Aeroponics for rooting cuttings (water rooting)

[The Greek]

Water rooting has been my go-to method for years. I learned from my uncles in Greece, as that is the only way they root (the "old Greek man" method, lol). I also learned some great tips from my friend @goodnessatlanta, who is also an experienced pro at various water rooting methods.

Here are just some of the advantages of water rooting vs other methods:

• Consistent moisture levels
• No fungus gnats, perfect for winter rooting!
• Typically faster rooting times vs other methods (roughly 50% less time to root, if using all of my steps)
• Minimal equipment needed (can get started for around $50, or less if you DIY build)
• Minimal maintenance/monitoring
• Root growth visibility
• Less risk of drying out

DISADVANTAGES (followed by solutions to counter each one)
Here are just some of the disadvantages of water rooting vs other methods:

• Limited Nutrients: Water lacks the nutrients that soil provides, leading to weaker root systems and slower growth.
• Risk of Rotting: Cuttings in water are prone to bacterial or fungal infections, especially if the water isn't changed regularly.
• Transition Issues: Roots developed in water are often fragile and struggle to adapt when transplanted to soil, causing transplant shock

SOLUTIONS TO DISADVANTAGES:

• Use additives in the water to provide sufficient nutrients
• Change water every 3-7 days to avoid infections
• Patience! Wait a bit longer for roots to mature/harden before transplanting (dark yellow or brown roots are best)

I had about 30+ folks private message me asking to share my tips and experiences so far, so I wrote up this document (YouTube video coming soon!):

Water Rooting Guide by Costa the Greek

I don't claim 100% success rates, nor perfection (I average 70-80%), and would love to hear others' experiences with water rooting, to help each other improve!

P.S. the 4th picture with the tape measure - yes that is a tiny 4-inch cutting with nearly 2-foot long roots!

 

[ktrain]

Excellent write up Sir.
I did try water rooting early on using a few different methods, but my success rate was fairly low and gave up soon after starting.
Maybe I give your steps a try and see how it goes.

Thanks for posting

 

[The Greek]

To clarify, water rooting is my go-to method from October to March, since I can only do it indoors. For May-August, I prefer rooting outdoors - either in-ground or in plastic cups filled with DE. However, around 80% of all my rooting is done in the winter, thus my obsession with water rooting, lol

 

[Figless]

@The Greek Just a suggestion adding sodium silicate would likely thicken The Roots. It is sometimes used as an additive by hemp cloners. Because commercial hemp cloning operations typically involved much higher numbers of clones produced, they do get lots more experience then fig cutting cloners. When I used to do such cloning operations I would typically add a sodium silicate product. You must follow the directions carefully or the sodium silicate will clot. There is a tendency to create some brittleness to the growth both in Roots, and top growth. I feel it is more than offset by the thickness of the growth produced. I am providing a link to a GroTech product but honestly most of the sodium silicate products for sale are very good. My favorite used to be Silica Blast. Professional hemp Growers often consider silica to be nearly as important as NPK, or now calcium which has emerged has a very key ingredient. Easily eclipsing magnesium in its importance. The Roots produced by sodium silicate introduction can be three or more times as thick as roots induced and grown without this key additive.

Grotek Gro-Silic, 500ml – Gro Indoor

Grotek Gro-Silic, 500ml

Grotek Product Documents Grotek Gro-Silic MSDS Grotek Gro-Silic Feed Chart Grotek Gro-Silic is a concentrated liquid silicon supplement suitable for soilless and hydroponic systems. This plant-available form of silicon helps improve plant growth and quality, in part by hardening cell walls...

groindoor.com

I just provided this link as a informative tool I don't recommend any particular sodium silicate product, but this is a good one.

One last note adjusting the pH in water aeroponics and hydroponics Solutions is key. You really must do it to achieve success. Buying the water droplet pH test kit and pH Up and Down should not set you back more than $30. The water droplet pH test kit usually sells for $10 by itself. It's way more useful then the expensive PH meters which often go out of calibration.

 

[The Greek]

@The Greek Just a suggestion adding sodium silicate would likely thicken The Roots. It is sometimes used as an additive by hemp cloners. Because commercial hemp cloning operations typically involved much higher numbers of clones produced, they do get lots more experience then fig cutting cloners. When I used to do such cloning operations I would typically add a sodium silicate product. You must follow the directions carefully or the sodium silicate will clot. There is a tendency to create some brittleness to the growth both in Roots, and top growth. I feel it is more than offset by the thickness of the growth produced. I am providing a link to a GroTech product but honestly most of the sodium silicate products for sale are very good. My favorite used to be Silica Blast. Professional hemp Growers often consider silica to be nearly as important as NPK, or now calcium which has emerged has a very key ingredient. Easily eclipsing magnesium in its importance. The Roots produced by sodium silicate introduction can be three or more times as thick as roots induced and grown without this key additive.

Grotek Gro-Silic, 500ml – Gro Indoor

Grotek Gro-Silic, 500ml

Grotek Product Documents Grotek Gro-Silic MSDS Grotek Gro-Silic Feed Chart Grotek Gro-Silic is a concentrated liquid silicon supplement suitable for soilless and hydroponic systems. This plant-available form of silicon helps improve plant growth and quality, in part by hardening cell walls...

groindoor.com

I just provided this link as a informative tool I don't recommend any particular sodium silicate product, but this is a good one.

One last note adjusting the pH in water aeroponics and hydroponics Solutions is key. You really must do it to achieve success. Buying the water droplet pH test kit and pH Up and Down should not set you back more than $30. The water droplet pH test kit usually sells for $10 by itself. It's way more useful then the expensive PH meters which often go out of calibration.

Excellent tips on pH testing and adding silica to the water! I have tons of Silica Blast that I use for my trees, so maybe I will start with that for my first experiment.

 

[Figless]

Heavy Fruit loaded trees might appreciate holding off on the Silica Blast at some point so there isn't any branch brittleness near Harvest Time when the branches weight will be heaviest
LOL I hadn't thought about adding sodium silicate to fruit trees.

 

[2Angels]

That is interesting and a good write up.

 

[The Greek]

@Figless I assume 6.0 is the desired optimal pH level. What would you recommend using to adjust the level to reach that target?

 

[Figless]

I would go with General Hydroponics pH Up and Down. Mostly because you should be able to buy a small $10 bottle of each from your local hydroponics store. But any pH Up, and Ph down will work for you. Just remember to purchase a pH water droplet test kit. Try to find the small one that includes the testing vial. That one only cost 10 bucks. If you get the bigger bottle it will tend to go bad on you over the length of time it will take to use it up. As always I recommend staying away from PH soil meters. They are a waste of money. They also go out of calibration all the time. The pH neutral water will defeat the pH of the soil unless there's a really big imbalance of the pH of the soil. You will likely be amazed at the difference in growth of your fig trees when they're fertilizer mix is properly pH neutral.