Fig Propagation Methods

[heathfarm]

I am not going to lie I SUCK at propagating cuttings. I do really well with air layers but I don't know why I have less than a 50% success rate with cuttings. I watched this video and decided to give it a try. I also did some more fig pops this year. Can any tell me some tricks that would help me be more successful? I have dozens of cuttings and I would really like to have some better success this go round.

 

[heathfarm]

To note, the video I tagged does not use a humidity "dome" they are in the open air.

 

[Figless]

@heathfarm I am also a bit challenged with propagation. I have propagated a lot of cuttings, and I've been pretty much consistent at 70%. Which is not that great a success rate. Part of the problem was scraping my cuttings trying to develop non-differentiated cell matter to turn into adventitious roots. I'm not really sure figs follow that format. The scraping was where I lost a lot of cuttings. Also my good friends who overwinter in apical buds FBM or fig Bud mites. You can get them anywhere in the country because we're mailing cuttings from every state and climate zone. They're easily handled by dipping in wettable Sulfur 1 to 2%. The problem with wettable sulfur is it tends to immediately Clump on the bottom of whatever you're using to hold this sulfur solution in. We use a yucca extract to suspend the sulfur. It works much better that way. If you're using fig pops then you might as well dip rather than spray wettable sulfur especially indoors.. even one application with a dip should take care of the problem if you have it.

 

[ktrain]

I'll have to admit, I don't have that great of luck with fig pops.
I can direct pot all day long though.
Inuse tree pots so you don't get to see the roots.
A lot of people use clear cups for that but it's still direct potting.
So I can help in that regard, but it sounds like you will be fig poopin?

 

[GoodFriendMike]

I have about 90% success with fig pops. That is including up-potting.
I don’t clean cuttings. I don’t treat them.
And I use no hormones.
I just stick them in a pop that is filled with coir only. Electrical tape the bag shut and wax the section of the cutting that sticks out. I even wax the top part of the bag.
It keeps the bugs out.
For me this is the simplest and most effective way I found.

 

[SpiritFarmVa]

For us excess water is almost always the culprit to low success rates of rooting figs.

 

[Trustyfarms]

For us excess water is almost always the culprit to low success rates of rooting figs.

I concur as I had much better results this year with a moist mix more on the dry side that was 200g lighter than last year in a 4x9 tree pot.

 

[Franfig]

@heathfarm I am also a bit challenged with propagation. I have propagated a lot of cuttings, and I've been pretty much consistent at 70%. Which is not that great a success rate. Part of the problem was scraping my cuttings trying to develop non-differentiated cell matter to turn into adventitious roots. I'm not really sure figs follow that format. The scraping was where I lost a lot of cuttings. Also my good friends who overwinter in apical buds FBM or fig Bud mites. You can get them anywhere in the country because we're mailing cuttings from every state and climate zone. They're easily handled by dipping in wettable Sulfur 1 to 2%. The problem with wettable sulfur is it tends to immediately Clump on the bottom of whatever you're using to hold this sulfur solution in. We use a yucca extract to suspend the sulfur. It works much better that way. If you're using fig pops then you might as well dip rather than spray wettable sulfur especially indoors.. even one application with a dip should take care of the problem if you have it.

@heathfarm I am also a bit challenged with propagation. I have propagated a lot of cuttings, and I've been pretty much consistent at 70%. Which is not that great a success rate. Part of the problem was scraping my cuttings trying to develop non-differentiated cell matter to turn into adventitious roots. I'm not really sure figs follow that format. The scraping was where I lost a lot of cuttings. Also my good friends who overwinter in apical buds FBM or fig Bud mites. You can get them anywhere in the country because we're mailing cuttings from every state and climate zone. They're easily handled by dipping in wettable Sulfur 1 to 2%. The problem with wettable sulfur is it tends to immediately Clump on the bottom of whatever you're using to hold this sulfur solution in. We use a yucca extract to suspend the sulfur. It works much better that way. If you're using fig pops then you might as well dip rather than spray wettable sulfur especially indoors.. even one application with a dip should take care of the problem if you have it.

@Figless If you have the cuttings leafed out already and you notice the mites how many treatments of sulfur do you need to apply or is it a once and done?

 

[Opiem10]

I am not going to lie I SUCK at propagating cuttings. I do really well with air layers but I don't know why I have less than a 50% success rate with cuttings. I watched this video and decided to give it a try. I also did some more fig pops this year. Can any tell me some tricks that would help me be more successful? I have dozens of cuttings and I would really like to have some better success this go round.

I have used Mike Kincaid’s outdoor method for several years now. I find the roots formed during this process grow very thick and vigorously. It is important to mist the surface occasionally as well as to check the rooting media for moisture. The bottom heat can quickly dry out a mulch based media. I started a batch on March 1st, in my cold garage, and I began seeing roots and green buds about a week ago.

I started three other batches a week apart, so I should have cuttings ready to go outside throughout the month of April. With this method, there is no need to slowly acclimate cuttings to the outdoor conditions either.

 

[heathfarm]

I'll have to admit, I don't have that great of luck with fig pops.
I can direct pot all day long though.
Inuse tree pots so you don't get to see the roots.
A lot of people use clear cups for that but it's still direct potting.
So I can help in that regard, but it sounds like you will be fig poopin?

I only did a handful of fig pots and the rest are direct pot and no bags over them.

 

[Fishinjunky]

This is how I root cuttings. I got 100% success rate this season.

