Rooting Fig Cuttings
Cleaning or Storing Fig Cuttings
Wash your cuttings well with dish soap and soak them in 5% bleach solution for 15 minutes, then allow them to air dry. Make sure to reapply variety names so the cuttings don’t get mixed up. If cuttings are well lignified, or tree brown, they can be stored in the refrigerator for two or three months, or Spring time at the maximum. If they are green you should start the rooting process right away.
Rooting Cuttings
30% - 40% of fig cuttings will grow if you are rooting correctly.
After cleaning, cut the bottom of the cutting at an angle ¼ inch away from the bottom node with a clean blade. If any wax is left at the bottom, gently scrap the wax off the rest of the sides. You may also choose to scrap or cut a line 1 1/2 inch long from the bottom down, on the opposite side of the node to promote roots. Do not cut or damage the growth nodes.
You may wish to dip the fresh cut end in a rooting hormone, honey, or cinnamon to help prevent bacterial growth.
The bottom 1" to 1" 1/2 may be cut or scraped to provide a larger rooting area.
Be careful not to cut or scrape a rooting node. |
If both sides of your stick are cut, you should know the larger part of the growth node should be pointed down towards the soil with the smaller part of the growth node at the top.
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Substrate
Place in a well-draining substrate. I recommend a seed starting mix or Pro-Mix since they are sterile. Keep soil damp but do not over water. Overwatering and rot is what kills most cuttings.
Make sure to bury one or two growth nodes, but leave an inch or two of soil at the bottom of the container so the fig stick is not sitting in the bottom that is too wet.
Some people water with room temperature chamomile tea which is an anti-bacterial.
Keep at a temperature 74 – 80 degrees with high humidity, I use a heat mat.
If no humidity dome, mist the top daily and only water when pot is lighter in weight.
Over watering and rot are the main reason cuttings fail.
Containers
I often grow cuttings in 4" x 9" tree pots in Pro-Mix to provide plenty of room for root to grow for a long time. Any containers can be used.
I suggest reusing a clear pint deli container or clear cup and adding drainage holes.
When the containers are clear you can see when the roots start growing!
A cutting starting to get roots. The roots can easily be seen in a clear cup.
I place a colored cup of the same size around the clear cup so the roots are not exposed to light.
I place a colored cup of the same size around the clear cup so the roots are not exposed to light.
Pests
When growing fig cuttings, fungus gnats can be a problem. They like to eat the fungus and the center of the fig cuttings. They can be controlled with yellow sticky traps after they hatch. They can also be prevented by using BTI a natural form of larvae control, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis is a natural occurring soil bacteria that prevents larva of gnats and mosquitos from developing. It is non toxic for humans, pets, birds, fish, and other aquatic life.
Wrapping or Waxing
To aid in prevention of evaporation from a cutting, some people wrap the top of their cutting in breathable parafilm grafting tape or dip the ends in wax for storage. New shoots can burst through the thin stretchy layer of tape or the wax. It is not necessary or advised to wrap all of the lignified wood. In humid locations it can be detrimental and provide an area that will grow mold.
One cutting dipped in wax and one not dripped in wax.
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One cutting wrapped in Parafilm Tape the other one is not wrapped.
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Two small figs can be seen on the rooted Sister Madelines's Green Greek fig cutting above.
When you know it is a fig growing and not more leaves pinch it off so all the energy goes into new growth.
If you notice I also have three labels on my cuttings.
Too many people mess up labeling their own cuttings and end up growing trees that they don't know the variety.
Worse people sell or trade figs under the wrong name.
When you know it is a fig growing and not more leaves pinch it off so all the energy goes into new growth.
If you notice I also have three labels on my cuttings.
Too many people mess up labeling their own cuttings and end up growing trees that they don't know the variety.
Worse people sell or trade figs under the wrong name.
A fig cutting started in a clear cup so you can see the roots.
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My dog Oscar with a bunch of rooted Smith fig cuttings.
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Rooted fig cuttings can be washed off to ship bare root in the winter or shipped in a tree pot.
Rooting in Water
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Rooting in Chamomile Tea
Rooting in water is more difficult then rooting in Chamomile Tea.
In water the roots rot more often and you need to change the water every other day.
Rooting in cooled down Chamomile Tea, the tea can last for several weeks before it needs to be change.
The tea has anti bacterial properties that help prevent growth of mold that can kill your cuttings.
I do recommend starting your cuttings in soil.
Rooting in soil the cuttings leaf out faster tend to grow better and do not need repotted.
In water the roots rot more often and you need to change the water every other day.
Rooting in cooled down Chamomile Tea, the tea can last for several weeks before it needs to be change.
The tea has anti bacterial properties that help prevent growth of mold that can kill your cuttings.
I do recommend starting your cuttings in soil.
Rooting in soil the cuttings leaf out faster tend to grow better and do not need repotted.
These cutting have all started to produce roots after sitting in camomile tea for a couple of weeks. I leave the jars on a heat mat in order to keep the water around 78 degrees. I cut the bottom off of net cups to keep the roots from getting tangled and place a neoprene collar in the top of the net cup to hold the cuttings. I shake the jars once a day jar to provide water touching the cuttings. Some of my cuttings do not even touch the water, but will produce roots in the high humidity environment. I normally place a clear bag over the top of the jars so the top of the cuttings are less likely to dry out. Taking the top bags off changes the humidity and can dry out leaves. This needs to be a gradual process when growing any plants because the leaves can dry out rapidly and die. I often mist the leaves that is why the metal Mason Jar rings are no longer on these jars. The metal rings have a tendency to rust if misted.
Net cup and a neoprene collar from a hydroponic store.
Rooting Clematis Cuttings
In the fall I took clematis cuttings, removed all the leaves and stuck them into water held by a neoprene collar in an amber Mason jar and placed them on a heating mat. They developed roots then I added a little fertilizer to the water. Soon this rooted cutting was blooming when there was snow on the ground.
Amber Mason Jars prevent algae from growing on the roots or in the water.
The amber color does make it move difficult to see the roots too.
These cuttings were started in a home made cloner. Made from a container with holes drilled to hold net cups with the bottoms cut out and a neoprene collar. I added water with an aquarium air stone to provide oxogen, and an aquarium heater.
Once roots began to grow, fertilizer was added to the water turning them into hydroponic fig trees.
When they are this size it is easy to pot them into soil or keep growing them into a hydroponic fig tree. Starting figs in hydroponics is not faster than in soil. Once established Hydroponic fig trees grow much faster than fig trees in soil. It is difficult to keep hydroponic fig trees small, fig trees grow really fast.
Once roots began to grow, fertilizer was added to the water turning them into hydroponic fig trees.
When they are this size it is easy to pot them into soil or keep growing them into a hydroponic fig tree. Starting figs in hydroponics is not faster than in soil. Once established Hydroponic fig trees grow much faster than fig trees in soil. It is difficult to keep hydroponic fig trees small, fig trees grow really fast.