boizeau, I use sharp builders sand (not fine kids'play sand) with pretty good results. It drains well and the roots produced are very tough. It is heavy and I usually do a bunch in a pot and then separate them and repot in soil-less growing mix. So there is some extra work.
If you choose to bottom heat, sand would have to be watched very closely - it can dry out quickly and I don't know if a dome would be any help - never tried it.
Another option that I use during this time of year is starting them in a plastic bag. Disinfect the cuttings and wrap them completely in moistened (not wet!) newspaper. Put them in a plastic bag and seal it. Hang the bag in a warm spot (I use the boiler room - about 80 degrees) with the tops of the cuttings pointing down. Check about once a week to make sure the paper hasn't developed dry spots and to see if any cuttings are rooted and ready to pot up.
You can do separate bags for each variety or mix all your cuttings in one bag and label each cutting by wrapping it with a piece of masking tape and forming a "tab" on one end and noting the variety with a waterproof pen.
Hope you find something that works for you.

Curious. Why do you have the tops of the cuttings pointing down? Why do you prefer to use newspaper over other types of paper, ie. papertowel? Also do you remove the main bud of your cuttings?

boizeau, Ask 100 fig enthusiasts, get 100 different answers. Some people use all vermiculite, all perlite, all compost, all sand, all peat, all bark, and mixes of all these and more. Even water!
Any medium you use should have 1. good moisture retention and 2. good drainage. I personally use a mixture of Pro-Mix and Perlite, with a minimum of 50% Perlite. I also think that temperature is important, I like a range of 75 to 85F.
I have tried the paper towel/plastic bag method with mixed results, but intend to do more work along that line. My experience to date is that the paper must be nearly dry before sealing the bag. Too much moisture is a killer.....Elder

fignut,

Quite interesting! Please define 'sharp builders sand'.

I know what fine 'playsand' is, but the only other two
kinds I have seen at HD (etc) are 'general purpose' sand
(a mix of dirtier yellowish fine sand and coarser smooth
grains upto ~1/4") and a fine 'gravel' type (~ less than
1/4" very SHARP grey bits).

Do you use it as a 100% initial rooting medium?

George (NJ).

I posted a response to this yesterday when the server crapped out. It was very similar to Elder's. One of the issues that gives us all differing results to rooting cuttings is the humidity in the environment. As Elder pointed out, some people use 100% Vermiculite. I used 1 part V to 2 parts P, and my mix was still to moist. I did not tent them or do anything else to help retain moisture. I do live in Houston, where it is almost like being under water though.

Any method mentioned here is good (at least it has worked for someone else). You just need to experiment to fine tune it for your environment and nurturing habits.

Good luck,
~james

hi gang,
for those of you who use the plastic bag method.
after you spot roots how long do you wait to pot up?
also do you tent them afterwards and eventually
wean them to get used to air.
i tried a similar method that seems to be working
i took small baggies filled them with a mixture of
2/3 perlite 1/3 pro-mix and a sprinkle of bone meal.
i placed the end of the cuttings in the bang with the mixter
and tied. i placed a wet paper towel over the exposed
part of the cuttings and placed them vertically in
a plastic container with a damp sponge. i placed
the cover on loosely and afterward placed container
on a heat mat. so far three weeks later all cuttings
are sprouting leaves and buds and two have noticable
roots in the part in the baggie covered with soil.
i noticed the two that developed roots rested right on
the bottom closer to the heat source. so now i used
two containers so they all rest on the bottom.
question is where do i go from here?

marcantonio

I use 100% vermiculite, but it needs to be coarse. It holds the moisture, and the coarseness allows the air in. The most important thing is to not have excess moisture. A friend wraps them in a very lightly damp paper towel or newspaper (leaving the bottom end exposed, to callus) and puts them in a sealed plastic bag, in a warm place, 70-90 degrees (even does it in his hot van in the summer sun). Excessive moisture leads to molding. Three or four weeks is usually enough to begin root formation, and then you can pot them up. I have been trying this method and it is working well.