Thread 'Cuttings grow journal 2025'

Feb 19, 2025

I'm only rooting 4 varieties this season 2 cuttings each. 8 cuttings in total. I'll keep this thread updated with their progress.

Rooting method: Bagged tree pots
Medium: 50% coco 50% perlite
Pot size: 4x9 tree pots
Rooting hormone: Dip n Grow
Tops wrapped with parafilm
lights off until day 19

Varieties:
Pastiliere
Teramo
DTE
Iranian Candy

I Hope everyone's having a successful rooting
season

DAY 1




DAY 19
I turned the grow lights on today. Every cutting is budding out!!





DAY 30
They are all starting to take off.
I...

• Fishinjunky
• Replies: 64
• Forum: Fig Talk

• 
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[Figless]

@heathfarm asked me how many times wettable sulfur would need to be applied to take care of fig bud mites. The system malfunctioned, and erased her question, and my response.

So the answer would be just one time during the propagation process. Then maybe after up potting once again. It might be necessary to apply one more time during the year. You can usually tell your being affected if you see strong FMV symptoms suddenly appear in many places at one time in your orchard. Apply at dusk Outdoors. In a propagation room apply with the T5 or LED lights turned off for 24 hours. Just use a single bulb room light.

 

[Figless]

@heathfarm some further thoughts on the subject.I believe fig Bud mites often mimic over watering failure symptoms. Awareness of this parasite is cyclic. There have been years where it was a number one topic of conversation. Currently it is completely ignored, no one really mentiones it. You will notice no one gave me feedback on my post. If you want to be popular don't bring up the subject LOL. It tends to occur much more often in cuttings that have apical buds where they tend to hang out pesticide protected, or in multi-sprouted Crown cuttings. In those type of cuttings it looks like a mini gall disease. When I say just one application will suffice I mean during the propagation process that's all you'll need. But they're not easily eradicatable so they need to be reapplied a couple times a year. At that time they're not in a sealed cup, or fig pop bag but in an open pot so you'll have to spray them. fig bud mite treatment is kind of like being transported to the Horticultural Dark Ages. I did a thread on this subject of trying dipping rather than spraying of wettable sulfur. I had 34 or so responses in another forum. LOL nobody agreed that dipping was a safe application. I went ahead, and did it anyway with great results. People who I do respect on other subjects quoted well known books from the 1950s that recommended spraying. Wettable sulfur needs to be suspended or it immediately sinks to the bottom of whatever container it's in. In Reading hundreds of posts on the subject I have never seen that mentioned. But if you don't suspend you certainly can't spray or dip effectively. If you Google fig Bud mites the old posts on the subject will pop up. When people checked their Orchards for FBM they often found it back in those days. Remember Don't Spray Outdoors until dusk, indoors no LED lights or t5s for 24 hours.

 

[MC Dub]

I am not going to lie I SUCK at propagating cuttings. I do really well with air layers but I don't know why I have less than a 50% success rate with cuttings. I watched this video and decided to give it a try. I also did some more fig pops this year. Can any tell me some tricks that would help me be more successful? I have dozens of cuttings and I would really like to have some better success this go round.

I'm really poor at this and welcome all the advice I can get. I try to follow videos that I see on YouTube and think that I'm doing everything correctly as they do, but then I often get any rooting at all. For one, I think that I need to be able to fine tune the medium moisture aspect of this. There just seem to be so many "sure thing" methods out there, all which never seem to be a sure thing. Some wrap the tops of their figs, some don't. Some start their rootings in the dark, some put them under lights. Some put their cuttings in plastics bags for humidity reasons after putting the cutting in the medium, some say not to do this. Some use a dry rooting compound, while others swear by the gel. There are just so many opinions out there that it gets very overwhelming because everyone says that they have the "best" method. Personally and based on my experience the fatter cuttings have always done better for me.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

I'm really poor at this and welcome all the advice I can get. I try to follow videos that I see on YouTube and think that I'm doing everything correctly as they do, but then I often get any rooting at all. For one, I think that I need to be able to fine tune the medium moisture aspect of this. There just seem to be so many "sure thing" methods out there, all which never seem to be a sure thing. Some wrap the tops of their figs, some don't. Some start their rootings in the dark, some put them under lights. Some put their cuttings in plastics bags for humidity reasons after putting the cutting in the medium, some say not to do this. There are just so many opinions out there that it gets very overwhelming because everyone says that they have the "best" method.

When I first started rooting fig cutting's. I rotted more than I rooted.
The problem was trying to follow what everyone else said needed to be done.
The best method is what works for you. Some people love water rooting.
I tried it many times. Never had success. This year I went simple. Moist coir in a bag (fig pop).
It is doing very well for me. Will it work for you? I would say yes. But what works for someone else does not always work for you.
Try a few different ways and different amounts of water. As water is the culprit most of the time for failed cuttings.
Either to much or to little.

 

[Figgerlickinggood]

I'll have to admit, I don't have that great of luck with fig pops.
I can direct pot all day long though.
Inuse tree pots so you don't get to see the roots.
A lot of people use clear cups for that but it's still direct potting.
So I can help in that regard, but it sounds like you will be fig poopin?

I never had good success with fig pops either. my best success was with tree pots.

 

[ktrain]

I never had good success with fig pops either. my best success was with tree pots.

Same here. 100%

 

[Red_Sun]

The best medicine for rooting cuttings is the patience. They need the most stable normal environment. The more we pamper them, the more likely they will die.

 

[SpiritFarmVa]

The more we pamper them, the more likely they will die.

100% agree

 

[figologist]

I'm partial to this technique. But mostly because it's my technique and my video.