I'll try water propagation again for sure, I'll see if keeping them on a heating mat works better. Definitely will need to prep for next season when cuttings are a bit more freshly available
Fig cuttings are all molding
- Thread starter tarakona
- Start date
I did get a tree, so I'm not completely empty handed
I used 32 oz cups that worked well. 52 oz should be even better.
superdave336
Well-known member
I need to hurry up and finish the last of my cuttings still in fridge then. Move others started outside. I need more space indoors
RosyPosy
Well-known member
Cuttings mold because the tissue has died or has been otherwise compromised, not because mold is in the air or on a surface. So no amount of sanitizing will affect that. In fact, excess sanitizing is more likely to cause more harm to the cuttings.
You have a few things that can cause mold:
1) The cutting or part of the cutting is no longer viable. Tissue could have been damaged from weather, storage conditions, or dessication.
2) Cuttings can also be damaged from rooting methods. For example, excess heat from heat mats, excess rooting hormone, or improper soil ratio for aeration:water retention. If the tissue has been compromised from one of these, it will mold or rot.
3) Sometimes the soil mix itself molds and it spreads onto the cutting or whatever is organic even if the cutting isn’t damaged. This can happen when heat and humidity amounts are too high. Usually, lowering the heat and increasing air exposure helps to alleviate this and it can still root if caught in time.
The best thing is to consider which of these may apply to your situation. If you are worried about mold, a simple cleaning with soap and cold water will help to remove anything on the surface of the cutting.
Personally, I found that whenever I sanitized my cuttings, I had more issue with mold and rot. So I stopped doing it and it’s been better since. It makes sense when you consider that microbes keep each other in check and by sanitizing, you are removing the good ones while then exposing the cutting to whatever is in the air or soil.
You have a few things that can cause mold:
1) The cutting or part of the cutting is no longer viable. Tissue could have been damaged from weather, storage conditions, or dessication.
2) Cuttings can also be damaged from rooting methods. For example, excess heat from heat mats, excess rooting hormone, or improper soil ratio for aeration:water retention. If the tissue has been compromised from one of these, it will mold or rot.
3) Sometimes the soil mix itself molds and it spreads onto the cutting or whatever is organic even if the cutting isn’t damaged. This can happen when heat and humidity amounts are too high. Usually, lowering the heat and increasing air exposure helps to alleviate this and it can still root if caught in time.
The best thing is to consider which of these may apply to your situation. If you are worried about mold, a simple cleaning with soap and cold water will help to remove anything on the surface of the cutting.
Personally, I found that whenever I sanitized my cuttings, I had more issue with mold and rot. So I stopped doing it and it’s been better since. It makes sense when you consider that microbes keep each other in check and by sanitizing, you are removing the good ones while then exposing the cutting to whatever is in the air or soil.
RosyPosy
Well-known member
This is it here.
As in good or bad ?
RosyPosy
Well-known member
Bad. Clonex is known for causing rot with fig cuttings. Something about the formulation does not agree with them.
(That’s not to say everyone gets rot with it, before someone argues, but it happens often enough that it should not be recommended for figs IMO. Both gel and powdered hormone often cause rot.)
Keep in mind that figs in general do not need rooting hormone and will root very easily without it. It can speed up the process, but usually only by days.
I notice too you said you used a grow tent. It’s possible the humidity and/or heat was too high as well.
I would also consider the age of the cuttings and having likely sat in storage since last fall, depending on the source.
I've been reading some of your articles on figjam, I'm not entirely sure what a substack article is, but I've been recommended yours on treepots.
Would you say using pumice and peat moss would work well as my rooting mix instead of using peat moss/perlite? I have small quarter inch or smaller pumice for bonsai mixes I can use.
You make a lot of good points about the sanitizing cuttings, I've honestly never sanitized a plant before propagation before. I only saw mold in the cuttings themselves not necessarily in the soil medium itself.
I'll try doing a few cuttings as nature intended and a couple washed with soap when I make a next attempt.
Thank you for all the info
I'll definitely try some with out rooting hormone next time, there were some days I noticed a higher humidity level so I left the screened windows open on the tent to help lower it. It is something I'm working on, I could try keeping them in my closet or something.
The amount of information and people who responded was really helpful and definitely is going to change how I try rooting next time!
I believe the source I had was reputable, he said they were cut within a couple days of when I got them. More trials will help me get better at the process.
TorontoJoe
Administrator
I don't sanitize any of my cuttings. Not saying that's correct.. just that it's what I do.
Pictures would be very helpful
Pictures would be very helpful
He's local to Georgia. I'm sure he's on FigFanatics, he had hundreds of varieties and a couple in ground. He had several of his own cuttings rooting next to where he was storing the ones I got. I had 50/50 Peat/Perlite, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to add some Pumice into my next mix for cuttings.
I'll keep trying to root cuttings, it seems like a good thing to get good at lol.
A lot of people have made good points and have mentioned the idea of bad cuttings as well. So it's possible
I'll see if I can take some tomorrow and post them, I put some peroxide on them and increased air flow. Hopefully it'll go down!
JC Figgy
Well-known member
I see, ok. I thought I read somewhere he cut them fresh in April? That would mean they may have received winter cold damage. If they were stored since last winter it’s also possible they aren’t as nice anymore.
That is accurate, they would have been cut in April. We did have some late cold snaps this year
RosyPosy
Well-known member
Substack is a platform for bloggers like Instagram is a platform for “photographers”.
Though Substack has other features to try to fill a gap so that Instagram and Facebook type people can use it too. Hope you find something useful on my site!Yes, I love pumice. It is a great product. Perlite is manmade pumice, so they have some similarities in purpose. But if you get a package of small perlite, it can affect ratios to a degree. Pumice is hardier overall and I just like it so much more. I use it all of the time in rooting and in my potting mix, the figs do well with it.
