Cuttings Propagation

ETXfigs

ETXfigs

Well-known member
I want to say thank you to @TorontoJoe, @Figless, @Fig Gazer, and anyone else that contributed to giving the new members free cuttings. My first attempt at propagation is a trial and error learning experience. I'm going to show you what I did but for the other new members that haven't tried propagation, I recommend following advice from experienced fig growers. There are knowledgeable people here on the forum and also alot of good videos on YouTube. One channel that comes to mind is Lazy Dog Farms.
When I first got my cuttings I thought that maybe people were making the process more complicated than it needs to be, with the Pro-Mix, heating mats, Coco Coir, etc. Now I realize all those things will increase your success rate. The main thing I will change next time is the medium. I will use Pro-Mix.
I used potting mix from Walmart and I used wood glue on the top ends. I put Perlite on the surface of the soil to prevent gnats from laying eggs, and Solo cups with holes drilled in the bottom. Below is a picture of a few of them. The soil had too much moisture so I cut the sides off the cup so the soil could dry out some. I removed the Perlite and moved them into the garage where there is no gnats and it's warm. It probably looks odd with the sides of the cups cut off but this is my first time and trial and error. Next time I will know what not to do, but I think that cutting the cups has helped them. It's kind of too early to tell but it looks like I may have 7 or 8 out of 12 success rate.

1000006299.jpg

List of the cuttings:
Screenshot_2025-03-31_172040.jpg
 
The race is on, but it's very early to decide which cutting is going to win, and which will lose. It's my belief that new members who receive the free packet, and publicly post a propagation Journal should receive a second chance if they fail. But administrator @TorontoJoe should decide that for us. I just hope new members will publicly post a propagation journal. BTW those cups all look good. The zone of death is near the bottom of the cup I would recommend perlite be at the very bottom. I would also recommend it be perlite # 3. Unfortunately Pro mix is a little light on perlite. I use it myself, but add a bigger chunk perlite, for aeration.
 
Last edited:
Figless said:
The race is on, but it's very early to decide which cutting is going to win, and which will lose. It's my belief that new members who receive the free packet, and publicly post a propagation Journal should receive a second chance if they fail. But administrator @TorontoJoe should decide that for us. I just hope new members will publicly post a propagation journal. BTW those cups all look good. The zone of death is near the bottom of the cup I would recommend perlite be at the very bottom. I would also recommend it be perlite # 3. Unfortunately Pro mix is a little light on perlite. I use it myself, but add a bigger chunk perlite, for aeration.
Click to expand...
I agree on promix being light on perlite, at least what is available in Iowa. Promix Hp is nowhere to be found but the yellow or red bags have almost no perlite in them so I always add in a ton of perlite extra. Sunshine #4 is good also but it is darker so maybe less peat but more coir as it retains more moisture.
 
I have peat moss and I have mg seed starting mix. I will get some Perlite and maybe I can use what I have instead of Pro-mix. I fixed the pic, lol.20250430_081330.jpg
 
@ETXfigs They look great! Even right side up! :LOL:

I used to grow all the time in nothing more than good quality triple mix with maybe 25% added perlite. It worked great.... maybe better than sterile mix.... and it's cheap. I'd still be using it if it didn't make pots so heavy. I would only suggest you sterilize it if you plan to use it indoors.
 
TorontoJoe said:
@ETXfigs They look great! Even right side up! :LOL:

I used to grow all the time in nothing more than good quality triple mix with maybe 25% added perlite. It worked great.... maybe better than sterile mix.... and it's cheap. I'd still be using it if it didn't make pots so heavy. I would only suggest you sterilize it if you plan to use it indoors.
Click to expand...
Funny thing is that the first pic didn't look upside-down to me because the cups are laying on their side flat in the box. I was looking down at them when I took the pic. Now that I look at it, it does look upside-down. Lol
 
To me it isn't the buds or leafs showing it's all about the roots!!! No roots to support that top growth it will eventually die. All of that growth is from the energy stored in the cutting. Good luck
 
Oh Troy Priddy on YouTube has a very good rooting video using figpop method. He suggest using a larvacide and clonex solution to water with. I did it this year and had no issues with gnats. I lost cuttings but that was probably most certainly my error. This is my second year of growing figs.
 
