You can propagate fig trees by simply pinning down and burying an offshoot sprout near the base of the tree ("suckers") or by "stooling" - a technique in which you pile good soil around the base of a suckering fig, possibly after nicking the bark on a few shoots, and allow them to root along the buried stem - both of which techniques have the advantage of keeping the rooting piece connected to a supporting mother tree.
That said, the most popular method of propagating figs - and the one that lends itself best to fig swapping and collecting - is by rooting cuttings. Cuttings are taken from established figs, stuck in a sterile potting medium and placed in a protected area out of direct sun and heat until the cutting has grown strong enough roots to transplant.
We "stuck" thousands of cuttings each winter/early spring (usually in February) at the nursery. Over the years, we found our best success rate (well over 90%) came from sticking the cuttings into a 50/50 mixture of sterile perlite/vermiculite - occasionally with a little clean builders sand mixed in. Each piece was placed with at least two nodes* under the surface of the medium.
When possible, or when we needed to speed up rooting, the cuttings were placed on gentle bottom heat, but it was not necessary. The cuttings had filtered light (not direct sun) and were kept in a cool greenhouse (heated for cold nights, no supplemental daytime heating). Once or twice a day, we came through with a hose mister and gently soaked each pot, allowing all excess water to drain away completely. We didn't mist, cover or otherwise pester the cuttings. You can do the same thing on a small scale - just water gently, keep cuttings room temperature, out of direct sunlight and mist when the leaves begin developing.
If the cuttings leaf out before roots have developed, do plan to go over the cuttings with a light mist several times daily. Overwatering and misting, however, can lead to fungal development so be careful! You can also trim any large leaves that develop before the roots have developed by about half to reduce transpiration. Don't remove the leaves entirely, they will feed the developing root system. Just say no to any tiny adventitious figs that develop. Off they go!
A plant cutting - that bit of stem - is on the line between being a living plant or a dead twig. It is imperative that you not allow fungus or other disease organisms to take hold in your propagating setup. Some propagators use rooting hormones. These are unhealthy chemicals for humans and we never found them to be necessary on figs so use sparingly and with caution if you think your cuttings need an extra "boost".
If you would like to compare notes on how some other fig collectors root new trees for their gardens, check out the webpages below:
.09 Acres on Fig Propagation Dave has OUTSTANDING photos! You can't miss by following his instructions.
Ray Givan's webpage on propagation
Ray's Q&A on propagating has some good pointers.
Figs4fun.com on rooting basics
Jon has his own unique technique and he has the experience and success to back it up - well worth a try! Great for folks with less space, I would think And here is a video link that shows the same kind of rooting method:. Youtube on rooting figs in plastic bags
* Nodes are the slightly swollen "rings" at the bud junctures along the stem. On the tree, leaf buds form at these nodes. Generally roots develop at these node points as well. In fact, on older cutting wood, you may see little bumps at the nodes which are the very best root development sites!
That said, the most popular method of propagating figs - and the one that lends itself best to fig swapping and collecting - is by rooting cuttings. Cuttings are taken from established figs, stuck in a sterile potting medium and placed in a protected area out of direct sun and heat until the cutting has grown strong enough roots to transplant.
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| First Year Fig Trees in Covered Hoop House @ Paradise Nursery |
When possible, or when we needed to speed up rooting, the cuttings were placed on gentle bottom heat, but it was not necessary. The cuttings had filtered light (not direct sun) and were kept in a cool greenhouse (heated for cold nights, no supplemental daytime heating). Once or twice a day, we came through with a hose mister and gently soaked each pot, allowing all excess water to drain away completely. We didn't mist, cover or otherwise pester the cuttings. You can do the same thing on a small scale - just water gently, keep cuttings room temperature, out of direct sunlight and mist when the leaves begin developing.
If the cuttings leaf out before roots have developed, do plan to go over the cuttings with a light mist several times daily. Overwatering and misting, however, can lead to fungal development so be careful! You can also trim any large leaves that develop before the roots have developed by about half to reduce transpiration. Don't remove the leaves entirely, they will feed the developing root system. Just say no to any tiny adventitious figs that develop. Off they go!
A plant cutting - that bit of stem - is on the line between being a living plant or a dead twig. It is imperative that you not allow fungus or other disease organisms to take hold in your propagating setup. Some propagators use rooting hormones. These are unhealthy chemicals for humans and we never found them to be necessary on figs so use sparingly and with caution if you think your cuttings need an extra "boost".
If you would like to compare notes on how some other fig collectors root new trees for their gardens, check out the webpages below:
.09 Acres on Fig Propagation Dave has OUTSTANDING photos! You can't miss by following his instructions.
Ray Givan's webpage on propagation
Ray's Q&A on propagating has some good pointers.
Figs4fun.com on rooting basics
Jon has his own unique technique and he has the experience and success to back it up - well worth a try! Great for folks with less space, I would think And here is a video link that shows the same kind of rooting method:. Youtube on rooting figs in plastic bags
* Nodes are the slightly swollen "rings" at the bud junctures along the stem. On the tree, leaf buds form at these nodes. Generally roots develop at these node points as well. In fact, on older cutting wood, you may see little bumps at the nodes which are the very best root development sites!
Your blog is fab find. I want to read it all :)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to find out if you had any more history on the Battaglia Green and where the original mother plant came from. I can be found on the figs4fun or gardenweb forums under the same name. Thanks.
ReplyDelete