) nearly every day now.  I hadn't really planned on potting up this quickly.  I guess it is time to think about how to make a 1-2 gallon SIP.

Those look lovely. Nearly all of my bryant darks died. But they were year old cutyings. I have 2 Joe darks that are ready to up pot already. Don't know where I'm going to put them. Also now seeing a few gnats at home. Waiting for gnatrol to arrive today.

Hi Frank below are my rooted cuttings as of today, keeping my fingers crossed.  Here is my question: I know we want to gets those roots nice and robust, how long do we let the cuttings grow in the SIPs?  I know someone said a clear cup would let you see the roots, but we went with the styrofoam-your advice?  Thank you and let me know

Rafael

 

Adhesive?   When making miniSIPS or larger SWCs, are you all using any kind of glue to adhere the smaller "wicking" pot into the bottom of the larger pot, or is it just held down by the weight of the medium? Couldn't tell if that was necessary to limit too much seepage from the water reservoir. Tx

Rafael, nice job! I would leave the plants in the mini-sips until they require frequent watering, something like every other day or so. At that point, you know the roots will have filled the container and are ready to be up-potted. Btw, another proponent of this system has proposed keeping the grow mix nice and loose with no compaction for better aeration. I can see the advantages

Frank,
Thanks for starting this topic. After all the posts on the successful use of SIPs with Fig Cuttings, I decided to experiment with the mini SIPs. I will be testing a few designs on pre-rooted cuttings. Here are two designs that I've tried in the past but have not used with figs.

 One, Two and Three Liter Soda (Pop) Bottle Planters - Step 1

2-liter soda bottle SIPs with 16 oz deli container tops

2-liter soda bottle SIPs with soda bottle and deli container tops.

I have tried the mini sips and so far I love them, no negative issues with them at all.  So far about 106 in sips with no losses though I am sure I will lose some. 

[URL=http://s562.photobucket.com/user/Bamboorabbit/media/1218_zps2bb430b9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss63/Bamboorabbit/1218_zps2bb430b9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[QUOTE=FMD]Most of us have had problems with the cupping phase of turning a cutting into a fig tree. We finally get that rare cutting to root, only to have it die in the cup. Crap! Why does this happen? Three reasons: over-watering, over-watering and last but not least, overwatering. Oh yeah, occasionally it will die from under-watering (life happens, we forget). You can optimize the growing medium by screening out smaller pieces of perlite, using turface or by sacrificing a chicken to Santeria. Still, none of these measures will eliminate our predilection for over-watering (or under-watering). Human nature to over-nurture our babies is too powerful an instinct to control completely. We literally drown out plants with love. So, what are the possible solutions? The benefits of SIPs (Sub Irrigation Planters) has universal agreement. Many forum members grow their adult trees in SIPs. See Bill's Figs for details (http://figs4fun.com/bills_figs.html). Why do plants do so well in SIPs? Simply because SIPs free plants to self-determination. SIPs allow a plant to feed and drink however much it requires and whenever it wants. In other words, we can't kill it by over or under-watering no matter how hard we try. The mini SIP in this tutorial cost $0 to make and around 5 minutes of my time by recycling 8 and 32 ounce styrofoam cups. I am experimenting with the notoriously finicky, FMV laden UC Davis Black Madeira cuttings. If these succeed, all others should be a cinch.[/QUOTE]

Great Idea Frank!   It's done in such  a way that all can  do and afford.
Thanks for your post and your Alma & Atreano cuttings.

Merry Christmas,

Manel

I have come to the conclusion that the k-cups I'm using in my 32oz deli cup SIP is too big. Instead I'll start using a smaller plastic cup that is about the size of a short shot glass. Out of all the rootings I've moved directly to SIP's, it seems that they struggle or die until they out on some leaves. Once the leaves come, then they start drinking more and more water and do fine. Therefore, I'm changing my strategy a little. When they come out of rooting box and into SIP they get one drink in the reservoir, just enough to soak it all up the first night. But then leave the reservoir dry until it start putting out leaves. Since the top of the sip is closed, the moisture shouldn't escape too much. Once the leaves pop out and/or I notice the container is lighter in weight, then it'll get a little more water in the reservoir. Once it really starts drinking, then I'll keep the reservoir full. We'll see how that works in the comming weeks.

