My Outdoor Rooting Method Thread

Shaft

Shaft

Member
It's not really the time for it anymore, but @"Figless"#18 requested I post this thread so here it is :) I like to root outside. Here's some images of how I do it. 
Shaft said:
I have a terrible rooting success rate indoors, but I get about 80% or more outside. Just sharing some photos, and inviting some of you to speculate why that may be.
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I use 4x9s generally or 1 gallon containers full of one of three mixes:
  • Pure pine bark
  • Peat moss, perlite, with mycorrhizal fungi and worm castings
  • A 50/50 mixture of the two

Which one is best? I have no idea. I kind of lean towards the pure pine bark to be honest with you. Seems to drain better with better results.

Everything is sitting on pallets which keeps them off the ground (prevents too much moisture in my swamplands).

When weeds grow up in between, I have an empty set of pallets. I'll move everything on one set of pallets to that one, then whipper snip the weeds to pallet level. The next set goes onto this cleaned pallet, and we shuffle them until everything is done. There is always one empty set of pallets on my farm for this reason.

Here are some photos for you degens.

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@"Shaft"#118 I begged shaft to re-post his outdoor method. In which he gets 80% success rate in the right season. For various reasons. I didn't post on it yesterday. I guess I'm like a pitbull puppy these days easily distracted by a squirrel. I didn't get the same outdoor success rate that you did. I don't think that was the fault of your amazing system. I tried to implement your system with Valerie's plastic bag system, and that didn't work out well, plus I was midsummer not spring when I first tried it. I still believe you have the outdoor super system. Especially when you have your 1 gallon pots placed on wooden pallets. @"Figology"#21 your method looks amazing as well. We have a wealth of propagation knowledge on figfanatic.com
 
I have never done any outdoors rooting, I have stuck some in pots and left them to their own devices...only to fail miserably.  lol

I stick to what I'm good at. :)
 
@"Shaft"#118  @"ktrain"#2  My outdoor success rate was very poor 33% using Valerie's shopping bag method. I never have used the Shaft method in Spring with ((Prime Time cuttings)). I recently tried outdoor water propagation with no success rate at all. I'm going to try that indoors next. It's probably getting too late to do outdoor cuttings. Next spring I'm definitely going to do several pallets of 100% @"Shaft"#118 1 gallon outdoor propagation. It just looks so much easier then fig pops, or cup, and lid indoor propagation.
 
@"Shaft"#118. Any chance you could post those early summer wooden forklift pallet pictures with all your early summer cuttings potted up in one gallons. They all look so vibrant  and healthy. Everyone would love to see those outdoor propagation pallets.
 
Man, that brought back good memories of the thrills of seeing new roots and their first leaves. I haven’t rooted any new plants for two seasons.
 
@"Shaft"#118 . Thank you so much for posting those wonderful pictures. I really like you're outdoor propagation system. Next spring I'm spending out the wooden pallets, and putting out my one gallon planters filled with cuttings. I like the set it, and then forget it method of propagation you've developed. I felt so dominated by my indoor cuttings last winter, and early spring. I kept thinking there must be an easier way. The shaft system of outdoor cutting propagation is that way. 

Meanwhile my gardening partner Sean has his father in the hospital this week he's in charge of picking out the organic fertilizers. I am in charge of the synthetics. Give me another week we're ordering soon.
 
No worries and no rush. I'm so far behind on my orders it's crazy. The farm has enough labor for four people but only me :-)
 
@"Shaft"#118 . Do you still have the pictures from last spring's post. The ones from the old house (OF). They were so wonderful. Any chance of posting some of them? I love those spring pictures....
 
Great way to root cuttings outdoors in the Spring/Summer.  I am in New Jersey 7B zone and have placed cuttings directly into the ground like my Italian grandfather used to do.  95% of them root and get leaf growth.  A few years ago I had stuck over 100 various fig cuttings in the soil.  At the end of the season they were dug up and potted and went to sleep in our unheated but attached garage.  This was 4 years ago.  They are all growing today in their 2nd pots and this next season need to be up-potted to 5 gallon pots.  There has been fruit on them the past few years.
 
@"Shaft"#118 
Great pictures shaft. It was your posts and guidance in the old house that made me decide to try outdoor rooting this summer. I loved your pictures, but I like your adventurous Horticultural intuition even more. I'm still following you guys but my eyesight's getting pretty bad..
 
FigMamaJanet said:
Great way to root cuttings outdoors in the Spring/Summer.  I am in New Jersey 7B zone and have placed cuttings directly into the ground like my Italian grandfather used to do.  95% of them root and get leaf growth.  A few years ago I had stuck over 100 various fig cuttings in the soil.  At the end of the season they were dug up and potted and went to sleep in our unheated but attached garage.  This was 4 years ago.  They are all growing today in their 2nd pots and this next season need to be up-potted to 5 gallon pots.  There has been fruit on them the past few years.
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That's awesome! Let the earth do the work for you! I've never rooted a cutting in the ground. Now I want to try. What time of year do you do this?
 

@TorontoJoe, I started the fig cuttings in the ground after any frost - probably after Mother's Day is usually safe then to plant (that's what my father and grandfather always said).  I had mine in a sunny part of the yard with some shade during the day.  Watered them lightly every day - then as needed, especially on very hot days water them more.

Good luck.  It is so much better than growing indoors during the winter.  I always had fungus gnats.  I used grow lights and put near a window in the house.  My problem was, I think I overwatered.  Plus some potting soils have bugs in them.

Outdoors directly in the ground I find that the soil is more natural.

Good luck and keep me posted on how you do in the Spring/Summer.  (We have a ways to do yet :)
 
FigMamaJanet said:

@TorontoJoe, I started the fig cuttings in the ground after any frost - probably after Mother's Day is usually safe then to plant (that's what my father and grandfather always said).  I had mine in a sunny part of the yard with some shade during the day.  Watered them lightly every day - then as needed, especially on very hot days water them more.

Good luck.  It is so much better than growing indoors during the winter.  I always had fungus gnats.  I used grow lights and put near a window in the house.  My problem was, I think I overwatered.  Plus some potting soils have bugs in them.

Outdoors directly in the ground I find that the soil is more natural.

Good luck and keep me posted on how you do in the Spring/Summer.  (We have a ways to do yet :)
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I love it. Thank you!
 
TorontoJoe said:
@"Shaft"#118 

Very cool. I'd appreciate you posting this in the propagation section when you get the time.
https://figfanatic.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=36
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Can we just move it there? That would be fine.

Figless said:
@"Shaft"#118 . Do you still have the pictures from last spring's post. The ones from the old house (OF). They were so wonderful. Any chance of posting some of them? I love those spring pictures....
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I've posted all the photos I have. If you link me to the post with the photos you have in mind I'm happy to post them though.

FigMamaJanet said:
Great way to root cuttings outdoors in the Spring/Summer.  I am in New Jersey 7B zone and have placed cuttings directly into the ground like my Italian grandfather used to do.  95% of them root and get leaf growth.  A few years ago I had stuck over 100 various fig cuttings in the soil.  At the end of the season they were dug up and potted and went to sleep in our unheated but attached garage.  This was 4 years ago.  They are all growing today in their 2nd pots and this next season need to be up-potted to 5 gallon pots.  There has been fruit on them the past few years.
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Do you bury them horizontally or vertically? I've heard of people doing both but the horizontal one makes the most sense to me.
 
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