How are your cuttings doing?

[SarinaP]

This is my first year trying propagation of any kind, so this is all new to me. Surprisingly, some of the cuttings doing the best for me are freebies that were included in trades: LSU Tiger, Brown Turkey, Jurupa, and Smith. My own Marseilles is doing reeeeally well and I can't wait to share them with my friends and family!

My thicker cuttings are definitely doing better, but it might be because it's so dry in our house, even with a humidifier near the plant shelves.

[Taverna78]

I am start tomorrow to get out of SM and into cups already. Fastest for me so far is kadota's. Big thick cutting has massive roots on them already.

[SarinaP]

Nice!

[Jamie0507]

Awesome Mike! Do you like the SM better than coir? I know you mentioned using coir too, so I'm just curious which one you feel fico likes the best?!

[Taverna78]

Ciao Jamie,

I have only use SM. If is soaked for 24 hour first at least and squeeze out very VERY well and you don't apply too much heat you will never have a problem. It stay perfect moisture and humidity for weeks. Also is very sterile and gnats will no get to cuttings. I am no familiar with anything beside SM.

I also must add I did 50/50 on cuttings CloneX and dip n grow hormones. So far the dip n [email protected] is working much faster but also my cutting wrap in parafilm so tis time roots no form all over the cutting.

[Jamie0507]

Hi Sarina Sounds like your cuttings are doing really well, that's great! What method are you using now out of curiosity? Love to hear what works/doesn't work for other members of the forum and always appreciate the sharing of knowledge & experience

As for me, many of mine are doing pretty well now. This is really the first time I've ever rooted dormant cuttings (did a few active green cuttings this past summer), so I have been learning & experimenting a lot to find which method works best for me. It's a lot of fun & I really do enjoy it.. Except when they rot.. That's no bueno 😭lol! Anyway though I've definitely noticed some varieties are rooting faster than others.. From my first batch (started on 11/15/15) Emerald Strawberry, St. Rita's & Brooklyn White took root within 10-12 days, then followed Black Malta, O'Rourke, Sal's Gene & White Marseilles (took between 15-20 days to show roots). I'm still waiting on 600m Nero, Desert King, Lynhurst White, White Triana, Olympia, Black Beth, Bari, LdA, Ital Black & Ital honey, Unk Carini, panache, & many others (Geez I am only getting sicker with this fig fever lol!!!😱). I did start the latter group in late Nov through just yesterday though so many haven't been in very long at all yet.
Let's just say that many relatives/friends will be gifted a fig tree this holiday season! Lol gotta spread the love/fig fever (hopefully they will stop making fun of me this way & get hooked too lol, I've now officially become a "fig pusher" haha!!)

I'm curious to hear our everyone else is doing too.. Please share your progress with us everyone!

Btw this is a Great topic Sarina if you couldn't already see my enthusiasm!!

[SarinaP]

Thanks for the enthusiasm--yay figs!
I'm using 2 methods: direct potting into cups or 2-liter bottle planters and water rooting. I'm using Miracle Gro Sphagnum Peat mix which is AWESOME, very light and fluffy, and mixing it with basic potting soil. I'm using either a cup with a hole on top or a loose plastic baggie for a humidity dome, so far have now lost only 2 to mold: a really thin Lyndhurst and an LSU Gold. Luckily, I have multiples! The water rooting came about by casually sticking my own Marseilles cutting into a vase at work. It did/is doing REALLY well so now I'm trying one of all my other varieties. Everyone was really nice and traded lots of multiples.

[Jamie0507]

Thank you for sharing your methods Sarina! Wow that's something that your dormant cuttings rooted in just water! I tried that myself with active cuttings & it worked great, but the few I recently tried that were dormant all molded up on me 😩 I guess they may just not have been too healthy to start with, but who knows right? lol! Maybe after I get one of each to root successfully I will give it a try again

[DBJohnson]

November and December are my busiest months with work....so I won't be starting mine until Christmas/New Year timeframe.

[SarinaP]

Looking forward to seeing how you do, neighbor! (kinda neighbor, anyway!)

[DaveL]

Hi Sarina, I started your Marseilles early and while I have no top growth yet, there is more importantly some root growth present. I'm real happy about that. I was going to wait abit on my other cuttings but caved in and started half of them just last week.

[SarinaP]

Wow, you have a great setup! Mine is much more basic!