hi gang,
for those of you who use the plastic bag method.
after you spot roots how long do you wait to pot up?
also do you tent them afterwards and eventually
wean them to get used to air.
i tried a similar method that seems to be working
i took small baggies filled them with a mixture of
2/3 perlite 1/3 pro-mix and a sprinkle of bone meal.
i placed the end of the cuttings in the bang with the mixter
and tied. i placed a wet paper towel over the exposed
part of the cuttings and placed them vertically in
a plastic container with a damp sponge. i placed
the cover on loosely and afterward placed container
on a heat mat. so far three weeks later all cuttings
are sprouting leaves and buds and two have noticable
roots in the part in the baggie covered with soil.
i noticed the two that developed roots rested right on
the bottom closer to the heat source. so now i used
two containers so they all rest on the bottom.
question is where do i go from here?

marcantonio

Pit, a fig cutting wrapped in a lightly damp paper towel sealed in plastic bag will root without any soil?

Vern

boizeau, I hope you get the idea! Pick your method, pick your potting medium, and experiment. If you have three cuttings from one tree, why not try a couple of different ways and see what works best in your area, for a particular time of year. What might work in the Winter might not work in the Spring.
Vern, I'm not Pit, but yes, it does work.
Mercantonio, When I rooted my cuttings in a soil mixture, both vertically and horizontally, I transplanted them when I had roots AND a couple inches of green growth. I doubt you can leave them in plastic bags that long, it would probably be best to pot them as soon as you get an indication of root growth. I hope some with more experience will fill in that detail.....Elder

Vern, the answer is yes. I have seen roots over an inch long, but don't normally let them go that long.

The two most important elements in rooting figs are controlling moisture and warmth - heat mat, warm air, greenhouse, whatever. If you can control moisture correctly, the rooting medium is almost irrelevant. The problem is that some soils make moisture control very difficult.

Rooting in clear cups is also important (not to get them to root) for seeing root development. You can have a lot of green growth (2-3 inches, and a dozen leaves) and still have no roots. A half a dozen cuttings from the same tree, in the same rooting medium, etc, will often root differently - some grow lots of roots, others lots of leaves, and all combinations in between. Been there, done that.

I have been using the plastic bag method with excellent results. Once I see the slightest root growth I pot them up. I have been experimenting with different potting soils. So far, Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix has been my favorite. It's light, drains well, and has some lime added to it and it's not too expensive in my area.

I looked all over the house last night for our heating pad. Could not find it. I am going to Wal Mart to day and get another. I want to try the paper towel and plastic bag method.

