Plug-n-Play Method

R

RedSkip

Well-known member
I just wanted to give a huge thank you to @Italian4u for taking the time to share his rooting technique in such clear detail. He didn’t just provide me with a method; but also stuck around to answer a ton of follow‑up questions and explain the “why” behind each step, which is incredibly generous. If you are interested in watching his process, instead of reading my chicken-scratch notes, check out his YouTube - TheFigfather89 <----here.

Italian4u's Plug-n-Play method:
  • Place freshly cut cuttings in Root Riot plugs with a thin layer of rooting hormone.
  • Double bag using sandwich baggies (old school style with the flap)
  • Secure the baggie using a rubber band around the stem to keep them water tight.
  • Place in a 78F water bath, using a temperature controlled heat mat.
    • Distilled water should be used to eliminate the potential for algae growth
  • Place in a warm dark place and forget about them for 2-4 weeks, checking every 3-5 days.
    • I had single roots starting in 8 days.
  • Once heavily rooted, use a knife/scissors and remove the baggies by cutting the rubber band.
  • Fill a tree pot with hydrated ProMix (60% by weight of ProMix and 40% by weight of water)
    • I utilized 1/4 strength MG AP fertilizer in my 5 gallons of distilled water.
    • Additionally, I utilized Sunshine Mix #4, as I couldn't find ProMix locally.
  • Once removed from the baggies, give them a dip in 1/4 strength MG AP fertilizer solution for 1 second, 3x.
  • Sprinkle the root ball with mycorrhizae (Mykos, Great White, etc.)
    • I added this step, hopefully it won't bite me.
  • It's recommended to use a shot glass as a dibbler to make a depression in the hydrated media, as to not damage the root ball.
    • I don't have a shot glass, so I used a Keurig cup, which worked out well.
  • Place rooted cutting in the newly formed depression, backfill with hydrated soil, and weigh it for future watering.
  • Final step is to wrap it in a bag to keep the moisture/humidity in while the young cutting continues to grow - and be patient!
This method was easy to follow once you do it. The hardest part is not checking the cuttings daily. Just wanted to share and say thank you to a very generous forum member...now if we only knew the recipe for the Secret Sauce!
Fig 3.pngFig 1.pngFig 4.pngFig 2.png
 
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Opiem10 said:
I wouldn’t wait 2-4 weeks before checking the moisture level of the Root Riot cubes. They are so small and can dry well within a week. I had several cuttings dry up when I did not check them for two weeks and the cubes were dry.

Now, I check the moisture level every 3-5 days.
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Good catch, I’ll update the post.
 
Yes when you have mastered the process then you can set and forget but when you try this for the first few times I recommend checking every few days as learning how to tie them properly so that moisture does not escape has it’s learning curve. Once you have successfully mastered tying the baggies properly to where you have no moisture loss then you can set and forget but even I who have gotten it down check weekly. Important to note that it is a good ideas to have your planting soil or medium ready and moistened ready to go. From a few roots in the morning to fully colonized by night time depending on the variety can happen. Usually as soon as you see some roots 24-48 hours cube should be filled and time to up-pot do not wait. If you are lucky they all root at the same time but usually some varieties root faster than others so you may upotting up a few here and a few there until the tray is all rooted out and empty. Your two biggest issues will be either a micro hole in the baggie and water getting in and flooding the cutting which would rot out the cutting which is where the double baggie usually knocks that issue out and then the main issue is not getting a proper seal with the rubber bands and the heat from the water bath causing the moisture in the cubes to evaporate out and thus dry out the cutting which would also cause failure. Do not over do it on rooting hormone. Less is more. If using hormodin 3 shake off any access. Do not dip the cutting in water and then powder hormone. It causes to much to cake on the end. If using rooting gel quick dip or paint on with a paint brush and right into the cubes do not let the gel dry on the cutting you want to keep it wet. If using a liquid rooting hormone like dip n grow which is my preferred; dip it and let it sit in there for 3 seconds and then into the cubes. What ever moisture is on the cutting let it be as the cube will absorb that and hold that hormone snug against the cutting.
 
If you catch that some cubes are drying out pull them and re wrap with new baggies and rubber bands. Dip them a few times in distilled water only to plump the cubes back up a bit. Usually 3 dunks at 1 second each does the trick. You may need more dunks or less depending on the state of the cube. When hydrated they are dark. When dry they lighten up to a light brown.
 
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I just rooted 50 cuttings using Antonio’s, aka “The FigFather,” Plug N Play method. Antonio walked me through the entire process from A to Z. I made it a point to follow his directions to a T. The picture below is from Monday, January 23, 2026. I’ve been keeping an eye on the cuttings, checking them every 2–3 days. So far, so good—not a flooded bag and not a dry cube in sight. I’ve tried a few different rooting methods, with success rates ranging from 70% to 90%. Let’s see how many I can get to root using the Plug N Play method. I spent over an hour on the phone with Antonio, and it was nice of him to take the time to walk me through every step. I have 50 cuttings that I did on January 11th, using a different rooting method, and 50 using the plug-n-play method. Let's see which one I will have more success with. Oh, and for all of you that are getting it twisted, Antonio aka Italian4u is THE ORIGINAL, THE REAL TRUE FIGFATHER !!! There are a few impostors out there, so beware of the imitators. Thanks a lot, Antonio, your help was much appreciated!!!
 

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Italian4u said:




Here are some videos I did on how I root. This is my Plug ‘N’ Play method.
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OMG!!! Figfather has his own UTube channel!!! Subscribed!! No more playing second fiddle to MJFigs, Fig Professor, or Fig Talk! I assume that the MJFigs video where he cuts out your voice as you are explaining something was probably the last straw! I don't blame you.....Lol! I think you should update your high school photo on the Utube channel though....lol Congrats!
 
DELFIG said:
OMG!!! Figfather has his own UTube channel!!! Subscribed!! No more playing second fiddle to MJFigs, Fig Professor, or Fig Talk! I assume that the MJFigs video where he cuts out your voice as you are explaining something was probably the last straw! I don't blame you.....Lol! I think you should update your high school photo on the Utube channel though....lol Congrats!
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I was never a second fiddle…I was always a stand alone fiddle lol 😂 the picture is from college in my uncle’s barber chair. My pops prob mad that it wasn’t taken in his barber chair.
 
DELFIG said:
OMG!!! Figfather has his own UTube channel!!! Subscribed!! No more playing second fiddle to MJFigs, Fig Professor, or Fig Talk! I assume that the MJFigs video where he cuts out your voice as you are explaining something was probably the last straw! I don't blame you.....Lol! I think you should update your high school photo on the Utube channel though....lol Congrats!
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glad I’m not the only one who don’t know! Welp I subscribed.
 
Italian4u said:
Sadly that’s what I did last year and sadly got to carried away with it and put a crack in my $60 tote which not got upgraded to Christmas decorations storage with some duck tape lol. 😂
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If you have access, get a "muck bucket" at a farm store. They're a lot stronger and being round aren't as likely to be damaged. I have one that I've been using for 6-7 years. Just keep it out of the sun for long periods.
 
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