Rooting with bottom heat

[Blackfoot12]

I have recently been rooting with coco coir in a tupperware containers which are on top of a heat mat. There is a thermosat control inserted into the coir. The room is at about 67 Deg (Its in my basement) and I am keeping the coco coir at 74. Its about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2" of coir. I have noticed that after about 10 days the bottom of the coir actually gets dried out and the top is more wet. Basically the moisture is forced to the top leaving the bottom very dry. Anybody know if this should cause a problem? I try to keep the cuttings evenly suspended in the midlayer. I realize this situation would not happen if the ambient temp in the room were 74 Deg but I cannot do that. Thanks.

[Rafaelissimmo]

You can try coir in a cup rather than tupperware. I noticed similar things myself. I am basically turned off by the tupperware option, use a humidity chamber with a mat below, I've never had layers dry out in that environment, also I like to see the roots in the cup, I have trouble up-potting direct from tupperware as well.

[Taverna78]

Raise rooting container off the mat. Tis happen me too last year. Keep about inch of space between. If is drying out is getting too hot

[growcrazie]

I also use humidity chamber, I have never used coir, I use perlite

[Blackfoot12]

Thank you for the replies. For now I am going to try to raise it up an inch off the mat as Taverna has recommended. I do have a humidity chamber but I would have to have another to keep the tupperware in. I currently am rooting 12 varieties out of 27 varieties (if you include the unknowns I have) I have procured cuttings for. So, I am trying a variety of methods. For me, the coco coir in the tupperware has worked better than anything else. The other methods have worked also to some degree or another but there has been a noticeable advantage for me with the coco coir.

[Erick]

There is alot of information on this thread, Grow Lights for Propagating Fig Cuttings..
Hope this will help you out..

[fruitnut]

If you had a light or other heat source on top to even out the temperature then moisture migration would be reduced. Water will move from warm to cold. Even that out and you'll have less water movement.

[Taverna78]

I think for right now heat is really no a factor of you have laundry room that stays warm. I have all my rooting shoebox on shelf with lid on and no heat source besides ambient room temp. Is about 70 in there. Door close light off and cuttings are rooting fine. Heat mat only if you can't get room over 70. If you leave bin lid on it will cause humidity and they will be fine. Just air out few min daily.

[Blackfoot12]

Ha. My wife already is chasing me around the house about the figs setup rooting. Put figs rooting in her laundry room? No no no. I have to engineer another solution...or hypnotize my wife when she asleep. Hmmm. No, I need to engineer another solution.

[COGardener]

Subliminal messages while she sleeps, soft music playing in the background with a soothing voice saying figs are good, figs are great, figs are better than chocolate cake..... get more figs....

[Taverna78]

Okay i do tis last year too. I used 30 gal Rubbermaid. Put heat mat under Rubbermaid directly under it because is little curve in bottom of it. Then I use drop ceiling light protector grate (cut to fit bottom of Rubbermaid ) then put water in bottom of Rubbermaid below the grate. Stack you small Tupperware containers in the big Rubbermaid TOPS OFF stagger stack so no on top of eachother directly on moss and lock lid of Rubbermaid. Now all is warm. Humid. One mat and you keep you big Jim and the twins safe of wife!