A Rainbow of fig cuttings

I know I'm not supposed to buy any more varieties but I can't help it. The beauty and color found on different varieties of figs can be so alluring.

1. Binello
2. Sunfire
3. Preto
4. Bordissot Negra Rimada
5. Martienca Rimada

Fig Cuttings from Harvey have arrived

I'm pretty excited about these new cuttings I recently purchased from Harvey on Figaholics.  He offered a ton of varieties at fare prices. In total I picked up 10 varieties. Hopefully I can root them all, since they all look very good.  I want to trial them in the Seattle Weather.

I picked these based loosely from his descriptions on taste and productivity. 

1. Genovese Nero (Robs)
This fig is well known for some controversy due to what appears to be a mix-up somewhere along the line before we received this fig.  This version is a very productive fig with fruits of very large size, some over 150 grams.  Taste is usually pretty good for us.












2. Gros Monstreuse di Lipari
Reported to be an Italian variety which has been grown in California by fig collectors and USDA for several years though a grower in Sicily reported in 2015 that it is mislabeled.  Fruits he provided are much larger.  Regardless, this has been a popular fig as it's productive and fruits are sweet and very flavorful.














3. Igo
This fig was discovered by a collector many years ago near a small town in northern California by the name of Igo.  Our fig originated from Prusch Park where this collector donated many of the varieties grown there.  Some others in the U.S. have a different fig under this name and the source of the mix-up is unknown.  In any event, the fruits of this version are small to medium with a rich flavor and distinct acidity.

















4. Socorro Black
Fig discovered by a friend in Socorro, New Mexico.  For some reason the leaves on our tree did not appear correct in 2014 but now that the tree is mature the leaves were normal.  Fruits in 2014 and 2015 were of very high quality and tree is very productive.















5. Bourjasotte Gris
French variety that has been very productive with medium to large size fruits of excellent quality, sweet and rich flavored.
















6. GM 172
Another fig from Malta and the first fruit was ripe when we returned from vacation but a few days later another fruit was picked that was considered to be very good.  It was very sweet with very good flavor and jammy texture.  Will probably evaluate further in 2016 before discussing a better name with the collector who introduced this fig.















7. Italian 376
One of a series of Italian figs imported by collected Todd Kennedy from Dr. Grassi.  Dr. Grassi had lost his notes so the original names of these Italian varieties have been lost.  This tree has fruited well for us, producing large fruits which are sweet with a good flavor.














8. Florea
Attractive small fig that is sweet with moderately rich flavor. Cold hardy from what I read and extremely productive as well.















9. Malta Purple Red (GM-1)
Introduced from Malta which produces very good-tasting small to medium-sized fruits.  This tree grew slowly for first two years but did very well in 2015 and was very productive. Others may want to try grafting it onto a vigorous rootstock to try to get earlier production.














10. Emalyn's Purple
This variety is a seedling selection discovered by a friend of mine here in California who named it after his wife.  Fruits are medium in size with outstanding flavor and with a nice balance of acidity.  At a gathering of fig enthusiasts in northern California these fruits received high praise



















I'm sure he won't mind me giving him a free plug from me to his site.
http://www.figaholics.com/cuttings.htm

Photos by Harvey at Figaholics.

The Best Way to root Ebay fig cuttings

This is how I treat every new fig cutting. I get a lot of cuttings from Ebay. Through lots of trial and error I've finally developed nice method that ensures high success and maximizes your cuttings.

Rare Fig Cuttings are fruiting

I traded some fig cuttings from a friend of mine across the pond. Vinny. He has a great Youtube channel on his garden. Subscribe to him if you can.

He sent me some great varieties from his neck of the woods. Pellegrino, Jordan, I-208, Ice Crystal, Sugar IR, Turkish black. I'm thankful for such a generous pen pal.

Under the light

After a few weeks I have premature baby figs popping up through the soil. I had to pluck these off to allow the energy to go into rooting.

Update on the Lasagna Fig Rooting Method.

The cuttings in the video were started on 10/1815. This video was made on 11/8/15. So it took about 3 weeks to get the cuttings to this stage. Watch the video to see the results.

If you love figs as much as I do don't forget to join my fig addiction group
Fig Addiction

Results from my "Lasagna Method" for rooting fig cuttings.

There's so many ways to root fig cuttings. This is a video to show you some of my results from my lasagna method of rooting figs.