Hmm… Were the cuttings by chance green or did they have any green growth at the top? I’m wondering since the person said they cut them a few days before you ordered. It is possible that if they were cut from stems that had leafed out, often there is a little stem nub left on the cutting if the leaves were cut off. That little nub can definitely cause mold and rot issues if it’s not removed first. Green growth is also prone to mold/rot when rooting.
I see some others talking about damage from being in winter storage, and I agree with that too. I think the plants really need to be exposed to sunlight after having been stored or protected for winter because that whole situation can cause mold growth. The sunlight and air will “sanitize” the branches and of course growing will help refresh tissues as flow starts again.
Yeah, your best bet is just to try a few different things and see what works for you personally. One’s climate and personal way of tending to things have a bearing on what is best practice. In the meantime, get yourself a tree so you can have figs this summer! Haha
ChicagoFigs
Well-known member
A few things that stand out to me...as someone who has done ample amount of rootings..
Yes you should most definitely do a 10 part water to 1 part bleach mix and soak for about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove, rinse with water completely, air dry for about 20 minutes or so and then get them set.
Hydrogen peroxide simply does not suffice, IMO.
Mold comes from primarily spores, yes, but also if your medium is super wet, they shall rot and mold anyway.
I have never rooted them in a tent and would advise against as there is no airflow there. Airflow is a good thing.
Also, you mention doing water rooting. IMHO, i would advise going down this avenue, specially since you are still mastering the art. Once you are set, you can play that route. The reason i say that is because theres the challenge first of rooting them in the water, but the bigger challenge is to get them to take once you plant them in soil. It's not as as easy.
If the collar of that mold thing is still alive, scrape a teeny tiny layer off the top and perlite or sand so that stays dry.
I'd recommend doing outside on a regular heat mat (if you do the heat mat, make sure it has a thermostat!!!) ... OR.. come summer, you can do it outdoors in the shade once the temps hit 80 regularly. That's like the most premiere time to root cuttings outdoors.
Here is how I did my cuttings with extreme success this season:
Yes you should most definitely do a 10 part water to 1 part bleach mix and soak for about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove, rinse with water completely, air dry for about 20 minutes or so and then get them set.
Hydrogen peroxide simply does not suffice, IMO.
Mold comes from primarily spores, yes, but also if your medium is super wet, they shall rot and mold anyway.
I have never rooted them in a tent and would advise against as there is no airflow there. Airflow is a good thing.
Also, you mention doing water rooting. IMHO, i would advise going down this avenue, specially since you are still mastering the art. Once you are set, you can play that route. The reason i say that is because theres the challenge first of rooting them in the water, but the bigger challenge is to get them to take once you plant them in soil. It's not as as easy.
If the collar of that mold thing is still alive, scrape a teeny tiny layer off the top and perlite or sand so that stays dry.
I'd recommend doing outside on a regular heat mat (if you do the heat mat, make sure it has a thermostat!!!) ... OR.. come summer, you can do it outdoors in the shade once the temps hit 80 regularly. That's like the most premiere time to root cuttings outdoors.
Here is how I did my cuttings with extreme success this season:
JC Figgy
Well-known member
This is why most of us take cuttings once the trees go dormant. For me it’s close to Thanksgiving. If they are taking from potted trees in storage, probably less chances of the cuttings being bad but still could have been with this cold winter we had people still lost trees in storage without adequate emergency heat.
If they took from in ground trees in April… that’s likely why they are molding and likely dead or dying. Fresh cut is only good if it was California, southern Florida, or anywhere else that doesn’t take cold damage.
You mention it seems cuttings from up north taken after December seem to do better.
I think it is likely your suspicion is correct.
I've read many articles written by people having near 100% success rates in rooting fig cuttings cut from the tree between late fall and late winter, storing them in refrigeration for months, then rooting them in late winter or early spring.
Since this works most of the time and for most people, and because it opens up a large window of time between removing the cuttings and beginning the rooting process, it gives fig growers the opportunity to distribute fig cuttings far and wide. It's awesome!
But even if the rooting success rate using this strategy can be near 100 percent when closely following successful protocols I think the timing of removing the cuttings from the tree and how much time passes before the rooting process is initiated might be important to the growth rate and health of the new plant, and the amount of care that must be used to successfully root a cutting. And if the broad window of opportunity between removing the cutting from the tree and initiating the rooting process is exceeded, rooting failure rates might increase, maybe by a lot.
Again, I'm just postulating based upon my experience with grafting, rooting other plants, transplanting and general gardening.
The only experience I have with rooting figs is taking the cutting off the fig tree between May and August, putting the fresh cuttings directly into spring water until the white spots appear where roots will grow (About 6 days) (think I'm hearing from this forum they're called lenticiles), then putting the cuttings into a variety of substrates ranging from directly into the ground in a shaded area as Lou Monti does, to Miracle grow potting soil to a "Pro Mix" rooting substrate that contains only peat and pearlite. I have never used rooting hormone. My rooting success rate has been between 80 and 85 percent across all the different substrates without too much care. And since I can easily get 5 or 10 cuttings off the tree, that is a more than adequate success rate.
In my experience, cuttings taken in early May in zone 8a when the fig tree is raging with vigorous new growth, do much better and produce faster growing plants than when cuttings are removed from the tree in late summer when the fig tree is growing slowly. And even though cuttings taken when the tree is dormant will store better, which maximizes that window of opportunity to distribute the cuttings, there may be optimal, and suboptimal times to remove those dormant or near dormant cuttings from the tree.