well, I was working today and drove by my friends house. I hadn't noticed before that he has 4 fig trees at his house (been a while since the last time i visited), and they're all huge!! anyways, I asked him to cut a big branch for me and this is what he gave me...big boo boo on my part was that i hadn't done any research on air layering yet and it seems it's totally a different process from what i expected (a simple minute of google would've saved me from the predicament i am in now).

this cutting would've been perfect for air layering but we are beyond that point, I'll have to get my friend to donate another branch (or 2 or 3) for air layering.

on to the question of this thread... What is the best thing i can do with this cutting now? I don't want it to go to waste but i hope to get my friend to let me air layer a few branches on his trees.

so, sorry for being rude!!

My name is Jose, I've gotten bit by the fig bug and it's all i can think about. I can't wait to have a few trees in my yard providing juicy delicious figs for me and my family summer after summer. I'm a New York transplant in north western CT, north enough to be a couple zones colder (darn!!), 6a or 6b to be exact, 06804 is the zip. I hope to get both, trees that I can plant directly in the ground and trees that I can overwinter in the shed and garage (room for plants shouldn't be too big of an issue).

I'm currently trying to root about 7 or 8 cuttings, but got ahead of myself when I drove by my friends house and picked up this big guy. can't be too bad though, it had been a while since we had seen each other and now i'll probably visit soon with the family so the kids can play, we can catch up and we'll probably get some figs while we're at it!!

If it was me, I'd cut several smaller limbs with green tips off the big branch, remove all the leaves except for the tips, put them in water to keep them fresh, get some spanghnum moss, soak it, and wring it out till barely damp, and put all the limbs (aka cuttings) into a zip lock with a dry paper towel or two, wrap in a towel, stick in a dark place, and wait 2 or 9 weeks.  You will start seeing roots.  I usually open the bag and put a new dry paper towel in.

Good luck!
Suzi

Strip off all the leaves and figs, but first put it in water right away until you decide what to do. Welcome to the forum, Jose!

Welcome Fellow Nutmegger! That looks like you could make a dozen cuttings out of that branch. Soak it in water, strip the leaves and figs and dice her up. Search for "new bag method" of rooting along with sphagnum moss method. Both have worked well for me and I am new also. Biggest lesson I can pass on (from Jason, this one is emblazened in my mind) is that the cutting needs a lot less water than you think is do. Too much water invites mold and I lost a bunch. Good luck and keep us posted.

Welcome to the forum. That is an interesting looking leaf you got there, would love to see some ripe figs.

it surprised me that the branch still had one ripe fig on it. I didn't notice it until i got home. the figs on the trees at my friend's house were either dark brown or purple when ripe. I'll post some pics tomorrow. the fig that was on the branch was a light purple or brown, i didn't get time to examine it before my wife devoured it. she said it was delicious. I'll try to also post close ups of the leaves tomorrow.

thanks for the welcome and advice guys!! nice to see locals around here Vince!!

Cut to 6"-7" lengths and read this carefully and fully: http://figs4fun.com/basics_Rooting.html

(oh - and cut the leaves off, then break the stems off a couple of days after going in the bag)

Jason that last post was very interesting. Does one cut the leaves and then the stems as a separate event so the remaining moisture in the stem is wicked back into the cutting preserving moisture/nutrients?

The stems are prone to rotting in the bag so they are often not good to keep. Also, after a few days the stems will detach on their own or with a little help. If you pull them off before they are ready to drop you can damage the nodes at the base of the stems.

cut the leaves off but leave the small stem or petiole that attaches the leaf to the stem, then in a few days knock those off as well, they will fall off on their own but that could cause a mold in your sphagnum bag   

[QUOTE=striveforfreedom]Jason that last post was very interesting. Does one cut the leaves and then the stems as a separate event so the remaining moisture in the stem is wicked back into the cutting preserving moisture/nutrients?[/QUOTE]

Perhaps that, but also because the leaf-stems (called petioles) form a natural cellular layer where they come off neatly and that helps seal and protect living tissues in the stem, but it takes time for this to form. It happens naturally in the fall and is called the abscission layer.

here are some closeups of the leaves, a shot of half a tree and some shots of some figs still on the tree...i'll post better ones after the weekend.