[Jamie0507]

Heck yah you have a great set up Dave! I'm going to put your set up on my Christmas list to Santa this year I think! It's so organized.. I really like it!

[SarinaP]

This is my first round of cuttings, started on 11/4/15 by the "stick 'em in dirt and see what happens" method. I had a loose sandwich bag over them until the first leaf popped out, about 2, 2.5 weeks, and this week is the first time I've been able to really see the roots against the wall of the planter. I'm going to be potting up this weekend.

[Jamie0507]

Note to self: Stop throwing used soda/juice bottles into the recycling bin! Lol! This is a good idea especially for those cuttings that are too long for a regular cup!

[SarinaP]

Yup, they make great self-watering planters when you wick the cap. I start my seedlings in them in February--tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Virginia is weird for forecasting spring temperatures so I'm always itching to hit the ground running.

[starch]

I have lots of cuttings that I started in a couple of batches (mid October and Early November). All my cuttings were cleaned upon arrival (Soapy water with a toothbrush and then sterilized in a 10% bleach solution). I then wrapped the top 1/2 of the cuttings with either Parafilm or Buddy-Tape (depending on which one I grabbed) to prevent desiccation. Then I cut the bottom of the cuttings to expose the cambium (and I also opted to score the bottom too, there is a debate on the effectiveness of this, although on most of my cuttings I have found a greater density of roots coming out of the score locations). Then I soaked the cuttings in RO water for an hour to hydrate through the exposed cambium. After that I dipped them in a 10:1 diluted Dip-N-Grow solution for about 5 seconds.

I then opted to pre-root in a bag and I did two methods: 1) Moistened long-fibered spagnum (like for orchids) and 2) Moistened coco coir. In both cases I wet the material thoroughly and then wrung it out several times until no more water came out (about as damp as a wet but not dripping sponge). Here is what I found: The cuttings rooted faster and more vigorously with the long-fibered spagnum (probably because there were more air passages). However this was both a blessing and a curse because the roots would get tangled with the spagnum and I would lose a bit of the roots (not a lot, maybe 10%) when I would extricate them from the bag. The rooting in the coir was a little slower, but no root breakage. I think it the end, the advantages and disadvantages of both make either one functionally equivalent.

I pulled the cuttings out of the bag then the roots were 0.25-0.50" long and there were several root initials growing. Not all would be at this stage at the same time (I noticed that the thicker cuttings took 2 weeks longer to get to this same stage than the younger fresher cuttings). So I would take them out in batches.

I did the next stage of rooting in the 3"x8" poly bags (from Uline) with drainage holes cut in the corners. My mix was Promix BX (which is mostly peat) + PlantIt Super Coarse Pearlite. Maybe 50/50. I would put a little mix in the bottom of the bag, insert the cutting gently, and with one hand hold the bag and the cutting with the cutting mostly centered and then filled the bag up with the mix around the cutting. Worked really well. Then I watered them in with RO water mixed with a little bit of water soluble fertilizer.

The cuttings then go into my 'blackhouse' (rubbermaid tub, with lid propped open 0.25" to allow for a little airflow, covered with garbage bags to block light and a heating mat set to 76 F ON / 78 F OFF). These stay in here roughly 2-4 weeks while the root system expands. (see first two pics)

After they sprout some branches, and the root system looks good, I take them out and put them next to some grow lights. I also take them out of the humid environment so that can acclimate to low moisture (I live in the desert after all). I noticed that the leaves that grow in high humidity quickly die when taken to low humidity. But leaves that grow in low humidity (with an established root system) grow very well. See pics 3 and 4 below. The Nero 600 in pic 4 is going great!

Also I am sprouting some fig seeds (thanks Igor!), so hopefully I will get a tasty new variety out of these

[starch]

No problem, happy to share!

[Jamie0507]

Whoa! That is another amazing set-up! You've got some great gadgets on hand.. Putting those on my list to Santa this year as well! Lol! Thanks for the detailed info too, it really helps me out a lot.. As a noob to this hobby, I need all the advice I can get! I was looking for a comparison on SM & coir too so I'm glad you mentioned your experience with both

[starch]

Thanks Jamie, glad it was useful!

[Taverna78]

See tis kadota. 15 day(I think) nothing more or less than how I say to prep root SM. Bin. Root hormone and no touch.

[SarinaP]

Wow--those are doing great!