James - I think that what you are observing (and are compensating for) depends heavily on what type of mix you are using i.e. how much water it wicks and retains.  For me, the k-cups used with the tall 32 oz drink cups (placed inside a small reservior cup) have worked great. The only issue is that they area a little top heavy.  I use a sand-coir based mix which is heavy but works well for SIPs. Out of 7 mini-SIPs with this mix all cuttings are doing great.  I've only lost one and that one was an experiment with a peat based mix which wicked to much water causing the cutting to rot.  Obviously the peat based mix that you and others works well but it is a matter of getting the ratio of perlite etc right (along with the design of the cup itself) so that the amount of wicking is optimized.

Another thing I have noticed from this thread is that no one (including me) seems to be using a humidity bin with the SIPs.  Wills does have one or two out of a couple hundred (!) that has an inverted cup over it but in general the bin doesn't seem to be needed.  My cuttings had leaf if any leaf growth when placed in the SIPs (just green buds) so that when the leaves do appear they are already used to the relatively low ambient humidity.

more and more i think about SIP, it just makes sense to go that route. it just that i'm too darn lazy and cheap.. plain 1 gal and watering can do the job. but i can see where it's not as good as SIP set up. once the trees go to it's final size container, i would be ideal to have SIP set up where the water to the tree is constant instead of wet and dry cycle. 

i have seen some set up on the web that uses 20+ gal rubbermaid tub for SIP set up. i might try that.. if i can get myself to get off this recliner. 

Pete, the only downside I have found with the mini-SIPs is that the growth is so vigorous that I am needing to up-pot sooner than I thought I would.  Now I am trying decide whether to go to conventional pots (the roots are mature enough now that they should be much more forgiving) or to fabricate larger SIPs.

faster root growth means.. root pruning more often.. more work.. sigh.. 

[quote="bullet08"]faster root growth means.. root pruning more often.. more work.. sigh.. [/quote]

So the conclusion is...  WE will never be happier than the FIGs!

I'm using the same mix I use for everything else.  MG potting mix, a little cow manure compost and perlite. roughly 40/20/40 ratio.  It works well in bigger SIPs, but I guess it just wicks too much for these little ones.   Like I said though, once the leaves are out and it starts drinking, it takes off like a rocket.  My Joe Dark can drink about 280cc a day, if i let it.  The reservoir is empty every morning.

oh.. i'm happy with figs. i've made some mistakes and learned from them. i know what i need to do to keep my figs happy. i'm just looking for simpler, less labor intensive way to keep both trees and me happy. i guess i could just plant them in the ground and forget about them.. but what fun in that? some degree of fussing over the figs is good for me. 

I haven't read this entire thread so my question may have been answered and I didn't see it yet. Great thread BTW Frank....... 

So, is no one using a humidity chamber in junction with these little SIPs? If not, I'm just thinking how nice that would be to by-pass using that step.

I used this mini-SIP last year to start some Papaya plants. It worked fantastic but I won't be starting any more Papaya plants until I get my greenhouse built............one of these years.

I used some small peat pots set inside of clear plastic cups. The clear cups were nice for monitoring what the roots were doing. I didn't use the standard wicking system. I simply used yarn and it worked quite well. Here are a couple pics of my set up and the results. Note the dates on the plants. The smaller ones, in the plain peat pots, were started a few days before the larger ones:

    

Thanks for the info Bill.  That looks very interesting.

I don't use a humidity dome unless a plant is in trouble but this is Florida so humidity we have.  In the plant room the humidity is always above 50%.

Bill, me gusta mucho, the use of peat pots!

What is the wicking yarn made of?
No overflow hole needed?

Wills, I agree that the "humidity dome" is over-rated, especially in non-arid environments.

De nada, Frank. Hablo un pocinto de espanol :) . Guess you need a spanish speaking computer to make it look right though LOL.