Vern

Sorry for the delay in answering.
Leon, I don't know why they should be upside down. Years ago I had the same problem that boizeau has - cuttings rotting in soil-less potting mix. I asked for rooting help and the process I described above was the reply that I got. I don't remember the name of my benefactor; it's buried under some twenty plus years of mental debris. At the time I wasn't curious as to why the cuttings should be upside down. Lately, I've been thinking about it, and have a theory. (This is speculation - no experimentation, no evidence!)
Any one who has grown apples or peaches is familiar with the way a tree channels energy to upward growing branches. The more verical an upward facing branch is, the more vegetative vigor it displays. A perfect example is a waterspout - amazing growth that can be measured in yards. The converse is also true - downward facing branches are spindly and often die back. More upright branches often have to be spread or tied down until seasonal growth "locks" them into an optimal horozontal aspect that stimulates fruit bud production.
What if putting the bottom end of a fig cutting in the vertical up position channels energy to the rooting end? Figs are notorious for leafing out before forming roots - maybe because the leafy up end is getting the energy? Like I said - this is a guess - no proof at all. It should be easy to test, though. Similar cuttings from the same plant bagged together with half bottoms up, and the other half bottoms down. Maybe even try some horozontal to see if you get balanced top and bottom growth, or maybe even embryonic figs?
I don't remove the top bud. The figs are wrapped tightly enough so that they are not "standing" on the bud. I have used paper towels with good results, but they tend to separate at the perforations when you check the bundle. I prefer several thicknesses of newspaper; it opens and closes fairly well even when moist.
MOIST! This is very important. It cannot be wet! I moisten the paper then roll it together and knead it to make sure the moisture is evenly distributed and there are no dry spots (roots will stick to dry paper and rip off). If it is a little too wet (to make sure the moisture is uniform it usually is too wet), I layer the moist piece in between two piles of dry newspaper. Then roll it up and press down with my knee to force excess water out. The newspaper you are going to use should be damp(again - not wet!) at this point and you can wrap the disinfected, dry fig cuttings in it.
George, The sand is what they use for concrete. It has both sharp and fine grains in it, but will pack very hard. I put it into pots with drain holes uncovered, water it and let it stand (the taller the pot, the longer the wait)- and then pack it a little. Don't try to pack it before it drains well, or it will squirt out the holes. Very little comes out once it is wet and packed in this manner. With figs, I usually just push them in, but you can make a guide hole with a pencil or such. Make sure the cutting base is snug in the bottom of the hole - you should feel resistance.
Sand (100%) is all I use for initial rooting. It is very hard to get this too wet and when the surface starts to lighten up you know that it is drying out. The benefit to sand is that it stays moist, but allows a lot of air into the rooting area. The gravel type you mention sounds like what I call "washed sand" it is just sharp bits. It should work too, but will probably dry out a little faster.
I have a sand pile in the yard and use it without treating it. I don't know about bagged sand. But if you reuse sand after rooting in it, make sure you sterilize it the second time.
For both the bag method and this method I put the rooted cuttings into soil-less mix.
If I missed any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them faster than I did this time.

Thanks for the explanation. The one problem I do experience with papertowel is that sometimes roots will penetrate the layers of it and it can be a hassle trying to tweeze them out without breaking them. I'll try the newspaper trick.

For anyone:
I live in NW Oregon (Hillsboro, just west of Portland). I want to try some of the rooting techniques I've just read about here. My cuttings will be from my Brown Turkey and Negronne trees. I will be doing this in Feb., Trees will still be dormant.

In the past I have had great success rooting Negronne cuttings outdoors (40-50 deg F) in 1 gal pots using half garden soil and half plain planting mix, but almost no success (1 plant out of 20-30!) with the Brown Turkey. From what I have read in this forum, I have many more things to try than I will have time or cuttings!

1. How do you choose which cuttings to take and how long should they be?( I've heard differnt opinions)

2. In the ziplock bag method it is not clear to me whether or not you wrap the cuttings in moistened paper before putting in the bags or not. Or, is each a different technique?

Thanks for your comments
Joe

Has any one used the commercially available Gel rooting system such as at
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&cat=2,47236&p=46944

What could be its drawbacks?
If it works, it will be a neat process though with limited capacity.

Here is a monkey wrench thought ---I wonder whether the medium used by orchidist when they undertake cloning(meristem) works especially in situation like one node cuttings or only one cutting available. I noticed the tiny orchid plants are inside a sealed bottle. Maybe Al(Tapla) can enlightened us with his expert knowledge/experienced.

Everything I ever rooted in a baggie was rooted in either Turface, perlite, or a 50/50 mix of the two.

Al

Hello Tapla
You said "Everything I ever rooted in a baggie was rooted in either Turface, perlite, or a 50/50 mix of the two."
Do you mean that you put it in pots in the mentioned soil mixes after rooting in the baggie OR you added the mentioned soil mixes in the baggie with the cuttings? Please elaborate a bit more if it is the later case.

If the perlite was closest to where I was preparing the cuttings, I used perlite. If Turface was closest, I used that. If they were both in near proximity, I'd use a handful of each, loose in the bag. I see little difference in how well these materials work for cuttings, either singularly or in combination, but if I had to choose only one, I would give the nod to Turface - PLUS, it's indispensable (as far as I'm concerned) as an amendment/ingredient for my container soils.

Al