I am by no means an expert on rooting and I continue to experiment but for now I have settled on coconut coir as my favorite method. There hasn't been much written about rooting in coir so allow me to start.

I've tried almost every method out there starting with newspaper and sphagnum in a bag or plastic shoe-box, old and new baggie systems. directly planting in cups with perlite, moss, soil etc, root riot and most recently, a bucket propagator. 

Newspaper and sphagnum media make it difficult to control the proper amount of dampness. Usually, we tend to keep the media too damp because we are too nurturing of our cuttings, resulting in mold and gnats. Too little water or forgetting to check daily runs the risk of drying out the moss and killing the cuttings.

Root Riot  was great for rooting but the resulting high death rate after transplanting to cups ( RR acts like a sponge causing the plant to rot) was disappointing.

My DIY bucket propagator looked and worked great but it rotted most of the cuttings. The few roots it produced were spindly and weak.

Coir, on the other hand is a very forgiving medium. It requires minimal dampness and hardly ever needs re-watering during the course of the rooting process. Set it and forget it _Ron Popeil

Another huge advantage to coir is that roots do not get tangled up like in some of the the other methods so there is little to no chance of damaging them during the potting phase. 
Last but not least, I am confident that roots formed in coir are thicker, stronger and more robust compared to those grown in moss or newspaper.

Anyway, that's been my experience.





 

Roots look good.
Do you control the temperature and the humidity some how?
What's your process for transplanting them and growing them out?

Those roots look amazing! I have tried every method you mentioned and failed at all except sphagnum, which I have been very happy with. However, your roots look better than mine. Where can I get it? I just searched homedepot.com and it didn't come up. Hydro shop?

Plain room temperature in covered plastic container.

Usual transplanting method to 32 ounce cups of Promix.


Yes, you can get coir at any hydroponic shop or have it delivered from Amazon.

Thanks for the write-up, Frank.  You've convinced me to try it.

Frank,

Is this the right stuff?  Do you think it's enough to root 2-3 cuttings?  Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10oz-Hydroponic-Growing-Media-Coconut-Fiber-Coco-Coir-Organic-Peat-Greenhouse-/141352285158?pt=Planters_Pots&hash=item20e940b3e6

Coir is sometimes in pet shops for amphibian bedding, too.

Thanks for showing this method Frank!
Is that Ponte Tresa? If so you've beaten me and i would be pretty disappointed haha.

I've never tried coir but I heard rave reviews about it at the trade shows last winter. Your roots do look great but I try not to let them get that big before up-potting. (From sphagnum moss). I'm looking for a direct potting method. Possibly a Coir / Pro Mix HP blend. I'm going to try rooting in Coir and direct potting next spring.

I seem to remember that there is a grade of coir that should be avoided for plant media - perhaps because of it brings the pH too high or low?  If anyone knows anything about this please chime in.  Getting the grade they recommend at a hydroponic store is probably a good bet.

[QUOTE=FiggyFrank]Frank,

Is this the right stuff?  Do you think it's enough to root 2-3 cuttings?  Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10oz-Hydroponic-Growing-Media-Coconut-Fiber-Coco-Coir-Organic-Peat-Greenhouse-/141352285158?pt=Planters_Pots&hash=item20e940b3e6[/QUOTE]

That should be fine for a few cuttings, Frank. Hydrating these bricks really expands them to much larger volumes. Good luck.

I think that some readily available 'seed starting' products are coir, like this one from Burpee:
http://www.burpee.com/seed-starting/seed-starting-mixes/concentrated-seed-starting-mix-prod002893.html;jsessionid=B8E2D0C408F027A76C9B650E8E411824.node5?omn2pd=bz&catId=2210&trail=

I saw these at local Lowes, other stores this spring.   I have not tried using them, yet.

[QUOTE=RobSter010]Thanks for showing this method Frank!
Is that Ponte Tresa? If so you've beaten me and i would be pretty disappointed haha.[/QUOTE]

I wish that were so, Rob. 
The one pictured is one of the last of the Mykonos cuttings. It took a while but it has finally burst out with roots.