Yes, the little clear cups do have 3 or 4 holes in them just below the peat pots. I think you can see them if you look closely at the second pic. I used a syringe type medicine dropper to water them. One of those large turkey/meat injectors from Wally World might work even better (hold more water per load). 

Not really sure what the yarn is made of. It feels like one of those with some polyester or nylon in it. Maybe a cotton blend. I imagine this would make some difference. But maybe just the open, loose, weave is more of a factor than the type of fabric. Just haven't fully experimented with that yet.

Whatever the material, this one just happened to work very well.

I may stick to using my covered aquarium on my more valuable cuttings. But I will experiment without the humidity chamber on some cuttings I have a lot of.

My sips are thriving in a fairly dry environment, so far. It is a heated basement, 70-75 F, and T5 hydroponic lighting 24/7, there are about 4 leaves on each of my cuttings but I am starting to see them slow down over the last 7-10 days. The boiler is nearby, keeping the temperature warm and dry. I am feeding a nutrient enriched water into bubble-tea sized extra fat straws, straight out of a pitcher with no liquid lost in the pouring. Am watering every 2-3 days. I mistakenly rigged one SIP with a regular straw-I think a syringe might work best with that one. I hope the SIPs survive to make it into the greenhouse in March!

Forgot to reply to a couple other folks:

James; Yes, I really like this little set-up. I would call it a successful experiment with positive results ;) . It worked so well I just have to try it for getting some tomatoes started in Feb. Oh, and for fig cuttings too :) . 

Wills; I really like your set-up pictured in post #70. Looks like a real custom job just for the mini-SIPs. I also like how you have the flex straws coming out of the side of the cup instead of straight up. Gives you the option of watering even with a cover on the cup - no need to pick up the cover to get to the straw. Cool!

Rafael; Thanks for the info on having yours in a fairly dry environment. Gives me more confidence to try this without the humidity chambers I've been using. What kind of "nutrients" are you using in your water? I agree, larger straws would make for easier watering. But the little syringe droppers work pretty good for the smaller straws too.

Hi Bill The nutrients are Cornucopia Plus X Formula, complete nutrition recommended by the hydroponic guys. Great stuff. 1/4 tspoon in a gallon of water.

Thanks Rafael. Nice tip! I'll go look the stuff up.

I fabricated and tested a few 2 liter Soda Bottle SIPs for use with fig cuttings (the simple build sequence is located at the first hyperlink in post #69 above)... I will be starting a few dozen cuttings early (next week), just to test these SIPs. They work quite well, once the correct wick size was figured out. The wick is 1 inch wide 6 inches long for the standard single bottle SIP and 8 inches long for the 10 inch tall 2 Bottle SIP, they are also split lengthwise except for the bottom 1 inch. The split is to direct the water away from the bottom of the cutting and to the perimeter of the container. With these wick sizes the top one inch of potting mix remains dry, which should help reduce or eliminate fungus gnat problems.
   

The wick also has an added benefit as mentioned by WillsC in one of his posts, it will wick out excess moisture if the cutting is accidentally over watered. To accomplish this the container has to be removed from the reservoir temporarily and placed in a tall cup to create an air gap between the wick and the standing water. I don't usually use humidity domes once the cuttings have grown leaves, but they can be added to these SIPs very easily.
   .

I may have missed this Pete, but what is the wick material made of? Source?

Bill,
[QUOTE]From post # 69,
The Pellon Thermolam Plus (item # TP970) mentioned in the diagram is a stock item at Walmart @ $3.97 / Yard, SKU# 551772065... 1 yard provides enough material for 182 - 2 liter SIPs (including 10% for waste or 202 without waste). That's about $0.02 per SIP
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]
From Walmart.com
Pellon Thermolam Plus Sew-In:

• Needle-punched fleece
• Great for quilting, garments, crafts and home decor
• Compatible with all fabrics including knits
• Stable and compact for easy cutting
• Width: 45"
• 100 percent acid-free polyester
• Imported
• Machine washable, delicate cycle, tumble dry low or dry clean