Read more about it here.

The Lasagna Method - 1-2 Node Fig Rooting Method

I think the fun/challenging part about figs is the fact that you cannot have 100% success with rooting cuttings. So when you do get that 1 success out of many failed attempts, it's such an amazing feeling. It's like being able to hit that perfect drive off the tee or filling up on gas and paying exactly $45 flat and no change. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's a good feeling. I think it's part of the reason why I like, so many other fig enthusiasts, keep trying after many failed attempts at rooting figs. It's to get that elated feeling of success.

This season alone I've gone through hundreds of fig cuttings, and to have to individually cup each cutting is very daunting. So every day I'm literally daydreaming about various ways to root fig cuttings, easily, and productively.

I've tried various ways of rooting fig cuttings and I think I'm getting closer to dialing in a method with a high success rate.

Let's list out all the methods that I know about and my experience with them.

1. Straight into the ground: 
I've planted cuttings straight into the ground and this method has a low% of success but does work in the right conditions. Make sure it is in deep shade with daily watering. Spring and fall are the best times to do this. Summer just bakes the cuttings. Tip cuttings do best for this method.

2. Bag method with the cuttings wrapped in newspaper:
Not my favorite method.  It's the laziest and the cheapest way to root figs. If you clean your cuttings correctly it has a high chance of rooting and not rotting. However the problem is the during the transfer from bag to soil you end up breaking lots of roots.

3. Peat moss method: Never had luck with this. It always went moldy
4. Cup method with just soil: Hit or miss here if you over water you get a rotten fig. The biggest problem sometimes is putting the cutting in upside down.
5. My Oreo Cookie method: Love this method but it's very time consuming to do in large quantities
6. My perlite tunnel method: Still untested
7. Air Layers: tried and true but limited to just plants you have
8. Water: Terrible way to root figs. really low chances.

So whats this new method?

Sometimes we get fig cuttings that are 6-8 nodes or more. Do you ever feel like you can turn that one cutting into 2-3 plants vs 1?

In this new method. My hope is to increase the success rate while increasing the number of fig plants from 1 cutting.

Essentials to success in the Lasagna method:

HUMIDITY is the X factor between success and failure when it comes to rooting figs. It's such a fine line between having the correct amount of water and too much. I've learned over the last couple of years that the #1 mistake that many new fig growers make when it comes to their cuttings is over watering!!!!!!

So do not over WATER! Once more, DO NOT OVER WATER YOUR CUTTINGS!

They prefer to have a slight moist media to root in then soggy. And one other thing do not mist your cuttings until they have leaves. Unless you have a fan blowing in your humidity bin, the additional water will rot your cuttings.

1. Thick cuttings:
Make sure you have thick cuttings to start. The ideal cuttings are finger size and not from the tip of the branch. (Tip cuttings are better rooted standing up in a cup)

Always always scrub your new cuttings with anti-bacterial soap or hydrogen peroxide. If you don't, you'll just created a petri dish to grow mold and it's over before you get a chance. High humidity is the perfect environment for mold.

Cut the cuttings down to 1-2 nodes.  Be sure it is still about 3-4 inches so that there is enough wood and stored energy. A 1 inch node cutting may make it but has less of a fighting chance.

2. A plastic shoe box or similar container: 
Use a shoebox with a lid to store your cuttings in. It's important that it traps humidity.

3. Bark, perlite, soil, spray bottle:
The medium should be layered like lasagna. It should go as followed.

Top Perlite Layer - traps in further moisture
Fig cutting layer
Perlite Layer - Acts as a buffer between the cutting and the soil so it does not make direct contact with the soil, which if too moist can rot the cutting
Thin Soil Layer - to feed the new roots
Bottom: Medium Bark - bottom layer for drainage. You can probably use perlite too but you can get more air pockets with bark

Check out how many cuttings you can fit into one shoe box. I have 12 here.

Here's one I did on 9/24/15 for Sal's Corleone.

Video on how I do this.

Results of previous rootings

Update June 2016:

Fig Cuttings update

Here's a quick update on my end of July fig cuttings.
They are all leafed out with great root systems.

Video on how I propagate my fig cuttings

This is how my fig rooting setup looks like. I use Humidity bins from Ikea and my "oreo cookie" substrate method in cups to get the most success.

More detail on it HERE


If you love figs as much as I do don't forget to join my fig addiction group
Fig Addiction