Like most here, I have had decent success rooting various fig varieties. But there have been certain banes to my fig existence, cuttings that fail and vex no matter what I do.

Yearly failures for me have included far too many cuttings of LSU Purple and Panachee, as well as single, cherished cuttings of Persian White, Well Sweep, Black Madeira, Capelas, Melanzana and Longue d'Aout (among others) that have rotted away.

Mind you, I have managed to grow great varieties, in spite of this list. It is frustrating though, as it really just seems to be a roulette wheel when it comes to what takes and what does not.

What are the desired figs you continue to try but have yet to actually turn into trees?


* If anyone has rooted extras of any of the above varieties, PM me. I might be in the market for a plant or two.

Negretta.  I had 3 rooted growing beauties and fungus gnats got all 3.  Then, I had a hard time getting cuttings again......  Finally I received 3 cuttings from 2 generous members.  They are alive, not moldy, and not rooted.  Fingers crossed!  I've got one outside in damp dirt in semi shade (the old way), one in water, and one in sphagnum.  Covering all my bases.

I want this fig because it's native culture was growing wild on rocky hillsides which we have, so it seems like the perfect fit.

Suzi

at this point, anything more is just an icing on fig upside down cake. i think i've everything i want and more.

Jurupa proved to be bad luck for me...lost 3 cuttings twice, this year did haveone make it and is in ground.  Black Madeira gave me fits as well......I had a trade arranged for an air layer but received 3 nice cuttings of it so instead of the airlayer had that person send a friend a different variety he wanted...then of course all 3 cuttings croaked without even a single root.  Did trade for a cupped BM and a friend gave me 4 TINY rooted BM.....then out of the blue a good friend I met on this board decided to send me his 3 gallon 6' tall (pruned down to 2' for shipping) Black Madeira as he just does not have a long enough season for it.  It arrived Friday and is now in the ground but still asleep.  

I've lost 2 batches of Raspberry Latte and every Zingarella I've tried has died. I finally was gifted an air layer of Raspberry Latte but Zingarella is still elusive :)

I have an extra Zingerella (maybe 2) in a 1 gallon pot if we can work a trade:)  

I've had a few varieties on my wish list for so long, I do not remember why they were there in the first place or if they are still relevant.  What popped into my head as I read the question above is the 3 N's

• Noire de Caromb - I have tried many times with no luck.  Last year was the closest I made it to a bonafide plant.  When it was good and dead, I pulled it from the container.  The cutting had filled the pot with roots but it was all dead.  I'm not sure why.  Currently, I've got some Kathleen Black cuttings going.  We'll see how they do.
• Nazarti - It has been on my wish list from the very beginning.  UCD finally had it listed as available last year.  It is on order but not in my hands, yet.
• Negretta - I'm done with acquisitions for this year.  I'll have to search for it next season.

I did a similar thread and stated that some things simply are not meant to be, Panache, RDB, and lately MBVS, 1 small cutting hanging on.  I absolutely refuse to attempt to grow any cutting that is not hardened gray wood or any cutting that is more than 1-2" between nodes.  No sense wasting my time and shelf space.

I have had a good season so far, but I lost all three RDB cuttings due to knats and a Smith wich was a generous gift. Those knats are deadly and now have to wait on more smith or Rdb cuttings. Its funny I read the replies and Jurupa and Panache have been perfect for me, they all have made the transition to one gallon pots. Just shows how varying this can be.

I have tried rooting negronne and celeste three times and all failed. Green and purple jordan also failed to grow though some friends said they are easiest to root. Norhayati

There is a certain CDD cultivar that's been a thorn in my ars for the past couple years.
All failed last year and this year.

Next year I'm going to up the ante and buy 25 cuttings of it. If I fail on all of them then I'm done with it. Not meant for me at that point.

Brian,

Isn't that the truth...and for me RDB easy....Smith......easy and one of the ones people say is hard CDD Grise I was 5/5......go figure.   I had about 30 RDB cuttings but had no idea what to do with them and ended up putting them in moss to root so will have plants available in a few weeks.  

I was desperate and just bought some from driveway farmer. Hopefully these will work for me.

Thus far 258 has been a thorn in my side. I still have one hanging on with a couple leaves the size of quarters, but it could go either way.
Considering it was started in December, the progress has been slow. The cuttings just seemed void of energy, very week.

Fancy named varieties are hit or miss. Yet, the unknowns root every time like champs. They might not all be sensational, but they are reliable. They are the first to wake up for me and seem to fight to live. That's why I love them. And some are fantastic enough for someone to perpetuate them, giving us a shot at them, too.

