How important and how long is the cooling off period of cuttings?
I have rooted both ways, but I have noticed that when compared to dormant cuttings they are slower, but are still rootable.

I want to try the horizontal method and was wondering if I can just place a fresh cutting in a trench in a clear plastic container?
The answer is yes, just make sure the medium is not too wet and this easily causes rotting. Is there a reason why you wont use the paper towel method, do do both?

Being in z8a in the east, what winter protection do you recommend? Bring inside pots? Wrapping? Heavy mulch? Nothing?

You can bring them in the garage if it is somewhat warmed. I have found that wrapping helps with die back from my more temp sensitive cultivars. Whether you bring them in or not also depends on whether the variety has one or two crops, or both. There might be more in Zone 8 that can comment but I would bring them into the garage, wrap them and water once a month. My two #'s

Please email if you have any more??

SoJay, a friend of mine brought me back a fig cutting from Japan. When the customs agent pulled it out of her bag, she said "I am not declaring that". The customs agent said "OK" and put it back in her bag. She brought me back a couple more later on that year and had no trouble getting them through customs.

I have never tried the horizontal method in a container or with live cuttings. I have done in the passed and doing now dormamt cutting horizontally in my garden. I just dig a trench about an inch and a half deep, and lay the cutting in the trench and cover with dirt. If it does not rain I water about every other day. Right now I have Alma, Brown Turkey, Celeste, Excel, Lattarulla, Tiger, a fig I call Big Yellow and one I call Little Fig. These have all leafed out of the grown. I have others that are in pots and some I stuck in the grown vertically. I like the horizontal method the best, because it is less trouble. I have never had luck with the plastic bag method. The kids are gone, the dog is dead, and I am staying home babby sitting fig cutting in pots. Next year I am going to do all my cutting horizontally and leave town.

Vern

Cuttings seem to root using an infinite variety of methods, and with or without cooling. Considering the time of year you will be taking the cuttings I would be more concerned with what type of cuttings to take, i.e., should you have all one year old wood, or in your circumstances is it alright to take green wood, or both? I have very limited experience using green wood, so would like to hear from more experienced growers.

I plan to try several methods - just learning. Was wondering which is the fastest way to get results, results meaning some sign of growth that would make me decide if it's something I want to pursue further (if I want to go through the trouble of bringing home cuttings from France).

AND I'm frustrated with the lack of variety in my local nurseries. I am impatient after tasting this year's entire crop of two heavenly tasting Petite Nigra figs. I'm willing to shell out some bucks to cut off a year or two from taking cuttings to eating the fruit. But you guys are contagious - I've got the fig bug now and will try different varieties.

Any suggestions of sources?

Also, how LONG should the cooling period be?

BTW, IF I bring cuttings back from France, how would I go about it? Wrap them in a damp papertowel and put in a ziplock over there? They'll have to stay in my suitcase for a week before I get home. Thanks for bringing up old wood vs green wood..?

Thanks for your replies!

SoJay, send me an email.

SoJay,

When I went to Italy last October I took my pruning shears and a couple 1-gal baggies. I waited until the last day before taking cuttings off one of the fig trees. I did take about 25 6-8" cuttings, wrapped them in damp paper towels and put them in a baggie. It was 4 days before I returned to the States and they were just fine. Don't get the paper too wet, just barely damp to keep the humidity up.
Sue

Some llyyiinngg on the landing-form may be helfull (not sure
of the penalties apart from them taking the stuff away).
Be VERY careful, and make sure all fig wood is clean from
bugs and ANY soil.

I declared them but I don't think they looked at the customs form at all. A customs guy was at JFK when we landed and collected the filled out forms as we passed by. I expected to have to pay duty but the subject never came up. I may have just been LUCKY no one noticed and confiscated them.
Sue

>Some llyyiinngg on the landing-form may be helfull (not sure of the penalties apart from them taking the stuff away).

Among other talents I am a certified USDA Inspector and US Customs and Border Clearance Agent, and I must strongly advise to be extremely careful in this regard.

