Looks really familiar.

Hello Jon,
The cuttings you sent arrived in perfect shape, thanks for the great figs.
I will try this plastic bag method for rooting the cuttings.
How long do you need to wait in general for the roots to form?
Jon how long were the cuttings dormant, do I need to keep them in cool storage or are they ready to try rooting?
Thanks Ed

Ed, go for it.

The twigs in the pix have been in the bag for 3 weeks. Some take a little less time, some a lot more. Kind of like people, all are just a little different.

Love those FAT WHITE healthy roots....

Or put some slightly damp sawdust or slightly dampened, clean paper that's been run through a paper shredder, in the plastic bag. Got more than will fit in a plastic bag? Put them in an appropriate sized cooler, with the damp towels, damp, shredded paper, or damp sawdust.

I put 50-100 fruit-tree grafts in a large (175-gallon) cooler filled with damp sawdust to let them "rest" before planting in Spring, and they root very well.

Check the cooler (or even the plastic bag) often, to give them air if mold is detected.

Hi marylandmojo,
Are you rooting just fig cuttings or other hardwood cuttings using the cooler and sawdust method?
Can you elaborate what other fruit trees can be propagated this way?

Yes, changing the air every few days is a good idea. Many cuttings will not get moldy, but inevitably some are so inclined.

parkwood1: I was speaking of both rooting fig cuttings in slightly-dampened sawdust in a cooler, AND placing fruit-tree grafts there in early Spring, when it's still too cold to put grafts directly into the ground. There is a time frame in early Spring when fruit-tree grafts are done (in my area), and often, frost and (otherwise) cold weather during that time frame precludes them going directly into the ground. I was taught to "rest" fruit-tree grafts in such a medium for a few weeks, also, to allow the graft to "take" (under a somewhat controlled environment, i.e., warm and moist).

I'm speaking of the grafts I normally do, which are mostly Apple, Pear, and Cherry, and the grafting of like-size rootstock and scions. Of course scions are "cuttings" (or pieces of cuttings), and I was somewhat amazed early on to note that the scions (cuttings) of fruit trees placed in such a medium would also root.

I can't tell you the exact percentage that did root, because my intended purpose was not to root the scions--my intent was to graft those scions onto dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstock--which I did. Still, I was rather amazed that many of the extra scions placed in that medium, also rooted (and as I said, of Apple, Pear and Cherry).

It would be interesting to note the percentage of fruit-tree cuttings (scions) that would root under those conditions--placed in moist sawdust in a cooler, in a warm setting. I'm of the opinion that the percentage might be high. It would be easy enough to place 10 cuttings, or so, in a small cooler, and give it a try. (Of course, what you would have when such a cutting did root, I think, would be a seedling tree, which would not be as precocious or disease-resistant or size-conforming, as the same cutting (scion) grafted to a desirable rootstock.)

I have a friend who grows wine grapes, and grafts selected varietal scions onto disease-resistant rootstock. As I recall, grape grafts are kept in a "sweat box", of sorts, at very high temperatures, which makes them "take". It would be easy enough to google grapevine grafting, but I remember him opening a box (the size of a small trunk) that he had wrapped in blankets, to show me his grafts which were standing upright in the box--hundreds of them. Seems to me the temperature needs to be at least 90 degrees (or more) for grape grafts to "take"--(though easily searched).

mojo, Please explain 'sawdust'. Is it fine, course, screened, from a particular variety or type of tree, etc, etc.....Elder

What temp range are we looking to put these zip lock bags in???

70+. My friend puts them in his van in the middle of summer (I'm not ready for that yet). The warmer they are the more you have to watch for mold, but the faster they respond. Similar to why plants wake up in the Spring - it's warmer.

Two years ago, I posted about the difference in root production of 4 trees in different colored containers. One responser to my post indicated that root growth is retarded at 90F and stops at 95F. I've not found (not that I looked to hard) any data to support that theory, but it does fit my limited experience. So I'm not sure about keeping it in a van in the middle of summer

From a U of Florida article:
The optimum temperature differs with plant species. Generally, air temperature of 70 to 85°F and soil temperatures of 70 to 75°F have proven optimum for many plants commonly grown in temperate climates. (The optimum temperature range for roots is narrow in comparison to that for shoots. The optimum may be slightly higher for some tropical plants and lower for plants commonly grown in colder climates.) Air temperature in enclosed structures must be controlled. Ventilation should be provided in the summer and on winter days with high light intensity.

~james

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape Plant Propagation Workbook

elder: I've used aged sawdust that I thought would not be as "acid", and I've used regular pine sawdust and shavings from Home Depot, Southen States, etc., that is intended for dog bedding (NOT CEDAR), and had satisfactory results from most any I've used.

The purpose of the sawdust or shavings is mostly to hold moisture (and somewhat, to separate and cushion individual cuttings). I use sawdust in plastic bags and shavings in deep containers (like coolers), because it's easier on the fragile roots when I retrieve them from shavings (which don't pack nearly as much as sawdust). Same as paper run through a paper shredder and dampened--its purpose to hold water, separate, and cushion. I wouldn't want to throw a bunch of cuttings in a cooler willy-nilly (bet you haven't seen that word in a while), and remove the top to find a tangled mess of roots and cuttings.

As Jon noted, his dampened paper towel is there to hold moisture, so with that moisture and heat (70-85 degrees F; 21-30 degrees C), the cuttings will root.

Don't SOAK the paper, shavings or sawdust--the EVENLY DISTRIBUTED moisture (and heat) is the advantage one has over starting them in one-by-one in small containers, containing potting mix.

