Here’s another one which rooted quick. Emalyn’s Purple rooted in 16 days, while none of the others 4 varieties have done much yet. Scions were $3 each from Fruitwood nursery.
I should mention that I divided most of the cuttings in half. 6 scions made for 11 cuttings. I am rooting 5 in coir and 6 in pots (with parafilm above soil level and rooting hormone below).
@BobVance Are you using bottom heat? I find that rooting at 80°F goes substantially faster than just room temperature.
Yes, I’ve been rooting in a cabinet which has florescent lights attached to the bottom of it. The lights make the bottom of the cabinet warm, into the 85F range. By the time you get into the box at the site of the cutting it is probably around 80F.
here is my cutting room for the figs !i use coco perlite 70/30 and i have 90 % rate ! tem is 82 inside of the dome fig%20room|690x920
here is
Hi,
Some of you might be using my method of rooting cuttings (https://youtu.be/cwPvmG9sK_Y)
To me, pre-rooting in coco coir, still is one of the easiest methods of producing roots and not have to worry about mold, fungus gnats, rotting roots and other problems. This method produces lots of roots, almost unattended, consistently, every time.
Nevertheless, it does have its issues when transitioning from the coco coir to other potting mediums. The new roots might not like the new medium and the change of environment (choice of medium and level of humidity is key).
As a result, the cuttings may stop growing for some time, until they adapt to the new conditions. If the medium is too heavy or too humid, it may even kill the delicate roots and the cutting might die.
So, adequate care is needed when potting up. Both in choosing the right medium and not overwatering the young plants.
This year i am trying to refine that method and ease the transition to the pot, so that this decisive step can be easier to the rooted cuttings, resulting in less problems and healthier plants.
Here’s what i am experimenting with…
In the pots, the 2 lower layers were almost dry (with only the moisture that the mix had in the original bag - slightly damp).
The coco coir, on top, has the same level of moisture of the box were the cuttings were rooting.
When the coco coir on top shows clear signs of dehydration (it changes to a very light color, so its easy to see) and the pot fells very light, i will water very slightly.
I am counting that if i water gently, once a week, for instance, at the sides of the pot, most of the water will trickle down to the lower layers. On some of the pots i will water from below only and suggest for anyone who tends to overwater to do this.
The reason for this, is that, with the new approach, i am leaving all that coco coir around the roots when up potting. If too much water reaches that rootball, the coco coir might act as a sponge and cause problems.
Until now the plants are reacting very well and no signs of the ‘stop and go’ growth situation, they sometimes did, when they were transplanted to the pot with the new medium.
That is to be expected as the transition is much easier for the rooted cuttings, as the roots are almost undisturbed and stay in the same medium they were rooting. When they grow, they find new layers, with different characteristics, with lots of nutrients and have more time to adapt producing a quick growing, healthier plant.
I am doing some cuttings with the old medium only, for comparison.
Someone asked me if it wouldn’t be better to up pot to coco coir to avoid any transition problems. That could be an option, but as the material is inert, you would have to add all the nutrients in liquid form.
I prefer to adapt the plants to other mediums right from that point on.
Hope this is useful to anyone that is trying this method.
removed.
Good videos. I have not tried many rooting methods. With my fig cuttings, This year I just made up a mix of compost + peat moss + sand + wood ash. Wet it down and put it in solo cups with holes around the bottom. Scratch the end of the cutting and apply a little rooting powder and stick in the solo cup. Don’t know how heavy the root growth is, but after 2 weeks the cuttings were starting to leaf. The below image is Kadota Fig cuttings after 3 weeks. I do add a bit of water to each cup once a week. Perhaps I will try your method on my next round of cuttings.
