Hi Kevin, I’ve never found the need for rooting hormone. Do you have a general idea what was causing your failures? What I mean is, were the scions drying out, getting moldy, sending out vegetative growth but no roots, etc? My current rooting method is 100% vermiculite in relatively tall, thin, clear plastic containers (water bottles with top cut off, tall plastic drinking cups, etc.). Wrapping the scions with parafilm is optional but helps prevent scion dehydration if that is a problem. I then “stick” the scions into the containers and water well (they have drainage holes). Once they’ve drained well, I place them all in a clear rubbermaid type container and close it. This container then goes on top of my freezer for some bottom heat. I periodically open the top for ventilation. I’ve had pretty good success using this method with figs and pomegranates. I’ve got some dormant blueberries in there this year as well. All seem to be sending out vegetative growth so far. The clear individual containers also allow me to monitor for roots.
Some good reading and pictures of figs. Thanks.
Thank-you Drew. I know you have a lot more experience with figs than I do, so I sincerely appreciate you manning up and admitting that even with that experience you, too, often have some difficulties getting them to root. And I guess misery really does like company! haha. In other words, if I’m upset at my lack of success, it somehow helps to know others are too! ha ha. That’s just wrong, isn’t it! Anyway, thanks for your honesty. And even at 50% you are doing a lot better than me. But don’t you, too, get a little frustrated with all these articles online saying how figs are so easy to propagate? I often believe that those writing a lot of those articles have never propagated a fig in their life. They have just read other articles saying figs are easy so they repeat it in their article. But if people like you and @Bradybb and other good, sensible people here are also having at least some difficulties, then I just don’t think its as easy as many people outside here suggest.
@bradkairdolf , your question about how/why my cuttings don’t root is an excellent one, but I can’t really answer because I have had just about all the failures you mentioned and more. I’ve had them rot before rooting, I’ve had them get covered in Mold and mildew, I’ve had them just sit there for MONTHS and do nothing at all, I’ve had them grow a lot of vegitative mass but no roots and therefore death comes later, and so on. In many cases I get a bunch of tiny white “root buds” (forgive my inaccurate terminology) form on the stick but never actually form roots. I get that a lot. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that those little white “root buds” that I see around the bottom of the stick (if I leave it in moist dirt or even water) are really not the start of roots at all??? True??? I suspect this may be true because I get those little white bumps a lot of the time but they almost never become roots.
Thanks again everyone. Kevin
Most of my fig rooting failures were related to potting them up too early.
I’ve consoled myself with the saying that you learn more by making mistakes than you do by having beginner’s luck. And making mistakes always makes you a better teacher because you can tell folks all the ways NOT to do it. So we will all be waiting for your book, Kevin. 
You have also hit upon a pet peeve of mine: Internet ‘experts’ or YouTubers showing you how to do something as they are doing it for the first time themselves. Gosh! Do it 10 times THEN video yourself and then I’ll not cut you off mid sentence. Maybe we need a pet peeve topic, LOL.
LOL![quote=“thecityman, post:123, topic:3135”]
But don’t you, too, get a little frustrated with all these articles online saying how figs are so easy to propagate? I
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Yes, some are easy, many are not! Yes, I thought I had it made watching those videos, trying the techniques, and only getting a reality check.
I can give one good tip if using the peat moss in a bin, soak it, then ring it out as much as you can. Makes a mess doing it! One cause of failure is the moss is too wet. It looks not that wet, even when too much water is present. If it drys on you mist it wet. Don’t pour water on it. Some heat is needed too.
Again I obtained a few rare figs cheap, that are expensive, so I’m going to try grafting them.
The funniest thing is I have this one fig El Molino, and the cuttings were very fresh, yet none took. It’s not supposed to be a hard rooting type. When prepping the cuttings, I cut of about 1/2 inch of ends. I took these discs and buried them in a pot. All the El Molino cuttings failed, but one of these discs rooted, no humidity, no parafilm, just in dirt barely watered. Kooky figs! It looks though that this might not be a common fig. It may need a wasp.
Here it is
I can’t stand that either! Trying to make wine and someone wants to show you and tell you as they make it for the first time also, but they don’t tell you till they are just about done. That’s when it’s the worst! Like thanks buddy you just wasted my time.
By way of example (speaking of propagating/rooting things) I was watching someone on YouTube show how to root blueberries from softwood cuttings. After watching it, I thought, “those cuttings don’t have a prayer’s chance in hell of rooting” so I posted a question asking what the take rate was. Zero. He replied that he does it another way now (basically digging up runners). Well why not take that video down and not waste people’s time and resources? I guess it is related to advertising $$.
Is there anyone else still rooting figs the BAGGIE method or just me? I usually get them all rooted.
Tony
Tony, do you have a link where this method is described? Do you always get 100% takes? No matter the fig?
By no mean I am expert just about three and half months in figs rooting. What I will do if your weather stays 50 F plus go ahead and plant in bigger pot but one thing is very important for first up potting “do not disturb the roots” otherwise it will take lot longer to get established these beautiful cuttings. For my understanding these grow very quick and if I want to plant these in the ground I will leave at least in pots for the first season. Good Luck.
Anne,
Does not matter what kind of figs.
They all rooted for me.
Take a gallon ziplock bag and a large moist bounty paper towel and placed halfway in the bag then placed your fig cuttings end part 2 to 3 inches on top of the moist paper towel then fold the paper towel up to cover it to meet the 2 to 3 inches end parts then Ziplock the bag. Placed them in a warm and dark drawer. Every few days opened the ziplock to get fresh air exchanged then ziplock again. I will take a peek in about a week and a half to see any roots formed. I potted the ones with roots or the ones that leafed first in a cup or a one gallon pot. Pretty easy method.
Tony
That’s a lot of figs Tony, do you plan to put any in the ground?
I still do it that way Tony. I’m not a fig junky though. I like them but don’t really care for growing fruit in pots so I try not to mess with them too much. I’ve given more away than I’ve kept. They root well that way as long as they don’t get moldy. Once they start rooting I stick them in Solo cups with potting mix and let them grow until they are large enough to pot up. Then I normally give them away. I have 5 varieties and that’s really all I’m interested in. The only one I’d still like to acquire is RDB.
Hey Speed. I think I have an extra rdb. I’ll double check this weekend and would be happy to send it your way when the weather warms up.
I will grow haft of them in pots and half in-ground.
Tony
@thecityman, don’t worry, I think we’ve all made those mistakes (I certainly have and still do!). I don’t know that I’ve ever had a scion dry out while rooting. I have had plenty with the opposite problem though, too much humidity/water causing mold and rot. As Drew mentioned as well, having heat is also very helpful.
From your description of the problems, I’d watch the water/humidity to make sure you’re not overdoing it (and encouraging mold/rot) and I’d also provide heat if you’re not doing it yet. I like the clear containers so I can watch for roots. I very often have a lot of vegetative growth before roots start forming. I like to see the roots really growing well in the container before I even consider potting up. Even then you have to be careful. I lost a really nice Panache cutting last year because I wasn’t careful enough when potting up. I’ve also lost nice cuttings when acclimating them to ambient conditions and eventually outdoors.
There’s no one right way so just keep at it and I’m sure you’ll find a method that works for you.
Tony I have some fig cuttings arriving, that I will root with your baggie method. I will give them away as gifts. They should be here in a week!
If you don’t want molds, just remember to rinse the fig cuttings with 1:5 bleach and water solution. Air dry them then do your baggie.
Tony