Tough Guy

[newnandawg]

In August of last year I started an air layer of Macool. For what ever reason it did not show any roots
before going dormant and being stacked in the garage for winter. In March of this year when I moved
some of the potted plants outside during the shuffle, I separated what I thought was a small dead
limb where the air layer did not take. I removed it from the Rooter Pot and opened up the "Q Plug"
which is similar to a Root Riot Cube but larger. The cutting had one small unhealthy looking root
attached. I placed the cutting into the cup with some damp ProMix HP soil and placed another cup
over it as a humidity dome. I misted the cutting often and after about three weeks a bud began to
appear. Two weeks ago I noticed what appeared to be a root tip and now the cutting has many
roots and the two leaves have opened up. Tough Guy.

[F. Bennett]

I love hearing these stories. It reminds me there's a better chance for survival, rather than death.
Last year I had a Preto cutting that looked dead. I placed it in a SIP, and about mid-summer, it sprouted new trunks. It's a very healthy tree now.

[newnandawg]

Frank, I do also. At times it makes me wonder why rooting cuttings can be so difficult
when you have stories like these two. LOL

[figherder]

Always nice to hear good things like this. Gives me hope for some of the ones that are taking longer to root for me.
I'll share a couple of success stories as well.
Had one last year that took off and then when I uppotted it it died. All the leaves fell off and did nothing. I yanked it out of the 1 gal pot and saw that it still had roots that were healthy and larger than when I up potted it. I just stuck it back in the put and did nothing for 2 months. Its now healthy and vigorous again.
I had some cutting that were about 15 months old, left in the fridge until I could get my rooting method success rate up. Chinese varieties and some were smaller sticks. Rooted and starting to leaf out now.

[AscPete]

Here's my Tough Guy...


An LSU Gold that was originally a small 5 gallon tree that was done in by the polar vortexes of Winter 2013 - 2014. The original tree was dumped on a pile with the potting mix in early Spring 2014. In summer I was up potting a few plants and found one (1) single 1" long white root growing from a live 2" long section that was below the soil line. I potted it up and moved it indoors in an unheated room this past winter. This is a picture of it today, it even has a new shoot (sucker) growing from below the soil line. The only problem now is that I had already eliminated LSU Gold from my "Permanent Inventory"

[F. Bennett]

I just up-rooted my LSU Gold two days ago myself. Plugged a Preto in that spot.

[AscPete]

Mine will be fodder for the "Raffle" at one of the Northeast Fig Gatherings.

[Gina]

Another fig resurrection story. A couple years ago I was given a large Maltese Falcon cutting. (These can be difficult to root, so I've heard). It was long enough so I cut it into two. Both put out leaves, but no roots. One died. The other hung on with leaves but no roots for IIRC, weeks. Then it too died. But it was the special Maltese Falcon... so I left it in the rooting chamber and did not toss it immediately.. and a few weeks later, up came a shoot from near the bottom. Amazing. Never had a cutting that was so 'gone' do that before. Hopefully this year it will have fruit.