Last edited:
ETXfigs said:
Funny thing is that the first pic didn't look upside-down to me because the cups are laying on their side flat in the box. I was looking down at them when I took the pic. Now that I look at it, it does look upside-down. Lol
Click to expand...

I think it was the perspective of being a bit over top of it... Funny how the brain interprets things sometimes
 
superdave336 said:
Oh Troy Priddy on YouTube has a very good rooting video using figpop method. He suggest using a larvacide and clonex solution to water with. I did it this year and had no issues with gnats. I lost cuttings but that was probably most certainly my error. This is my second year of growing figs.
Click to expand...

Good video. Adding the larvicide from the start is a very good idea.
 
superdave336 said:
To me it isn't the buds or leafs showing it's all about the roots!!! No roots to support that top growth it will eventually die. All of that growth is from the energy stored in the cutting. Good luck
Click to expand...
Yeah, I only see roots on one of them so far. In the second pic, the one on the right has a few roots popping out. That's the Caprifig. I think I will see more roots soon. Atleast 7 of them have green buds or leaves.
 
TorontoJoe said:
I like the custom cup tray :)
Click to expand...
Otherwise the cups fall over when I move them in the wheel barrel. I didn't have a hole saw big enough to cut the circles so I had to us scissors. It kinda collapsed but it still works. The weather here has been 50's at night and 70's in the day. I keep them on the patio in shade or in the garage. If I don't move them out into the sun for a few hours a day they don't ever get any warmth. I don't think it even got to 70 degrees today.
 
Last edited:
ETXfigs said:
Otherwise the cups fall over when I move them in the wheel barrel. I didn't have a hole saw big enough to cut the circles so I had to us scissors. It kinda collapsed but it still works. The weather here has been 50's at night and 70's in the day. I keep them on the patio in shade or in the garage. If I don't move them out into the sun for a few hours a day they don't ever get any warmth. I don't think it even got to 70 degrees today.
Click to expand...
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.
 
Figless said:
The race is on, but it's very early to decide which cutting is going to win, and which will lose. It's my belief that new members who receive the free packet, and publicly post a propagation Journal should receive a second chance if they fail. But administrator @TorontoJoe should decide that for us. I just hope new members will publicly post a propagation journal. BTW those cups all look good. The zone of death is near the bottom of the cup I would recommend perlite be at the very bottom. I would also recommend it be perlite # 3. Unfortunately Pro mix is a little light on perlite. I use it myself, but add a bigger chunk perlite, for aeration.
Click to expand...
I started a few more propagations from my fig trees. I took your advice and put perlite at the bottom. Looking at it now, I think next time I will put more at the bottom. I also added some perlite to the medium. I think @Figgerlickinggood has suggested using these clear cups with the dome. They seem like they will work great. I hope propagating cuttings of new growth will work.

1000006717.jpg
 
I know it is still too early to tell for sure but it's starting to look like I may have 10 out of 12 success rate. This is so cool! I've got 11 fig trees now and these cutting may nearly double the size of my collection. Also I never would have purchased a Caprifig cutting and now I have one growing roots. It's got me excited about learning to pollinate my figs and there are plenty of knowledgeable people here to teach me how.

I like the way these cut open Solo cups are working. I can pull them out and inspect the roots. I can feel the soil and easily tell how moist it is without sticking my finger down through the top. If I think the soil is too wet, I can leave them out of the outer cup and put them in the sun so they dry out some. Here is a couple pics to show what I'm talking about. I want to say thanks again to @TorontoJoe and @Figless and the other members or moderators who donated cuttings.

One of the cuttings that looks like it's not going to make it is LSU Purple. I already have a LSU Purple tree (I purchased after I got the cuttings) and the other one that looks like it won't make it is Olympian, but there is an English Brown Turkey that appears to be growing. I think those two are the same or very similar, so if I had to pick two cuttings not to grow, it would be LSU Purple and Olympian. That's the next best thing to 100% success rate.

20250508_184927.jpg
20250508_184947.jpg
20250509_110930.jpg
 
Last edited:
I am happy for your success. In the next few weeks you will have to give them soluble fertilizer, 1/4 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water. If the cuttings use up the small nutrients in the cuttings and you don't give them soluble fertilizer, they will die. I was glad when I rooted my first cutting in 2017 and I was just giving it water only, I didn't know anything about soluble fertilizer, the cutting died and my joy of rooting the cutting also died.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top