Alternative to pinching top growth

[ThaiFigs]

Pinching the top buds of stems can help create a more bushy plant that produces more figs, but the effect is unpredictable.Sometimes many buds below the pinched end open up, but more usually only two or three. Then you have to wait for the new growth to happen, before you pinch again.

Another problem with pinching is that new growth, and the formation of new leaves, comes to a halt on a stem thats been pinched, until those new buds open up.

As an alternative, I tried painting some dormant buds with a Cytokinin cream, in this case 2% BAP in lanolin. In the attached photo I painted the top and bottom buds with the bud cream. The two buds in between were left untouched. 6 days later, you can see the results. This is the first time I tried this. Now that I have, I'll never go back to pinching.

My next test will be to use the cream on cuttings I'm trying to root. Used together with rooting hormone, I hope I'll get a larger percent of cuttings to wake up before mold sets in, a major problem for me here in the tropics.

[ross]

Exciting stuff. What's the brand of cream you use?

[ThaiFigs]

You can make your own. Buy BAP from any tissue culture media supplier. Or do a search for cytokinin on Amazon. Buy lanolin at your favorite drug store. Mix 2% BAP 98% lanolin. Soften lanolin in a bath of hot water then add BAP powder and stir.

[don_sanders]

Very interesting. That could be extremely useful. I have a couple of cuttings that rooted but haven't leafed out yet that this might help.

Is BAP 6-benzylaminopurin? I tried doing a search on bap but just came up with the South Korean hip hop band.

I suppose since it is a plant hormone already in the plants that it is perfectly safe.

Did you try a control group with just the lanolin?

Is the lanolin just to keep it in contact with the bud?

I'm curious to see how the main stem and buds progress.

[don_sanders]

6-Benzylaminopurine, benzyl adenine or BAP

[WillsC]

I'm going to try it. Bought the items last night.

[greenfig]

I wonder how it is different from Keiki used for orchids. I tried it on figs last year but the results were not great, the buds almost did not respond.

There is also this ready to go product marketed for roses:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GMAX7H0/ref=mp_s_a_1_20?qid=1453653212&sr=8-20-spons&pi=AC_SX220_SY330_QL65&keywords=cytokinin&psc=1

Maybe it can work for figs?

[COGardener]

Wills, perhaps post some links to the items for those having trouble finding them.

[GregMartin]

Anyone know of a hormone that could be applied to get the fruit buds to push out earlier or to get the figs to move past the hold stage?

[COGardener]

That's interesting Greg, great question.

[GregMartin]

I have lots and lots of questions!!!

[COGardener]

As we all should.

[ThaiFigs]

Yes I think they make a similar mix for orchids.

Three things will potentially affect results.

1. Is the B.A.P. concentration high enough? I don't know how stable it is long term, or how reliable some sources of supplies may be. If one source doesn't work, I'd try another.

2. Is the plant getting enough fertilizer, water and light to support new growth? Is the temp warm enough?

3. Are the buds relatively young? I doubt it will work as well on older wood. My trees are about a year old.

No, I didn't try just lanolin, my control was to skip over some buds so I could see if the treatment was responsible for bud break, or it was just natural growth. I did multiple plants, and got a good response from most. I photographed the best response, on some others the buds were opening but still small. Now I've expanded the trial to a much larger sample of figs, and some cuttings as well. So in a week or two I'll be able to make another update. I'd love to hear if others have similar success or not.

[ThaiFigs]

1st week update- I used the bud cream on a wide variety of plants and buds a week ago. It seems to work about half the time, with no particular pattern. The others may still work with a bit more time. All in all I am quite pleasred with the outcome.

[ThaiFigs]

2nd update - I painted it on a cutting I had been trying to root in running water for the last 2 weeks. A cutting that had spent 4 weeks in the mail getting to me, and I wasn't expecting would revive. Both buds on the cutting opened a week after application of the hormone paste.

[WillsC]

Have the BAP and lanolin now, will try it soon

[COGardener]

When does your growing season start Wills?

[WillsC]

Scott,

The figs wake up beginning of March.

[COGardener]

The last couple years mine woke up in March as well. Of course they are in the garage... in pots... so begins the shuffle.

I'm going to put them on a trailer to move in and out this year!

[WillsC]

A trailer would make your life easier.

[COGardener]

Last year, 7 pots was no big deal to drag in and out. This year, a hair over 80 is going to be an ordeal, the trailer will make everything nice and easy.

[Blackfoot12]

Ok, so I got this stuff. ThaiFigs mentions 2% BAP in lanolin. I am guessing that's by weight so 1 gram BAP mixed with 49 Gram Lanolin. If I am wrong please correct me.

[ross]

Did this end up working for others as well?

[jmaler]

I tried KEIKI POWER PRO on woody cuttings in the cloner. In a week or so I noticed changes where I had applied the stuff. My next experiment is to buy lanolin and apply it to see if it has any effect. Maybe the lanolin softens the old hard wood so the bud can push up with less energy.

[don_sanders]

Not a very good test but I tried some on six cuttings that had roots but weren't leafing out. Five out of six leafed out within a week after that but not were I applied the BAP mixture. The sixth still has not leafed out. Hard to say if they would have leafed out anyway. Need to run some more tests.

I mixed up 100g which should last forever so I have some BAP left. I could probably send a couple 2-3g packs in a letter for $5 if someone is looking for some. I wonder what the post office's stance is on sending white powder in an envelope these days. Hah.

[Blackfoot12]

I tried some on cuttings. I really can't say it has helped. I don't think it hurts. The real test is when the next Black Bethlehem cutting roots. For some darn reason I cannot get these to push buds out. No problem getting roots but this is the sixth cutting from two different sources that produced roots but no bud. I'm starting to take it personally.

[ThaiFigs]

I tried KEIKI POWER PRO on woody cuttings in the cloner. In a week or so I noticed changes where I had applied the stuff. My next experiment is to buy lanolin and apply it to see if it has any effect. Maybe the lanolin softens the old hard wood so the bud can push up with less energy.

Lanolin keeps the powder from washing away.

[don_sanders]

Update : I tried this on a 1.5 year old tree that I wanted branching lower on the stem. After a little over a month, about 50% started growing. All of the new branches seem to be on the side facing the sun. Other trees the same age haven't started branching like this in the old wood. I wasn't scientific enough to try lanolin only. See pic.

[hstark]

OOOH. Good to know, thanks for posting this ThaiFigs! You come up with such great ideas!