Besides confiscation there are other civil and criminal liabilities present (Did you ever see the movie "midnight express"?-) but seriously, Some plants, cuttings, seeds that are capable of propagation, unprocessed plant products, and certain endangered species are allowed into the United States but require import permits; some are prohibited entirely. Threatened or endangered species that are permitted must have export permits from the country of origin. I dont have the data on figs specifically on hand but I do know you are required by law to have phytosanitary certificates and USDA import permits.
Every single plant or plant product including handicraft items made with straw, must be declared to the CBP officer and must be presented for CBP inspection, no matter how free of pests it appears to be. For information write to USDA-APHIS-PPQ, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737; call (301) 734-8645; or visit the APHIS web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_imports/Q37.shtml
Also see:.http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/fv.pdf

>Be VERY careful, and make sure all fig wood is clean from bugs and ANY soil.

All plant material must be free from sand, soil, and earth. Leaf mold and other decayed
vegetable molds are considered soil. Plants arriving in or contaminated with sand, soil, or earth
will be refused entry.

But really it is all about protecting our home soils and crops. exercize due dilligence, rinse wiht a mild bleach solution, clean all dirt off it, and you are likely to be fine, I doubt any officer is going to freak out abotu a a few cuttings and they may go un-noticed or you could play ignorant and say "ohh gee officer I had no idea I could not do that." and they make you place it in the amnesty box. I highly doubt that you will be carted off in handcuffs for a few fig cuttings. But you might get some over-zealous rookie eager to prove himself to his supervisors that takes it upon himself to enforce the letter of the law.

Sojay, The cooling off period that I have used successfully on non-dormant cuttings, is about 72 hours in the refrigerator vegetable crisper tray. One can go much longer - several months - but it is not necessary at this time of year. Adriano also suggested the same length of refrigerator time to me last year.

The best experience of growth I have, is not with the baggie method (which did not work well for me), but by direct planting of the dormant cuttings, in a super light, fantastically draining medium, and with bottom warmth (about 80F)and very high humidity.

Sprouting and rooting can occur in a matter of about 10 days. I seem to have close to a 90% success rate with this, and some of the root growth rivals that of any I have seen on this forum. John.

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice! And thanks to Sandsquid for your inside information. I used to bring in unpasteurized cheese before that was readily available here in the US. The inspectors usually let it pass since it was small amounts for personal use.

I have abandonned the idea of bringing cuttings home in my suitcase anyhow, I think, because I'm not going directly home from there. But if I do end up getting some home somehow, I might have some to trade. Will keep you posted.

I'm in zone 8 also and figs are really easy to propagate here. We take dormant cuttings from old wood in February,
and directly plant them in one gallon pots of regular potting soil(no cooling off period). Keep them watered and
by April/May they'll start leafing out, and can be planted
by June. I've never tried bringing in cuttings from a foreign country, so I'm no help there.
Ray

Thanks for the SC advice rayrose, that's where I am also. I'll keep that in mind. Sounds so easy!

When you get the cuttings in France let them soak for 30 minutes in a 10% bleach solution. Then wash them off and let them soak in a strong insecticide for another 30 minutes and then wrap them in a damp paper towel then place them in a zip lock bag.....package them and mail them to your address.
I got some cuttings from Spain last Jan. and they all survived my cleansing process which I did on this side of the pond. I burned the package they came in.
Figs can have scale insects on them so check any little flatish bumps on the bark by picking them with your fingernail.
I have 3 more cuttings in the fridge.... I was thinking they were different but now that they have big healthy leaves they are looking more alike. The stems are pink unlike any of my other figs. These are supposed to be "the best". I wish I could have gotten a name too.

You guys are totally out of control and I look forward to joining in the madness. I had a webfriend in Japan that I sent "Ranch" dressing mix for several years - just mailed it. I am going to look him up and see if I can get some Japanese fig cuttings mailed out to me. Never thought about getting them mailed. Relative is being deployed to Iraq in August perhaps she will be near some fig trees and can send me a cutting.

Cheers,
DL

Thanks to those who suggested mailing the cuttings. I followed your advice. It worked fine. I mailed 3 envelopes to myself 10 days before my return. I had my mail on hold to be delivered the day of my return so the envelopes wouldn't be sitting in a hot mailbox cooking for days. They were already full of roots when I opened them!!! Now how easy is that?!? The green cuttings especially. The hard wood ones with no roots yet, I've put in the fridge.

