Ficus c is an extremely vigorous tree, so we can get away with practices rooting them that would be disastrous in other less vigorous plants. Still, the two most important influences on cutting success is the state of vitality and health of the parent plant, and cleanliness. In operations that propagate vegetatively, great pains are taken to see that the stock plants are in peak vitality and free of diseases. The propagation area and all things that come in contact with the plant are sterile or as close to sterile as possible. Nutrients in the propagation media/media solution actually inhibit the cuttings ability to remain hydrated. Additionally, the cutting cannot utilize nutrients until root primordia appear. At that point, it's beneficial to apply a weak fertilizer solution. Be patient. You're on people time and the tree is on tree time. They're different ..... and only one of you is capable of making allowances for that difference. ;o) .... and please don't move the cutting around so you can check for roots. You'll easily break the microscopic hair roots and set the rooting process back. Good luck. Al

So I put about half the cuttings into clear 16 oz. cups with holes. I used the gas range to heat up a metal skewer to help with the hole creation. I did the cups two at a time to speed things up - boy am I clever. Of course this actually caused the cups to melt together at the hole juncture so I actually wasted a few of my cups snapping them apart - boy am I clever. Most of the cuttings do indeed have roots. Several observations, though (aside from 'burn holes in plastic cups one cup at a time'). 1. The HD purchased Miracle Grow perlite is advertised as preventing compacting - this stuff formed a concrete like layer inside the tub. 2. The resistance I felt when gently tugging on the cutings to test if there were roots gave me the impression that the root growth was much more than what was actually there. This may have been caused, in part, due to the concrete like layer of the wet perlite, but since that was at the bottom I don't think that's so. I put some of the cuttings in a mixture of roughly 1/2 perlite and half miracle grow seed starting mix and 1 cutting in 100% perlite. The remainder of the cuttings are now respaced in the tub with perlite. I've attached a picture (I hope) which shows the 'average' cutting's display of root growth. Not bad for one month from being on the tree, but less than I imagined. Andrew

There is plenty of hope as long as you do not see any mold or rot. (If you cleaned your cuttings properly you should not see any mold or rot.) Make sure that your paper towel (or newspaper) is moist. Cuttings need some moisture and oxygen to root. Too much moisture causes mold and rot......not enough moisture keeps a cutting dormant. Some cuttings just need more moisture than others (Marseilles VS Black for instance) to become re-hydrated. I would suggest you change your paper towels (I prefer paper towels). Take 2 paper towels (one on top of the other).........fold them in half. Then fold them in half again. Completely saturate them with water. Wring them out and try to squeeze as much water out as you can.......that level of moisture is what you want to maintain all the time. Wrap your cuttings in that barely moist paper towel and place them in a baggie. Now place that baggie in a CLOSED plastic container and keep them at room temperature.....no bottom heat or any outside heat of any sort.....strive to keep them at an even temperature. Each day open the baggies and check them for signs of root initials. When you see root initials move them to rooting cups. When in rooting cups do the same thing.....keep them in a CLOSED plastic container and keep them at room temperature.....no bottom heat or any outside heat of any sort.....strive to keep them at an even temperature. Open the storage container every day to help control moisture and help stabilize the inside temperature. Before you know it you will have turned sticks into trees....... Dan

mgleason, Thanks for your response. Potting up when the roots poke out certainly makes good sense, otherwise the little guys would be vulnerable to damage. Putting the potted up plants on a shelf underneath the system won't work for my set up, but i can have them to the side where they will receive sporadic misting. michela, Yes, this is exciting. I thought 'Oklahoma' was fast--taking only 3 weeks to root, and then 'La Tosca' took only 17 days!! I have only one cutting per container so it's really easy to move them. When potting up I use a lightweight potting mix I make up of a commercial mix (one without added fertilizer) with pine bark fines and perlite added. mgleason seems to have the answer to your questions as they are much the same as mine. Laurel