Christy, I've had the same experience with spring cuttings rooting faster. My figs are usually protected in an insulated garage and seldom get any dieback. It makes life easier (and the refrigerator less crowded).

Christy,
God did not create all figs exactly equal! For those that
already have ~1/2" roots, they should probably be potted
up right-away...

The ones with 1/2" toot should be moved to cups, or potted now. The others could wait, but if they have good root-initial growth, they can also be cupped or potted. Diff varieties respond differently, some taking longer, while others are much faster. The bag technique is supposed to be good for green wood cuttings as well, bu8t haven't tries that yet. I am trying it with some post-budbreak cuttings currently.

The ones with 1/2" toot should be moved to cups, or potted now. The others could wait, but if they have good root-initial growth, they can also be cupped or potted. Diff varieties respond differently, some taking longer, while others are much faster. The bag technique is supposed to be good for green wood cuttings as well, bu8t haven't tries that yet. I am trying it with some post-budbreak cuttings currently.

Fignut- do your spring cuttings survive as well as the deep-dormant ones do? I have this fear that, although they seem to be doing well, that as soon as I pot them, they will go kapoohy on me.
Gorgi- you are so right but I was under the impression (from numerous other posts) that black missions were kinda' hard to get going so I was very pleasantly surprised!
Thanks- Fig on!
Christy

Jon- the ones that have good initial root nibbies (tech term), have them all the way to the top!
Looking forward to hearing how your post-emergent cuttings do and any info on green cuttings is appreciated too. I'm gonna' have to try it on them this year.

I want you to know that no plant is safe around me now as I scour my yard for other "cuttings". What else can you start with this method?

Thank you so much for info on this kind of rooting....
Fig on-
Christy
PS is it true that black mission is usually a toughy to get started?

I, and others, have experienced more difficulty getting darker colored figs to root. My Black Mission has probably the highest failure rate of anything I root. Don't know why - and it isn't like I haven't rooted cuttings before. Just an observation.

Christy, Spring cuttings grow on well - no special problems. I usually take them a little later and they get outside faster (a good thing). But I got some bare-root plants in November that I kept in a minimally heated sunroom and some of them started leaf bud swelling, so I took all my cuttings on Feb. 20.
I bought eight varieties: Black Mission, English Brown Turkey, Hardy Chicago, LSU Everbearing, LSU Gold, LSU Improved Celeste, LSU Purple and Sal's.
The Black Mission were the first to show roots. I had started them horizontally in a box with sand (a variation of elder's technique) and there were very long roots showing on the bottom of the box on March 3 (11 days). I also tried some Black Mission wrapped in newspaper hanging upside down in my boiler room. One of those was rooted on March 2. I potted the rest of the Black Mission today (22 days). This is the first time that I've had this variety, and I thought that it must be an easy rooter! It was the variety showing the most green in the leaf buds and the fastest to root.
The other varieties showing a good deal of green were LSU Improved Celeste and LSU Gold. The Celeste had roots on March 6 (14 days) and the Gold had initials on March 10 (18 days). Both are potted at this point.
Of the other varieties above, none were showing green and none have rooted yet.
A fig that I've had for a number of years, Alma, has also rooted. It was in the garage and I took cuttings at the same time. You could tell it was coming out of dormancy, but it wasn't as far along as the BM, LSU IC, or LSU G. I potted 5 of them today (22 days).
This is intriguing. It seems worth trying spring harvested cuttings on hard to root varieties - if you can protect your plants so that there is no winter die back.
I've tried several rooting methods: elder's, my upside down in newspaper, and Jon's.
Elder's worked fine, but not knowing what was going on - not being able to see the cuttings - drove me crazy.
Mine was OK, I could unwrap and see any problems (had to mist once with 50-50 hydrogen peroxide and water when some mold started) and root formation.
But Jon's was the best. Much easier to keep an eye on what was happening - no need to unwrap - everything very visible.
As for "other" cuttings - just about everything. The trick is figuring out the "window" - the period of time each particular plant is most likely to co-operate, and what part of the plant gives the best results. Propagation books usually have tables giving cutting times for various plants and which types of cuttings are best (tip, basal, etc.). Great fun.

Amen, Fignut. I love being able to see what is going on. If someone can invent a clear potting mix, I'll be first in line.

Jon- you crack me up....yeah, I'd say you've started a FEW cuttings before.
Fignut- thanks for all the info. I think you're right when you said that it seems worth trying spring harvested cuttings on hard to root varieties. I sure will be doing that in the future.... course I don't have to worry about die-back except when we get our every-15-year-or-so surprise winter.
Thanks for the bazillionth time-
Christy

spring + hard to root cuttings = air layering

Gene's idea of a using a peat pellet should make this a much easier process.

~james

Christy, Your observation about spring cuttings rooting more easily is the same experience I have had. I believe it has something to do with the nutrition (sap) beginning to run throughout the plant.
Jon, as for a clear potting mix, have you ever tried any of the advertised rooting gels, either as a rooting medium or as an intermediate step such as your use of vermiculite?.....Elder

James, The wood I took off my trees were pruning cuts. Hopefully, producing some good branching (more figs?)plus more plants.
Airlayering a branch would just result in a plant (unless you kept it in place all season). I'm in a climatically impaired area and tend to count my yield in figs, not pounds, and every branch equals precious fruit.
My trees are young and I don't expect a lot of fruit this year. I'm going to try Gene's airlayering technique on some of the branches produced. Hopefully I'll get two "crops" of rooted plants off the trees this year without any refrigeration of fig wood.
So, if this actually is a method that increases rooting of hard-to-root figs, taking the cuttings (pruning) in spring would seem to be a win-win situation (at least for people who have smaller fig "bushes", and can protect from winter die back).
Maybe when I'm awash in figs, a branch here and there won't be so much of an issue. LOL

I agree james, air layering in spring would probably be easiest and Gene's technique with the peat pellets will be one that I try for sure!
I guess I'm just too lazy to air-layer more than 6 or so at a time. I took about 30 early spring cuttings this year and plan on taking lots more next (now that I know it works so well).
Thanks so much,
Christy

would watersorb crystals count as a clear rooting medium?

What would you think of putting a cutting into a rooting cup (or clear cup with a hole in bottom) and filling the cup with watersorb crystals?

btw...there is a co-op onging now for watersorb on Dave's

~Chills

Best time to take fig cuttings: Spring, before bud break.
Second best time: Bud break through full leaf (but must keep humidity high in cooler with sawdust or terrarium-type container or sealed plastic bag with moisture provided, to keep green wood from drying out).
Third best time: Fall, after leaf-fall, but before deep dormancy.
Worst: Deep dormancy.

Just my opinion.

Why? Exchange of growth fluids in plant for dormancy fluids (like anti-freeze).