I had three slow-starter figs in my incubator box and potted them this afternoon. One was a Marseilles VS with only two leaves, but when I dropped it out of its pop bottle it came with a root cluster almost as large as a tennis ball, growing medium and all. Planted the whole thing and look forward to having another thriving plant.

Another was a tiny cutting from a local fig that has a history here going back fifty years or more. I rooted it in potting soil and only needed to move it outside.

The third was a Marseilles E. L. It had only two long roots, and when I dropped it out of its bottle only stubs of those two roots came out--about a half to three quarters of an inch long. I pinched off all but one leaf and set in back in an outside growing box where it will get some sunlight but will not dry out.

I'm happy as a clam with my Marseilles VS. This latest brings me to five successful rootings out of five. It is clear that the fig is a slow starter, but at least they have STARTED. Now to see if they will grow. Two of the five have made pretty good growth and only this one is really behind the other varieties.

I've decided that there will be no more pop bottle starts. The plastic cups permit the growing medium to come out as a unit so that the whole thing can be planted if you wish. Done carefully none of the fragile roots are lost even on the weak plants.