The 258 sounds good to. For me, I am up to my ears in trees....LOL   Talked to my Mom and said I went overboard...LOL  I actually feel complete,
but would love to round out my collection with the Ruby-4.  Anyway at the moment that is eluding me, but not to long...hehehehehe

Yes, even in paradise some things die...Vista, Monstreuse, and slowly VdB.  However, I chock it up to my process rather than anything else.  Why couldn't I have learned on BT instead? sigh...

Nate 

Col de Dame Blanc

I am cursed with Hollier.  I bought a small dormant plant this winter and had it too close to the heat source (on one of the super cold nights) and it dessicated.  No big deal, I bought a few cuttings and rooted both of them.  The one in the cup phase tipped over and fell.  The roots dried out by the time I came back later that day.  This spring, I took the remaining rooted cutting outside for the fig shuffle.  Later that day, it was in my dog's mouth. Maybe some things are not meant to be.

LSU Scott Yellow is a real pain.

@Norhayati ... will help U to acquire VdB(Negronne). It does perform well there & top notch yummie, yummie.

What eludes me - a longer season fig wise i feel fortunate.

martin, i can think of one.. if you want it. email me. :) 

Thanks but a polite no thanks Pete.

Sumacki, Black Marseilles VS, Noire de Caromb and whatever I over pay for and reality in general it seems.
Some - like Kathleen's Black eventually root but take forever.
Others like Paradiso "Gene" rooted well last year but I've lost all 5 already this year.
And as mentioned above --all unknowns have done well.

The two I paid too much for, the ones I have sat and stared at for hours, the ones I have done everything for as perfectly as I can sit in a box with 23 other cuttings that are all doing well and are growing fast and strongly and just seem to mock my two precious and exotic beauties that are surely going to fail. Not a peep, not a whisper, not a single swollen node. Nothing.

Oh well, the only difference this year is I paid more and I got even less.

Is there a lesson to be learned? Not unless I call my collection complete and stop fig hunting and who among us is ever going to do that?

Micheal types - Not unless I call my collection complete and stop fig hunting and who among us is ever going to do that?

slowly raises hand .

ok martin :) it's a black fig. i'll post pix of the fig in few yrs.

Patience eludes me. 

[QUOTE=bullet08]ok martin :) it's a black fig. i'll post pix of the fig in few yrs.[/QUOTE]

Ah the ole tease him trick it wont work just ask Rafed !
Seriously though i appreciate the offer and i think not long ago you
offered and i politely said no.  ;)

As always i enjoy pictures and especially of the dark side ones !

ok martin, i won't mention it no more. :)

I keep hearing figs are like weeds and will root easily. I had a very difficult winter of failures. Here are my thoughts: Col de Dame Noir and Blanc: difficult to root in any medium, and these were very fine, plump, late winter cuttings. Black Madeira rooted in Spaghnum moss nicely but did not make it past roots, stage 2 failure. Paradiso Gene rooted easily in various media but failed at stage 2 cups. Rigato del Salento: failed at cup stage. Carrapipe Nera failed at cup stage. Most of my cuttings rooted but failed at cup stage. Jury still out on Adriatic JH.

Youth

I got one cutting of Black Madiera and Col de Dame from UC Davis and they looked great, but nothing was happening for 2 weeks. So I decided to cut them up to 3 pieces ea. and grafted them onto a big rootstock. Everything looks good, have them in a corner of my kitchen.

Martin,
And then the hand falls slowly to pick up the next "must have" black fig.

[QUOTE=mgginva]Martin,
And then the hand falls slowly to pick up the next "must have" black fig.[/QUOTE]

Just not my hand .  ; )

Tami,
Do you still need Zingarella?
If so,
Email me at my mgg email.

Aubique Petit eludes me all of the time. I try to win the plant, I'm outbid. I try to win the cuttings, I'm outbid. This happened a few times this year. I saw the plant at an online nursery and it was sold out. I'm gonna give up on it and try for something easier like brown turkey!!!

Salce and Acciano.  Roots, but no top growth.  Keeping my fingers crossed, but all others have signs of growth or are going crazy. 

not exactly eluding since cutting is available, but i killed all Acciano cuttings last 3 times i tried them. i think i'll try again next spring or look for a n air layer. i just want everything that is and was Paradiso. talking about which...

I put Acciano and White Paradiso in the ground 2 weeks ago.
Both are doing good.
I might have cuttings in the fall.



Doug

So far so good with Acciano. Here's a pic http://tinypic.com/r/10rqur4/8

The ever elusive spring of 2014!