[Jamie0507]

Wow!!! I need to start soaking my SM up to try this now! They look great Mike! Only the "no touch" part will be very difficult for me to follow! Lol, I can't resist peeking!

[Taverna78]

To peek is okay. Just be careful of possible little root

[Taverna78]

Grazie... Tis easy part....😁

[jmaler]

Nice job, Mike. Good luck on the grow-out.

[Sarahkt]

Pretty good so far. I've been setting up cuttings for rooting as they arrive over the past month. I don't have a fancy set up. Right now cuttings are top-waxed and Parafilmed and in either bags of coir or in holey cups filled with ProMix HP lightly moistened with dilute MG and kept in humidity bins near a space heater. The only disaster has been the loss of two green Galicia Negra cuttings to mold, but a third, lignified one seems to be rooting fine so far.
These are Salce (at 3 wks), Carini Unk. (rooted amazingly fast, at ~1 month), and Chi-Talia (at ~2 wks).

[Sarahkt]

I've put a package or two in the fridge temporarily if I was too busy to root them that day. I do think in general, the shorter the time between pruning and rooting, the better they seem to do with respect to quick rooting. Some varieties are just faster or slower to root. Carini started rooting practically overnight.

One Strawberry Verte cutting I've got rooting as a gift to a family member (trying to bring family over to the dark side, lol) set out small roots just a few days after I cupped it. It was fast -- clip, clean, Parafilm, and cup and then BOOM roots.

[SarinaP]

Did you get roots breaking when you potted up from the cup? My Brown Turkey was throwing out roots left and right and a really long one snapped off when I moved it to the 1-gallon pot. I tried really hard to be gentle but it's almost as if it had stuck itself to the wall of the cup somehow.

[Sarahkt]

Yes, that happens. That's why I would wait until there were a huge amount of roots when the plant is so young. If one or two break, well, at least the plant has plenty more at that point and can recover quickly!

When up-potting any plant, I splay fingers over the top with the cutting between two fingers to keep soil together, invert, and gently flex the container with my other hand until the roots detach from the sides. I still get some breakage but the root system seems to stay more intact.

[jmaler]

Nice looking roots. Maybe you have a magic potion you a keeping from us? Just kidding of course.

[Sarahkt]

Jerry, anxious breathing on them about once a day = magic potion.

Forgot to mention I supplement the dilute MG with extra CO2 from my exhalations of relief whenever I open the bin to check on whether they've grown another 1/16th of an inch! Mostly it's over the last Galicia Negra standing. Really, really want that one in a tree pot outside next year.

[ross]

64 of about 90 of my cuttings have roots showing. Salce, Mary Lane Seedless, Hollier, Sals EL, Preto, LdA & Florea are giving me a little trouble--they either took a long time rooting or still haven't rooted. Ended up losing Nordland & Dr. Monticello to mold. The rest are relatively new. I'm quite pleased.

[Jamie0507]

Nice!

[don_sanders]

My first set of roots are just starting to show. And a shoot just popped out of the sand. Woo-hoo! Hopefully, the rest follow soon. I have some starting to leaf out but no visible roots yet.

[Jamie0507]

Isn't that the best feeling ever when ya find that first root waving at ya? Lol, I know I personally do a little happy dance! Hehe ☺️

[fitzski]

Here's some pictures of my cuttings. These were all started on Nov 15th. I cut the ends, dipped them in 10x solution of dip-n-grow and put them in moist coco coir.

Last picture is my coco coir bin.

I have some others following Tim Clymer's method (direct plant with parafilm in my cool basement). I only started them a week ago so no signs yet of roots/leaves.

[Taverna78]

Exactly set up as mine

[DBJohnson]

I'm seriously feeling like I'm missing the boat...really wish I had been in a position to start at least some of mine. The good news is the supplies to build my seeding/rooting room are on the way. (3 XL seeding heat mats arrived today...first of several packages)

[Taverna78]

If you have the patients to wait to start them you have patients to root them. Cup them. Pot them with no problem because you have patients. Is when you rush you get sloppy

[COGardener]

Don't worry Bryant, it is a bit early to start them anyway. It's hard to overcome the desire to do some gardening while waiting for springs. You have plenty of time and everyone always says that spring rooting is easier than winter rooting.

