The rooting of cuttings is energy-driven, and most houseplants 'peak' insofar as their energy levels are concerned in late summer, so late summer will find hobby houseplant growers realizing their highest strike %s if they follow a few simple guidelines. Oxygen is an element essential to the success of cuttings. You want LOTS of air in the medium you're using to root cuttings. Use a coarse medium that doesn't support perched water; or, if it does support perched water, be sure you use a container deep enough that the proximal end (closest to the roots) of the cutting is NEVER covered by a film of water. Think 'DAMP', not 'WET'. You'll also want to reduce the leaf surface area in most cases, eliminating some leaves or cutting them across the veins. This is to help reduce the amount of transpiration. If the plant can't keep up with the volume of water lost through foliage, the plant will SHED the foliage as a normal drought response, which is not conducive to rooting. Essentially, when you're trying to propagate cuttings, it's a race to establish a healthy hydraulic connection between roots and shoots before fungal organisms rot the plumbing. For that reason, try to steer clear of a medium that contains any form of mineral soil - garden soil, topsoil, unsterilized sand ...... Here is an effective way to keep humidity levels high & assure a high success rate: Neatly cut the top of a clear gallon jug. Stick your cuttings in a coarse, sterile medium like washed and screened perlite (in open shade). The plastic tray has holes in it so it drains after you water the cutting. After the cutting strikes, remove the screw on cap to allow more air circulation, then gradually remove the 'tent' entirely. I've probably done at least 100 cuttings to share already this summer using this or a similar set-up. Here is a Ficus microcarpa recently rooted under the milk jug for a friend. Notice the wick hanging down to drain excess (perched) water from the soil - practicing what I preach about the 'damp, not wet' thing. Let me know if you want a pic of some of the other cuttings done in such a manner; especially let me know if you have questions ..... Al

This "Native Arkansas" fig guy drives me nuts with his really awkward listings, then insults people at the same time. I bought one also and it died, it was also shipped in the box just like that, it arrived half open with upside down ALL THE SOIL POURING OUT. He was a pain when email him about the poor condition of the tree when shipped. I hope you left negative feedback! I bolded some of the stuff he says. Here is what he says about the Ark fig(arrr): I found this fig tree when I bought this very very old house over a 100 years old. It still has a well in the back and the walls were just 2 by 12 stood straight up. The Fig Tree had lots of very old looking large roots that ran along the bank of the creek but the tree was almost dead from the lack of light. So I cut the trees around it and BOOM the next year it came back huge with more figs than I count. The figs are sweet as sugar and are a golden light brown when ripe. This is not a Brown Turkey fig. This is a very hardy native Hot Springs Ar fig. It is not a hybrid of any kind. It is also very cold hardy. It freezes pretty hard up here. This year we had a very very late freeze. (note photo another fig in my yard with burnt leaves) my other figs lost most of there fruit this tree lost none. This fig tree has been here as long as the house. No one seems to know what the name of the fig is so I am going to call it. Historic Ar Fig Tree I am a fig tree collector and I have never seen a fig tree like this. It is very Cold Hardy very sweet. Grows Fast. 2quart plant one plant growing on one container Rooted in Full sun Ready to go in full sun pretty heavy so shipping 12.99 this is a very very hardy fig if you kill it you had to realy mess up!!! all plants sold as is no refund no returns people do strange things with plants. Happy Bidding :) all figs I sell are self polinating all plants sold as is I am not resoponsble if fig dies people do strange things with plants. Here is the other one called a Capitola long big green: one one gallon CARICA CAPITOLA LONG fig makes large green yellow figs with long neck on the figs center is white very sweet. one crops hot summers makes figs sweeter I have only one like this to sell the price is the price sold as is no refunds people do strange things with plants

Not enough light. And it might be overwatered, but it sounds like you would be able to tell. Be on the lookout for spider mites too. Here are threads on the subject of trying to keep roses alive inside (not recommended, but give it a try): I couldn't help myself...potted rose How to save a potted gift rose questions about the winter (yes, really about keeping a rose indoors)

Exactly bart bart. I used the term rambler when addressing the suggestion that Amadeus might need a support structure to not sprawl over the path. It was suggested to direct the rose growth over to a pergola located on the next path. Seeing as that structure is well over 10 feet away from newly planted Amadeus, the only type of rose that would grow such long canes is a rambler type. Which is why I said Amadeus isn't a rambler, and I am trying to grow it as a shrub of hopefully five-ish feet or so. Again, for me growing roses in pots isn't successful. They don't like it. As to them simply needing lots of plant food to succeed, I would suggest climate would also play into the situation. Here we have temperature fluctuations, going from well below freezing in winter, to extremely hot in summer, and yoyoing back and forth during the growing season. Rose roots in general perfer to be cool. They don't get that in pots. My style of gardening is to mimic nature in that I try to grow plants as naturally as possible. Supplemental watering is necessary during our hot, dry season, especially with the fast draining soil in my garden. However I use no chemicals at all. This does include synthetic plant food. However I will bend the no chemical plant food rule for the roses, occasionally. Certainly no other plant growing in my garden ever gets plant food added to the soil. They all grow well as is shown by the enormous weed pile accumulated this year. I will also state as shown above, most of my roses, and I grow over 100 plants, are doing very well. Therefore when one declines as Thomas Becket has, I want to know why. Hence this thread.