How to grow a fig tree from a cutting part 1

Hi, I’d like to show you how to grow or start growing a fig tree from a dormant fig
tree cutting
These cuttings are removed from the fig tree during the normal course of pruning
You usually prune a fig tree when it’s dormant
You can store these cuttings for a couple of months in the refrigerator
You can usually find these cuttings online
You can find them on the ebay
And if you visit some online garden forums
Or forums where people who like to grow figs hang out
You can maybe buy or get some free trade cuttings
And learn about this process
It’s an interesting plant to grow
And to be able to eat your own figs
We’re all familiar with the figs you can find in the grocery store
You can find fig newtons and dried figs
But when you have your own fresh fig
Off of your own fig tree
You will find that these really pale in comparison
So the first step is to get the cuttings
Then one of the techniques is to wrap the cutting in damp paper towels
Or damp newspaper and place it in a baggie
You air out the baggy everyday
To exchange some new fresh air
Place it in a warm location
Not a hot location
Maybe on top of the refrigerator
Out of direct sunlight
And if everything goes correctly
You’ll get roots somewhere along this cutting
So let’s start
I like to use newspaper
There is some train or line of thought
That the ink in newspaper helps prevent mold
While you’re trying to get to the point
Where you would have roots on the cutting
It’s a race against time
And also these conditions
Sort of promote mold mildew and fungus
And you’re trying to get roots
Before any of that takes hold of your cutting
And maybe you lose your cutting to rot or some type of disease
So I like to squeeze out the newspaper
To get all the excess water out
So that it is just damp
Some people like to keep the ends
Of the cuttings sticking out of the newspaper
I usually just wrap the whole cutting
And just put it into a regular baggie
And if you have different varieties of cuttings
You want to make sure to go ahead
And put some type of information on the baggie
The variety name and may be the date
Because you will lose track of what’s what
And you won’t remember the next day
If you don’t start off immediately
Writing down the information on these baggies
So again take this baggie and put it in a nice warm place
Around 70° or 80°
On top of the refrigerator out of direct sunlight
Another method that people use
Is sphagnum peat moss in a baggie
There is a line of thought or people believe
That sphagnum peat moss
Tends to inhibit mold and fungus
From growing on your cuttings
And maybe gives a little more even consistency
Of humidity and moisture to the cuttings
As you’re trying to form roots
I seem to have gravitated to this method also
I recently saw the shoe boxes
That were 99¢ at home depot
I put sphagnum peat moss in them
And put my cuttings in the shoe boxes
So if you’re lucky
After two or three weeks
Different varieties have different rates
Or difficulty levels of getting the routes to form
This particular one is called Negronne
Let me show you some roots that have formed
So there is some significant root growth on this cutting
And it can now be transferred to the next step
Which is I use 24 ounce
Clear plastic cups
Because you want to be able to see
How the roots of progressing
And how they’re coming along
Because eventually you’ll want to transfer this
You’re going to transfer this to a soil mixture
Some people go directly from this stage to a soil mix
Perhaps you want to lighten up the soil with some perlite
Again it’s probably a good idea
To put them in clear cups so you can get an idea
Of how the roots are progressing
And how the cutting is progressing
I like to transition into a perlite mixture
Which is 60% perlite and 40% vermiculite
Here is the clear plastic cup
I’ve melted holes and it for additional drainage
I and it allows for some aeration
Of this mixture
So let’s go ahead and fill this cup up
With some of the mixture
Put the cutting in and add some more
I’ve dampened this mixture ahead of time
But I like to water in the cutting
And let the excess water drain out
Now again it’s a very important
To store this in a manner where
You’re able to have high humidity
You want something higher than 70%
You could put a baggie over this
Put a couple of holes in the baggie
So you have a mini greenhouse
What a lot of people are doing
Is they buy those Rubbermaid storage containers
That way you can put a number of cuttings in there
And the additional moisture from the cups
Will help maintain a high humidity level
And you want to air it out every day
Open up the cover and let some fresh air in
Make sure the container is not in direct sunlight
Just have it subjected to ambient light
And if everything goes according to plan
The roots will progress
And you will get some new growth on the cutting
Here is a cutting I started March 19
I don’t know if you can see some roots here
That are visible on the side of the cup
This particular variety is called LSU gold
There are hundreds of varieties of figs
And part of the fun is collecting these different varieties
Figs come in all different shapes and colors
And fig trees have different leaf patterns
Some varieties would grow better in your area
Than other varieties
People like to collect the different varieties just for the challenge
Of being able to grow the fig
So here is the rubbermaid container
I used to store the cuttings
I recently started to use
I bought a couple of these acrylic pieces
To replace the original covers
To let more light in
And it seems to be working out
Also on the bottom
You see on the bottom of the container
You can get these louver grating type of material
That they use for drop ceilings
Around where the light fixture is going to be
For a fluorescent light
That way it keeps the cups off of the bottom
Even though you have drain holes
This allows the cups to not just be sitting on the bottom
And you get better drainage that way
And maybe better circulation through the cups too
As the roots are growing
Here’s a fig tree I started last year
And as you can see there is a fig on it
This particular variety is called Brunswick
I’ve never had a Brunswick fig
A plant this young
You should probably remove the fig
So it puts more energy into growing the fig tree itself
But it’s just one and I’ll leave it on
You can see the different leaf pattern
For this particular variety
If you’re into gardening and you want to grow something unusual
And you like a challenge
By all means give it a try
It’s a very interesting plant
Even if you are in the north
You can grow fig trees
You can go online and read up on the techniques
People use to protect figs during the winter months
You can bring them into a shed
It’s good to have them go dormant
Down to 32° and even a bit lower
But you want to protect them
From a high winds and cold winds
And temperatures lower than that
Because you will get die off
Or you might lose the whole plant
So if you’re into gardening give it a try
I hope this video gives you some information to get started
Okay thank you