[Taverna78]

I 100% agree. I started mine early because I have 3 batches before spring I root. In the end I should have about 250 pots. I hope

[SarinaP]

I was wondering if it was too early! Luckily, I have a sunroom that is about 80% windows so I have room for them out there if spring is late. I started direct potting in November, water rooting the first week of December, and I have 1 of each variety left in the fridge. I guess I should start those in February or so then?

[DBJohnson]

I plan to get everything set up to begin either the week between Christmas and New Year or the first week of January. I will use three different methods on my cuttings. Here's the plan:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IdYkz0L91R2or50KroKP7ZhWoH-DMgzVs9CQQT965oY/edit?usp=sharing

[DBJohnson]

While sipping my coffee and perusing the forum, I discovered that I had made a mistake in one of my rooting mix ratios. That's now been corrected on the spreadsheet.

Rooting will be done in the basement. Shelves (both with and without heating mats with thermostats) and lights on timers will be set up shortly. No plans at this time to seal off that part of the basement, but I've been taking notes on the thread where Fabio plans to make a rain forest in his garage...just in case.

I did some rooting in July/August with a bit of success. This is the first time I've done anything with plants on this scale. Am I missing anything?

[Jamie0507]

I think you are going to be very well prepared for rooting once January rolls around Bryant One thing though since you said you did a little rooting in the summer (like me).. Im wondering, will this be your first shot at rooting dormant cuttings? I only ask because this is my first time doing dormant cuttings starting in October.. Boyyy did I learn the hard way that there are little differences that can make (or break!) your success rate! Basically I was treating my cuttings like they were actively growing & lost more than I can remember (maybe I don't want to remember lol).. I had them under bright lights from the start and was misting them.. A LOT.. Which made for early leafing out with no roots & created a mold paradise! Lol! It took me a bit to get my bearings, but now I'm doing much better.. Just finally had my DK throw out roots today after 4 weeks of nada! Woohooo! Lol.. Yah I was a wee bit happy to see them 😉

[DBJohnson]

Jamie0507 A generous forum member gifted me some dormant cuttings in July and another with some fresh cuttings. I had more luck with the dormant than the fresh. Overall, I successfully rooted 13/18...of those that rooted, I think I will likely lose one more due to damage caused during up-potting by a pesky gust of wind and an empty pot (so I might be looking for LSU Purple after this summer).

[Jamie0507]

Nice!! So you will be good to go for sure then come rooting time in January Keep us posted, your plan sounds very interesting & I love to hear updates on how everyone is doing with their cuttings as we go! 😁👍

[jmaler]

Bryant, looks like a good plan. Keep us posted.

[DBJohnson]

Thanks! Will do!

[DBJohnson]

Shelves are set up. Warming mats are in place. Thermostats, Clonex, Pro-Mix, Miracle Gro rooting soil, bulk perlite, plastic bags, and 1-gallon pots arrived today. 4x9 tree pots and trays arrive tomorrow. That will leave just the lights to rig up and I'll be good to go!

[Jamie0507]

Bryant did you happen to post the link somewhere that you ordered your tree pots from? I could have swore you did, but now I'm not seeing it.. I would really like to try them too and looking for a good source

[DBJohnson]

https://www.stuewe.com/products/minitreepots.php

I bought a case of the MT49 pots and 8 of the #6 trays that they go into. The shipping was pretty high, but for me it was worth it to get the pots and tray system since I am starting from scratch.

[Jamie0507]

Thanks a whole bunch Bryant.. I totally agree, sometimes ya just gotta bite the bullet & make that initial investment that will pay off in the end. I definitely feel these tree pots/trays provide many advantages.. I'm seriously considering the purchase.. Thanks again!

[COGardener]

Oh Dang!!!!!

Bryant, it looks like you are preparing to go into full on production!!!!

[DBJohnson]

We were getting the equipment anyway to start our garden plants (almost all are heirlooms)...hoping to grow and can/freeze enough to last the year. My new fig obsession (according to my wife) fits in nicely. :-D

[COGardener]

I grow and process a large amount as well. So I totally understand!

[BrooklynMatty]

Looks great bryant, I think many of us are jealous on the space you have for growing indoors. Kudos and can't wait to see your progress.

Matt

[DBJohnson]

Thanks! Our house has a full basement and I've been using about 1/4 of it for a craft shop (note the table saw). Giving up the space for a bit for growing figs and getting a head start on the garden....well, that's a no-brainer.

[AscPete]

Haven't started my cuttings as yet...