Mojo,
Why NOT Cedar?
What is your experience about it?
I have read (within this FF), that cedar is rather bad
to growth in general.
I also think that cedar has a NATURAL tendency to resist
ROT, which is a major concern.
Heck, I will just DO an experiment with 100% cedar shavings
for the initial rooting/transplanting (with some later
plant food in the watering) for some of my I do not care
about and very available cuttings (e.g., BT, Celeste, ... )
George (NJ).

Leon says:
>>Looks really familiar.
I see Aldo's written on the twig (next time, do it on
the TOP portion, so that it remains visible after potting).
I see 3/3 of my Aldo's doing well (knock on wood)!
They were potted the traditional my way (in 50% potting
soil/perlite). Some fig varieties are EASIER to root
than others. I had one cutting (using the bag method)
that produced 1/2" fat white roots within 3 days! No
kidding; as the saying goes, I fell off the chair...
Normally, they take ~2 weeks to produce 'root knobs'.
Maybe the dormancy 'stage' in which the twig happens
to be, also significantly plays in?
Also had others that produced (thin) roots, but then
EVERYTHING either rotted or dried up!
George(NJ).

I said:
>> I had one cutting (using the bag method)
>> that produced 1/2" fat white roots within 3 days!
>> No kidding; as the saying goes, I fell off the chair...

CORRECTION:

This should NOT imply Aldo's fig. Not Sure what
it exactly was, tried hard to hunt it down, but suspect
either an Atreano or a Normans Yellow (4' rootings) from
Rolling River Nursery that I got in late fall,
packaging tip damaged - but salvaged as cuttings...
George (NJ)

gorgi: There is sawdust from two varieties of tree (wood) that I would not advise others to use for rooting cuttings. Although I have no specific evidence that either would cause harm to a cutting, I have plenty of evidence that they will cause harm to YOU--in that they will burn the hail out of your skin when they are damp and come in contact with skin.

Cedar contains cedar oil--it is used in moth balls and as a (natural) pesticide for fleas on animals, but it burns human skin upon contact, particularly when damp (as in rooting cuttings) and allowed to contact skin.

I used to cut trees with a chainsaw--the cedar sawdust that adhered to my (perspiring) arms in Summer burned my skin and left a rash. The longer in remained on my skin (and the skin of others cutting Cedar) the deeper and more-severly it burned--if causes a rash if only briefly exposed.

I have no idea as to its effects on cuttings. Something of note is that it is also used as a mold and mildew preventive, so maybe sprinkling a BIT among other sawdust or shavings would deter mold (maybe worth a try).

I'm certainly not trying to keep anyone from trialing it--who knows, it may BURN the bark of the cutting, and cause it to root--just relating what it does in contact with skin.

The oil (Juglone) from Black Walnut sawdust and shavings does the same to human skin, and there are instances in the literature where its use in horse stalls has sickened horses (though I'm not aware that it has ever killed a horse). Again, in cutting Black Walnut trees, the sawdust from it has burnt my skin on many occasions, and every other woodcutter I know of.

Most people are probably aware that certain plants will not grow within a 50-80 foot (16-28 meter) radius of Black Walnut, because of the Juglone produced by its roots. Most vegetable members of the Solanaceae family (Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, and Potatoes) are highly susceptible, and I've had mature Tomato plants killed smack-dead that were 75 feet (25 meters) away from a Black Walnut tree.

Good luck.

Hello,
Yesterday, I started the moist 100% CEDAR shavings fig
cutting experiment. Used a mid sized container with ~2"
of shavings on the bottom. I put 15 fig varieties (mostly
1 each) flat/evenly on top and covered everything with
another ~1" layer of moist shavings. I put the whole thing
inside a 'sealed' garbage bag near the boiler for heat.
We'll see what happens....
George (NJ).

My experience with rooting figs is very limited. I obtained a cutting last summer from a friend that I believe to be a Brunswick and was successful; it's now in a pot on the sun porch.
I'll have (hope to have) several more shortly from UC Davis and have a question.
Whether covering with a damp newspaper/paper towel in a bag or using a medium in a clear plastic container, is the entire cutting covered?
I used the plastic container method recently and just buried the entire cutting within the potting medium about 1" deep.
Also, while rooting using whichever method is light required? George's comment about placing his next to the furnace for heat triggered this thought.

The whole cutting goes in the bag. 3-4" or about half of a cutting goes in the rooting medium, although some people root them horizontally, and, I believe, bury or nearly bury them. Light is not required for rooting, but necessary after leaves appear. Warmth is the key to rooting, not light.

majo.
One other tree specimen that has long been as my
understanding as a 'growth death for other plants',
is the evergreen YEW shrub/tree. I have hedge like Yew
stuff in front of my porch (came with the house) and a
(tall) specimen at the very back of my yard. Trying to keep
both in check, by pruning; I always tried to pick all the
possible trimmings I could (& garbage dispose), but NEVER
on my compost pile....

I will have some newer pix in a couple days - from a couple cuttings I lost track of, and which have gone crazy in their bag.

For the love of God, I just tried searching a half dozen threads on bagging and I cant find my answer!!!

How long should the roots get before moving into a cup of vermiculite?

TIA!

Some form roots more readily than others. My general approach is somewhat subjective. If I have 2 or 3 good long roots (1"+), or several shorter roots, or a lot of root initials, I go ahead and move them to the cups. If there is little or nothing happening, then I put them back in the bag. Sometimes cuttings of the same variety root at different rates, so I "cup up" the ones with the roots, and put the rest back in the bag for a while.

Thanx!