Are fig leaves safe?
socks
16 years ago
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pitangadiego
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agosocks
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Is it possible/safe to propagate figs in water?
Comments (13)Though roots form readily and often seemingly more quickly on many plants propagated in water, the roots produced are quite different from those produced in a soil-like or highly aerated medium (perlite - vermiculite - seed starting mix, coarse sand, e.g.). Physiologically, you will find these roots to be much more brittle than normal roots due to a much higher percentage of aerenchyma (a tissue with a greater percentage of inter-cellular air spaces than normal parenchyma). If you wish to eventually plant your rooted cuttings in soil, it is probably best not to root them in water because of the frequent difficulty in transplanting them to soil. The "water-formed" roots often break during transplant & those that don't break are very poor at water absorption and often die. The effect is equivalent to beginning the cutting process over again with a cutting in which vitality has likely been reduced. If you do a side by side comparison of cuttings rooted in water & cuttings rooted in soil, the cuttings in soil will always (for an extremely high percentage of plants) have a leg up in development on those moved from water to a soil medium for the reasons outlined above. Should you decide you still wish to root in water, you can easily dispense with with maintaining water levels and changing water if you have an old aquarium air pump and air stone. Take a piece of Styrofoam and poke holes in it about the diameter of the cuttings. Insert the cuttings and secure them so one or two nodes are below the bottom of the foam. If you're using leafy cuttings, the leaves will usually secure them adequately. Float the foam with cuttings in a pan of water with a mild fertilizer solution and add the air stone to the water. The highly oxygenated water will stimulate root initiation much more quickly than just water, and as noted, there will be no need to change water or monitor levels as the floating foam keeps depth of cutting in water constant. You will still be left with the problem of transitioning the plant to soil, however. Al...See MoreFig trees making figs now before leaves are on
Comments (4)OK I posted a question about my fig trees in another thread, but this one raises more questions (dang I need to learn about figs!) One of my trees is bare (no leaves etc). The other is bare of leaves but has had little figs on it all winter. Lots and lots of them....will that reduce this year's crop? Arghhhh this danged garden is going to get the best of me LOL Do fig trees look different depending on the type??? If I posted a pic of my two would it be easy to tell the difference or is it impossible given they're bare.... It's pretty mild here (pacific northwest) but we did have some pretty cold temps this winter (for here...my other house is alaska so in comparison it's warm always here LOL) Would those have damaged the crop?????...See MoreIs sevin spray safe for fig trees and fruit?
Comments (2)if its on the label.. it is .. if its not on the label.. then it is not an approved use ... regardless of how others use the chemical ... ken...See MoreWhen can I safely begin pruning my fig tree?
Comments (2)I'm pretty active in the gardening community, and am often called on to give talks/demos about pruning - probably an outgrowth of the fact that experienced bonsai practitioners can prune in their sleep. It's a popular program to talk to a group at someone's home and actually use their trees to demonstrate pruning techniques and explain principles. One of the most oft asked questions is 'When can I prune?' My stock answer is 'Any time you have a sharp pair of pruners in your hand.' For major pruning chores: wounds close fastest if you prune in the spring before buds move. This also prevents the tree's moving stored energy to branches you then remove - thereby wasting it. If you want to avoid excessive suckering and water sprouts, limit your pruning to no more than 15-20% of the above-ground mass of the tree, 10% is better - unless the tree is small and you can also prune roots with a spade at the same time you prune the canopy, in which case you can remove more and avoid the suckering/water sprouts. It's difficult to be specific w/o knowing what your goal is. Are you rejuvenating a multi-stemmed tree/shrub - reducing the height of a single trunk tree - pruning for appearance by removing crossing branches or branches that don't enhance the trees appearance .....? Al...See Moreloslunasfarms
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