The PT's are biding their time but I am sure they will also burst out soon.

Frank, Very helpful thanks for posting. How do you hydrate the coir? Do you soak in water and squeeze out the excess? What has been your method for attaining the right moisture level? What size container are you using? Thanks, LE

Nice looking roots!  Ok, now I have to try coir.

Hi Leon, thanks for the comment. I guestimate the amount of water I add to the coir. It's hard to over do it. Mildly damp coir seems to work well. The container in the picture is 12 x8 x3 inches but you can use any size really. Unless the rooting process takes more than 6 weeks, the coir doesn't usually need any further hydration.

Thanks for posting this frank. I think I'm gonna try this this year. From my experience with buying the stuff for pets, pet stores will usually be a bit more expensive, amazon is a lot cheaper.

Look amazing. It's nice how new methods of rooting these plants keeps coming forward. Sometime I believe it's part of the fig's plans to keep their genes going.

I still remember when Ultimate Potting Mix was the thing to use.

Frank,
Thanks for sharing the info and pictures. I'm also a Coco Coir advocate for rooting and growing out healthy cuttings.
.


Steve,
The Coir fines should be specifically processed for plant potting mix, otherwise there may be problems with both salts and pH. The Coir starts out with ~ 5.5 pH which works well for dormant cuttings, because it reduces microbial growth. I use Plant-It Coco Coir Fines distributed by Hydrofarm... a popular Hydroponics manufacturer. I've also used the Burpee Organic Coir seed starting mix and it worked as well, but was not available locally this past season. My local Hydroponics store, The Grow Room, http://www.thegrowroom.com/ has Canna Coco which is also specifically processed for plants.

^^^ Those roots!! 

Looks great Frank.Would get my brother to try the coir method. He is in similar zone -- tropics.

Hey Frank, thanks for posting! You Da Man! Will have to try that stuff! : )

[QUOTE=ascpete]Frank,
Thanks for sharing the info and pictures. I'm also a Coco Coir advocate for rooting and growing out healthy cuttings.
.


Steve,
The Coir fines should be specifically processed for plant potting mix, otherwise there may be problems with both salts and pH. The Coir starts out with ~ 5.5 pH which works well for dormant cuttings, because it reduces microbial growth. I use Plant-It Coco Coir Fines distributed by Hydrofarm... a popular Hydroponics manufacturer. I've also used the Burpee Organic Coir seed starting mix and it worked as well, but was not available locally this past season. My local Hydroponics store, The Grow Room, http://www.thegrowroom.com/ has Canna Coco which is also specifically processed for plants.[/QUOTE]

Good looking roots

I was at the Grow Room yesterday. Bought another stack of 20 gal Grow Pro pots

Frank, I just received this coir block: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MOD2HY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Could you please tell me how to hydrate it for rooting? Is it basically the same as moss? Soak it in a bucket of water, strain it, then squeeze it until you can barely get another drop out? 

[QUOTE=ascpete]Frank,
Thanks for sharing the info and pictures. I'm also a Coco Coir advocate for rooting and growing out healthy cuttings.
.


Steve,
The Coir fines should be specifically processed for plant potting mix, otherwise there may be problems with both salts and pH. The Coir starts out with ~ 5.5 pH which works well for dormant cuttings, because it reduces microbial growth. I use Plant-It Coco Coir Fines distributed by Hydrofarm... a popular Hydroponics manufacturer. I've also used the Burpee Organic Coir seed starting mix and it worked as well, but was not available locally this past season. My local Hydroponics store, The Grow Room, http://www.thegrowroom.com/ has Canna Coco which is also specifically processed for plants.[/QUOTE]

Yeap, same here. Been rooting in the coco since the Spring and very happy! Just in a transparent shoe box, opening once every few days for the roots and getting some fresh air in. Coco has a very nice hydro qualities that are suitable for figs.