[QUOTE=ascpete]I fabricated and tested a few 2 liter Soda Bottle SIPs for use with fig cuttings (the simple build sequence is located at the first hyperlink in post #69 above)... I will be starting a few dozen cuttings early (next week), just to test these SIPs. They work quite well, once the correct wick size was figured out. The wick is 1 inch wide 6 inches long for the standard single bottle SIP and 8 inches long for the 10 inch tall 2 Bottle SIP, they are also split lengthwise except for the bottom 1 inch. The split is to direct the water away from the bottom of the cutting and to the perimeter of the container. With these wick sizes the top one inch of potting mix remains dry, which should help reduce or eliminate fungus gnat problems.
   

The wick also has an added benefit as mentioned by WillsC in one of his posts, it will wick out excess moisture if the cutting is accidentally over watered. To accomplish this the container has to be removed from the reservoir temporarily and placed in a tall cup to create an air gap between the wick and the standing water. I don't usually use humidity domes once the cuttings have grown leaves, but they can be added to these SIPs very easily.
[/QUOTE]

Pete, I am missing how your soda bottle SIPs are watered. Do you pull the inside part of the bottle out to refill the base?

Thanks to all for these ideas!!!

Ed,
Yes, the planter section is simply lifted off the base (reservoir) and about 1 inch of water is added.
A straw could be inserted between the planter and base, inside the planter and through the planter bottom or a hole could be made in the side of the base for adding a straw or for filling the reservoir.
I have used a 2 gallon garden sprayer with the sprayer tip removed from the wand, to quickly water several dozen non SIP containers, but a simple flood and drain or individual automated fills could also be installed easily : )

Thank you Pete. Haven't read every post so missed that. 

I really like the idea of using these SIPs for rooting cuttings. I'm still having a hard time getting past the thought of the cutting possibly getting too much moisture though. I guess the idea of not allowing the very top to get wet might help though.

Hey Bill I find the top of my styrofoam quite dry, in fact I have drizzled a little water down the top out of concern for the top level roots and shoots present at the time I placed the rootings in the cups. I will allow more roots to develop in my second round of trials, which are currently underway. I also see a little bit of humidity trapped in the top of the cup on some of them, so there are varied results, but nothing bad to report as yet. My worst complaint is that some leaves are green and others are quite pale. And leaf growth seems to have slowed to a crawl.

Ok time to go dumpster diving in our recyclable bin.  Let's do this!

I made up 4 mini-SIPs last night with plastic Moe's cups and Panera water cups.  I used spackling screen tape to cover the grooves I cut in the bottom inner cup to keep mix from entering the reservoir in large quantity and spray painted the exterior except a small piece if tape at the bottom that ill peal off to have a window into the reservoir. Also I wasn't sure how y'all secure the straw coming out the side for overflow, so I used duct tape around it to hold the straw in place and prevent leakage. One question I did have is do you need holes up the bottom side of the straw that feeds the reservoir? The only thing I did was make a diagonal cut at the bottom so water could flow freely.

Timmy, the overflow straw doesn't need duct tape around it but it wouldn't hurt.  You get a little seapage between the straw and the cup when the water level gets high enough but that isn't a problem.  Putting a diagonal cut in the bottom of vertical straw is a good idea as it allows the water to flow out of it more rapidly but I've done it both ways and works either way. For more input you might want to provide photos of your system.  Good luck.

I was going to post pics but my phone battery was dead and now they're painted so it'll have to wait until the next time I drink one of those famous NY big gulps.  Will post pics when I find some more containers to modify.

Dear Frank and All who have followed this interesting thread:

I am posting these pics of my up-potting today from 32 oz Sip to 1-Gallon pot, root growth looks vigorous, and this particular plant was sucking up the water really fast, so I wanted to get it into a container fast.  The others will probably have to follow suit real quick! Edit: it's been around 45-50 days they've been in the Sips.  The roots at the bottom appear very close to swallowing up the wicking chamber (i.e. the 8 0z cup at the bottom).  I was able to detangle the bottom roots with minimal damage, fortunately the styrofoam is rather flexible.

.