fig cuttings and mold

15 years ago

The last two times I've tried rooting fig cuttings in a plastic bag, I've ended up with lots of mold and very few cuttings that successfully rooted. This year I tried again, but after two weeks I can smell the mold (can't see it yet), so I'm giving up on this method. But I'd like to clear the mold off the cuttings before I dip them in Clonex gel and stick them in potting soil. Can someone tell me the best way to do this...if it's with bleach, what are the mixing proportions?

John

Featured Answer

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9

15 years ago

I am doing 30 Ginkgo biloba cuttings. I buried them horizontally in three batches of ten, held together with rubber bands. All were dipped in "dip and grow" for five seconds at 10x strength. About every two weeks I removed one bundle from the tray of slightly damp potting mix and inspected for callusing. When a good size callus was seen one bundle of ten was inserted vertically, equally spaced, so only two buds were above the mix. A plastic tent was put over the one gallon pot, supported by bamboo stakes, and held tight around the pot. This was repeated at two week intervals with the other bundles. Every other day the plastic tent is removed and turned inside out to vent excess moisture and put back on the pot. The pots are in an unheated greenhouse on a 70 degree heat mat. All are growing foliage and after a month I will leave the tent off for a few minutes to see if the foliage wilts. If it does I will put the tent back on for another month and try again. When the tent can be left off without wilting it will indicate roots are able to supply moisture to the foliage, and will indicate success. Al

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

yiorges-z5il
15 years ago
take a soft clowth & remove as much of the mold as possibe the soak 3-5 minutes in a solution with 1-2 cap-full of chlorox in a gal of water.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
15 years ago
At university many decades ago we were taught to dip in undiluted bleach for a few seconds and then rinse well or soak in diluted bleach for a longer period and rinse. I don't remember the numbers.

Another procedure was to rinse in hydrogen peroxide. Again I don't remember the numbers.

The OP says in plastic bags but not mention of the medium. Is the cutting put in a sterile medium? Is the plastic bag vented? How much water? All the bleach and hydrogen peroxide will not help if there is too much water and not enough air using an unsterilized medium - I should think.
Related Professionals
Montgomery Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Hudson Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Richmond Landscape Contractors · Austin Landscape Contractors · Moline Landscape Contractors · Coldwater Landscape Contractors · Monroe Landscape Contractors · Concord Landscape Contractors · Lake Charles Architects & Building Designers · Hattiesburg Architects & Building Designers · Chambersburg Architects & Building Designers · Lufkin Architects & Building Designers · Muncie Architects & Building Designers · Missoula Architects & Building Designers · Anchorage Architects & Building Designers
tcleigh
15 years ago
jbclem:
i've had similar experiences with mold and fig cuttings - very frustrating. however, just yesterday i bagged a new batch so im gonna give it one last go. this time i took time to wash each cutting in a simple soap-water mix before wrapping them in paper towels and placing in a ziploc. we'll see if this improves the results.

to hedge my bets, i also potted one cutting directly into a container with a 1-1 mix of perlite and pine bark fines and placed a cut-off 2-liter bottle over the top.

this is my first time trying this method, but i've read on the GW container gardening thread and been told by a horticulturalist friend that for cuttings you want to use a well-draining mix (like the one mentioned above) as potting soil will retain too much moisture and lead to rot. you'll have to be more attentive to the cutting in terms of watering using this method, but hey, watering your plants is fun anyway!

best of luck!
jbclem
Original Author
15 years ago
The cuttings were put in an un-vented plastic bag, no media, just wrapped inside a wet paper towel. I'm finally starting to realize that venting is necessary; but last year I left the cuttings in the plastic bag for a month before I even opened it up to check.

Thanks for the suggestions

John
foolishpleasure
15 years ago
I rooted Fig Cutting in Plastic Bag. First you have to wash in clorox and then with kitchen soap. I put them in plastic bag filled with damped sphagnum moss. To speed the rooting I have the bag on heating Mat. But you have to open the bag every day and let the air circulate. My favorite way of rooting is cup filled with wet moss.
flora_uk
15 years ago
What are the advantages of this method since they have to be potted up into soil anyway? I have found figs root easily straight in potting compost. Can someone explain the purpose of this extra step, especially as it seems to cause trouble?