[QUOTE=cyberfarmer]Frank, I just received this coir block: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MOD2HY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Could you please tell me how to hydrate it for rooting? Is it basically the same as moss? Soak it in a bucket of water, strain it, then squeeze it until you can barely get another drop out? [/QUOTE] Yes, that's pretty much all you need to do. You will find that it rarely needs to be wrung out. Coir can absorb quite a bit of water without getting overly saturated. It is the forgiving medium. Glad some of you are giving it a try. Please post pictures of your successes when available.

Ascpete,
Could you root in cups and just leave them in there until they are ready to up-pot? Would it be beneficial to hydrate with a water soluble fert if one were planning on leaving them in there for a while?

ADelmanto,
My current preferred procedure for dormant cuttings is to root directly in 2 Liter SIPs which are kept above 70*F and 85% RH, yes they can be rooted directly in cups or pots.
I hydrate the Coco Coir with a dilute water soluble fertilizer @ 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of warm water at the required amount on the Coir instructions. The rooted cuttings usually outgrow the SIP within 3 months.

IMO, the usual problems of over or under watering occur when standard cups or containers and normal top watering procedures are used.

I just pick this up always like to try new ways to root.................

 

Made of 100% pure compressed coconut husks, Roots Organics Coco Fiber is a terrific addition to your planting mixes, possessing a near perfect natural pH level of 5.2-6.3 for ideal nutrient plant intake.

Coconut husks are aged and composted for 2 years, shredded and carefully washed to remove sodium. Specifically designed for an optimum air to water ratio.

Available size: 5 Kilo Compressed Bale (12-1/2″W x 12-3/4″H x 5-1/4″ D)

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
Soak compressed bale in water to expand. One 5-kilo bale makes around 2 cubic feet or 16 gallons (65-70 liters) of expanded media.

I always get loads of mold when I try rooting in moss. I gave up.

No mold………. yet.






I tried these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161283420988?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

so coir is like dirt 

no, like bark

Impressive root system going on there.  Thanks for the writeup, Frank.  Sounds like coir is definitely worth a try.

http://youtu.be/c-RBaUmW2aE

[video]http://youtu.be/sdaLmnNhZMU[/video]

Fully covering the cuttings in coir gives better results.

The one pictured is a precious one indeed! Thank you Rob Ster for uniting me with my Ponte Tresa.

thanks for the video

I bought a brick of coir a couple weeks ago.  Looking forward to trying it out soon.

I imagine rooting directly in cups with coir should work right?

Travis, I haven't tried it but see no reason why it shouldn't.

I'm new at this so take anything I say whit a grain of salt.
Last march i put some cuttings in cups, and I had some single nodes left over from trimming the cutting, not to let them go to waist I put them in cups just like the cuttings. To my surprise the rate of success was better whit single nodes then the regular cuttings. I am assuming the reason being the single nodes were not as close to the bottom of the cups and did not drown from over watering? Like I said I am new at this, so please take that in consideration.

Here is mine rooted in coco. It will be repotted in a cup with coco+perlite mix and be kept outside.
The easy part is over and another celebration would be at a 3 months mark!

 

Looking good Frank! Glad i could help!
Here's a pic of my Ponte Tresa's slightly ahead of yours.  

Rob

OK now I know what to do with all the coir I bought.  Now if I can just find it again...  I think right after the move (Black Friday) I'm going to start a few cuttings.

@ Igor and Rob

great work guys!!!

I under estimated how far this stuff will go. Is there a way to store leftover coir, after its been soaked and squeezed? Will it still be viable come spring time?

Yes it will be good. It is used as reusable soil to grow cut flowers in. After the crop is harvested, the coir is steamed, sieved to remove root debrie and is then reused.

[QUOTE=indestructible87]I under estimated how far this stuff will go. Is there a way to store leftover coir, after its been soaked and squeezed? Will it still be viable come spring time? [/QUOTE]

I asked (Frank) FMD this question and he says he microwaves it before using it again to renew it.  He's had no problems.  But with anything, YMMV.

Just bought a few bricks today can't wait!

hi fmd
just curious to know what variety of fig  you have pictured under your name?