I was recently going through my fig notebook and became really depressed when I realized all the great cuttings that I obtained when I first started out that didn't survive.  These cuttings included VdB, Panachee, Kadota, Green Ischia, Carini, Sal's Corleone and Conadria.  Most of these were obtained from generous forum members for just the cost of postage.

During that time I also had access to a near infinite supply of free unknown local cuttings which I experimented with.  There are many rooting techniques discussed on the forum and for what ever reason a method that one person swears by was a total flop for me.  I am now convinced the major reason for my early failures was over watering.  What I have settled on is using three node cuttings, top end dipped in Gulf wax, bottom dipped in Dip N' Grow (not really sure if it helps but I had bought it so might as well use it), placed directly in a pre-moistened potting mix of 50% ProMix HP and 50% pine fines.  They are placed on a heating mat in a clear storage tote.

There should almost be a mandatory self imposed one year apprentice period where you only play with inexpensive local unknown cuttings.  During this period you can try various rooting techniques and find out what works best for you. 

If I only knew then what I know now I would certainly have a more impressive collection.

Happy Holidays.

[QUOTE=lifigs]I was recently going through my fig notebook and became really depressed when I realized all the great cuttings that I obtained when I first started out that didn't survive.  These cuttings included VdB, Panachee, Kadota, Green Ischia, Carini, Sal's Corleone and Conadria.  Most of these were obtained from generous forum members for just the cost of postage.

During that time I also had access to a near infinite supply of free unknown local cuttings which I experimented with.  There are many rooting techniques discussed on the forum and for what ever reason a method that one person swears by was a total flop for me.  I am now convinced the major reason for my early failures was over watering.  What I have settled on is using three node cuttings, top end dipped in Gulf wax, bottom dipped in Dip N' Grow (not really sure if it helps but I had bought it so might as well use it), placed directly in a pre-moistened potting mix of 50% ProMix HP and 50% pine fines.  They are placed on a heating mat in a clear storage tote.

There should almost be a mandatory self imposed one year apprentice period where you only play with inexpensive local unknown cuttings.  During this period you can try various rooting techniques and find out what works best for you. 

If I only knew then what I know now I would certainly have a more impressive collection.

Happy Holidays.[/QUOTE] I was fortunate in that my father sent me box of Red Greek fig cuttings for me to develop my propagation with. Later I moved on to the less common varities.

It's just a learning curve, you'll get the hang of it and find what works best for you.  

Very good point Bill, I wish I had done the same, practice before losing some hard to get cuttings. This is a good message for the new members that have not tried rooting at this point. A lot of headaches and heartaches could be avoided if we all practiced on easy to get cuttings and there plenty of members willing to gift cuttings and give sound advice.

I probably should have practiced with some more common cuttings first, but I decided to just dive in head first with some less common varieties.  I figured that I dislike duplicating effort when my free time is limited, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I have a green enough thumb to nurture along a batch of cuttings.

[QUOTE=lifigs]There should almost be a mandatory self imposed one year apprentice period where you only play with inexpensive local unknown cuttings. During this period you can try various rooting techniques and find out what works best for you.[/QUOTE]

Amen. When I started my fig hobby, I took about 150 brown turkey cuttings that I harvested myself off a big tree, and I went crazy on them; I tried different rooting methods, different potting soils, different amounts of water, etc. I think it's very useful to do that initially. FYI, I was unable to root a single stick the first year LOL, but the second year, I had like a 95% success rate. You get to learn a lot about rooting by trial and error and all sorts of experimentation. It's fun too.

I couldn't agree more with your thoughts. I practiced on local cuttings first, had deceptive success, and then massacred numerous rare and sometimes expensive cuttings. Then I learned what worked for me. The learning curve can be steep, no doubt. Good luck this year and happy holidays!

I can definitely relate! This year, I'm employing patience and sticking to one rooting method. I set up a grow bin to better control the environment and will do a better job of documenting the process. Most importantly, I will resist the desire to water my cuttings!

Sheila /Zone 8B / Southern California

It's wonderful when you start having a lot of success rooting cuttings.  It's a rite of passage.  The good news is that fig cuttings are a renewable resource.  The more of us that get good at rooting, the more cuttings there are to go around.

You must resist the temptation to think that if a method works for someone else it'll work for you.  There are a thousand unaccounted for variables that make your situation different from theirs..  No matter how great a method is, nothing works for everyone.

For that reason I send people here http://figs4fun.com/basics_Rooting.html  It tells you the principles you need and most people can tweak the new bag method to make it work for them.

Please remember it's not just water, it's also air.  If you want to water your cuttings 3 times per day just use perlite chunks over 1/4" in diameter and you won't hurt anything.  Just add a pinch of peat before every other watering.  As long as the roots have air plus moisture they'll have the opportunity to do well.  Individual cuttings may or may not root but the roots you do get will thrive, as long as a hundred other factors aren't killing them - temperature, insects, overfertilization, etc.

One thing I'd recommend too is to not put all your eggs in one rooting method (that's the right metaphor, isn't it?).

If you get 3 cuttings of a variety, only do 1 at a time. If it fails, modify as needed and try again! Saves on space too.

[QUOTE=Ampersand]not put all your eggs in one rooting method[/QUOTE]

Haha I see where your going with this! Don't put all your cuttings in one bag :)

Don't feel bad. At first I had about 95% success getting cuttings to root, theyre all established now but for a period after that I just couldn't win. First it was mold, then gnats, but whatever doesn't make you go nuts makes you stronger.

Hey guys ,great topic. I think the problem with all the losses is failure to duplicate natural order! I mean we re more or less trying to force grow those cuttings at a time they re supposed do be resting for spring or be dormant! I find it so easy to get a cutting to grow when the weather is already in the 70s or higher! I guess nature tells them it is time to awaken and so they pop roots and then leaves and with a little love and care ,thrive! During fall it is a bit harder to grow but winter is the worst! You have to , first create the right temp then humidity and probably light conditions but you also have to convince those cuttings that it is time to awaken and they are in deep sleep! Just like every other organism they have their sycle,season if you will! This is where our successes of failures lie! Imo sometimes we try a bit to hard, it takes patience and lots of respect to make a fig grow and of course love for the cause! ;)
By the way any old timer gardener will tell you that cloning a fig tree is the easiest thing to do, cut a branch put it in a water bottle in the shade and let it grow roots( in the summer)!