The variety I got is a white one. It tasted devine. My preference goes to black figs, but this one impressed me. It was taken from a very mature tree at a very very old 'Mas' (small manor) in an old vineyard with lots of several centuries old protected specimen trees. (BTW if you are traveling near the Camargue region in Provence, email me for the details on this 'gites' that I strongly recommend to stay in. High-end organic wine to die for, also.)

Those of you who have requested cuttings off-line, I'll be happy to oblige, but please be patient as I'm in crunch time with work.

If anyone is knowledgable about white fig ID'ing and South of France, please share some info. I didn't get a picture of the figs or the leaves, and the shape of the leaves varied a lot from young shoots to old branches.

I'm hoping to start my own fig tree soon. Does anyone have any cuttings they'd be willing to share? Right now I'm in Colorado and Florida, but travel around for my job.

Okay, first you need some fig cuttings. Ideally, you get them in the morning from a willing donor (or you wander the neighborhood looking for damaged limbs, branches sticking out in the street or over the path et al . . . this is not recommended. Best to stick a note in the mailbox asking is it Ok for you to nip a few branch ends? Offer to give them a couple of the 'children' you produce (if you are lucky, you'll be able to give them a different variety should you do this with several trees. Do keep track of what they are if that is what you want to do.)
You might also offer other plants, seeds, perennial divisions, firstborn male children, whatever you have spare.
Now you have some legal branch ends (I find they work best.) Keep them in a plastic bag with a wet towel until you get home.
Now, at home, put a kettle on to boil, and cop a few bottles from the recycle bin. Keeping track of the alcoholics in your neighborhood will make this easier if you don't generate enough Miller High Life containers on your own.
Rinse them. When the water boils let it sit until it is not quite so hot and GENTLY pour about two inches in each bottle. The idea is not to let any air bubbles form, no shaking, just flat flat water. Sit the bottles off to cool further, and get your cutters.
Wash them with alcohol or a ten to one dilute bleach solution (Ten parts WATER to one part BLEACH). Do not let your cutters get contaminated again. Be a real nit about this. It makes a difference.
Put a bowl of water in the sink. You could use some of the boiled water but I do not know if it will make a difference.
Now for your rooting hormone. You can use the gooey gel sort or the dust or the liquid : whatever you do put a little in a container and use that. You do not want to contaminate your hormone by dunking a cutting in it.
Just put some on a saucer and use it up.
Grab your first cutting. Hold the cut end under water in the bowl, and with your nippers, cut diagonally BELOW a bud. I like to have branch ends as there is always a nice bud at the tip, but try for about three below that one.
Now you have a nice diagonal cut. Dip it in the rooting hormone, then set it aside.
Repeat. Keep different figs apart, the Brunswick over here, the Alma over there, and give some of the Panachee, Italian Honey, and Petite Negri to me (I don't have those.)
When you have done this to all of your figs, put them into the bottles (GENTLY! NO BUBBLES!)
Stick the bottles on a windowsill and wait . . . . I like to dump the water out every couple of days and put more boiled and cooled water in.
The little dots and bumps on the sticks will start to poke out a bit, like adolescent zits. Then they will get white. Then they will come out and be roots. ( Replace the fig cutting bottle and jump up and down at this point.)
Let the roots get about an inch long, then VERY GENTLY put them in a container (a DEEP container you can cut off of them later, or gently pull them out of). Push soil about the fragile roots and water, with the boiled cooled water if you like (again, I don't know if it helps but hey it is cheap.)
Some sticks will die but I have had pretty good luck. The baby fig trees are popular with kids who enjoy checking out their growth daily.
I did this this summer, twice (I have my second batch sprouting white roots now.)
So that is it. It is not that hard, if you follow the rules; keep the nippers clean, boil the water and be gentle with it so you get no air, and treat the little treelets with tender care. Good luck.

drasaid, nice description and some humor along with it in your writeing, i like the part about the little zits . Hats off to you. Have not heard the word cop some in a long time.
Martin