Anyone who has ACTUALLY READ and tried to understand my posts on the fig cutting cleaning & storage procedures and who has actually read the "details" of my writings on rooting methods ....should already know WHY it is important to clean cuttings. I have absolutely no desire to repeat any of the details again for the sake of argument. Anyone who really desires to know why......perform a search function on my GW user-name and Clorox and you should find my posts on this matter. Those posts will lead to other good posts written by other forum members. Too, I don't really care what the so called professional rooters do. I know what works very well for me and am working on propagation methods that may well be of interest to them. Funny how some people want to criticize and seek fault rather than try to really understand alternate methods that achieve very high success rates.......with success measured in the number of fully harden off fig trees and not simply measured by the number of cuttings that manage to grow some roots. What I have suggested is practical, very simple (requires no special equipment...like those terrible heating pads, or expensive green houses), and consistently yields very good results. What I have posted is sound and easily reproduced by anyone. Anyone who desires to reduce or completely eliminate mold problems during fig rooting, should consider doing some of the things that I have suggested......simply because THEY WORK real well. Temperature, atmospheric pressure, absolute humidity, relative humidity, moisture, air (oxygen), cutting quality, and rooting environment are some of the variables that affect rooting success and potential molding issues. Most of these parameters are quite easy to control or manipulate to your advantage..... if you know how. It really is not that complicated. At least, I have been kind enough to share some of my thoughts,ideas, experiences, research data, methods, and techniques....we sure can't say that about everybody. Dan

This years UCD cuttings were disappointing. Being new at this with only one unknown tree, last season I received cuttings from Jack. Just so you don't think I'm a complete klutz this is the result of last years cuttings. 3 Qtr.lb. healthy excellant growth no figs 1 Nice red 2 figs 1 Alma/BT/or nice red 5 figs 1 " 7 figs 1 " 2 figs 2 " no figs By contrast, This year's cuttings UCD Received 4 Brown Turkey cuttings: 1 small, few leaves 2 died 1 doubtful, one small leaf, Received one Celeste cutting.... dead Gene's Sal's. Received 10 cuttings 6 healthy growing nicely one has 1 fig 1 doubtful, has one small leaf. It is interesting to note that when Gene's cuttings arrived, I planted 5 of them upon arrival. These flurished and are now growing well. The remaining 5 I kept in the refridge for a month or so. These did not do well. If it were not for Gene's generousity in giving me the Sal's cuttings I wouldn't have had any success this season. Good luck everyone. Peg

Dan: About 9 years ago, I contacted a good friend and fig collector by the name of R. Watts and asked him what his best tasting dark fig was. He told me that Black Madeira was probably the best out of all his dark figs but that he preferred Italian-258 as a close second because it sometimes produced two crops and consistently bore alot of figs for him to eat. So he was kind enough to share a rooted Italian-258 with me. Personally, BM reminds me of the chewing gum that has a syrupy filling. Once you bite into it, there is this burst of an intense, sweet berry flavor that just lingers on. Italian-258 has a similar intense flavor but with a persistent aftertaste that, to me, tastes more like a fig and not so much like a berry! I personally like figs that taste like figs, not other fruit, as others might prefer.

It's deja vu all over again. On topic: Native Black is a GREAT fig. It ranked in the top 3-4 of the 80-90 different figs I've tasted in the last two years. Italian Black, a very different and much larger fig, (only second year to produce figs) was just OK. It's a prolific producer, the figs are large, but the flavor (so far) is just OK. Maybe with more time it will improve. A few comments on the JR/RKN controversy: 1. Let's be realistic about one thing: for the most part "fig nuts" are the ONLY people who see what's written here. I'm sure there might be an exception or two - "non fig nuts" who may have considered a purchase from JR who stumble into this thread - but be real Satellitehead...your post was for "fig nuts". You were obviously "loaded and ready" for the controversy, and the defensiveness is obvious throughout your lengthy posts...such as "75% of the ones he sent me were clean"...LOL...are you a lawyer? Did you order 60 figs and 15 were infected? Oh, looking back I see you received one infected plant of the several you ordered. I'm poking fun at your choice of words...75% clean...rather than "one infected plant". I'm not commenting on whether one infected plant is acceptable...just your choice of words. 2. Regardless of anything else why would you not contact the vendor immediately? 3. As far as "hindsight is 20/20" is concerned...a very simple post would have sufficed...something like "FYI guys...I received an RKN-infected fig from Mr. Robin...evidently his RKN problem isn't completely resolved after all". At this point you can probably see why this may have been better. 4. I saved the most important for last. If ANYONE thinks they can implicitly trust ANY online nursery to NEVER ship them an RKN-infected plant I believe they are mistaken. Granted...the odds of this happening may be miniscule with some vendors, but there are too many uncontrollable variables involved for ANYONE in that business to feasibly insure they would NEVER have RKN in the soil of a shipped plant. Does that mean you never order figs from a nursery who has shipped an RKN-infected plant? That's your call, but during your quest to collect figs don't kid yourself that you can be 100% certain any particular nursery will NEVER ship infected soil/roots. MANY online nurseries buy potted figs (and other potted plants) from wholesale suppliers - even nurseries who "normally" root their own plants. It they aren't able to root enough plants to meet demand, many order wholesale. Once they do they bring in soil they really know nothing about. Once that happens RKN can cross-contaminate to other soils/containers onsite through numerous methods - including birds, squirrels, water drainage, and of course, humans, and other ways. I have personal experience and/or first hand knowledge of all I've said in this section (point no. 4). It isn't just my opinion (as are points 1-3) :) It may surprise some here to learn that I have received (multiple) RKN-infected figs from these online nurseries: Edible Landscaping (3 out of approx. 14) Encanto Farms (10 out of approx. 35-40) Durio's (4 out of 10) I've gotten RKN-infected figs from other reputable nurseries, but right now I can't recall which ones. I received my infected plants from Durio's in 2007 (when the elder Mr. Durio was still active in the business). I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told he would not let people walk around in certain areas of his nursery as a precaution against RKN contamination. My point is here was someone (purportedly) taking rather diligent measures to avoid RKN - yet they shipped me 4 infected plants. Does this mean I would never buy figs from these vendors again? For me, the answer is no. Like others have mentioned I have a procedure for newly acquired potted figs. If received while dormant I inspect the roots immediately. Even if they appear clean I grow them potted for the next year in a semi-quarantined area. I put large pine bark chunks on top of the soil in the pots then rocks on top of pine bark chunks so that birds and squirrels cannot get to the soil. The next winter I inspect the roots again. If they are clean THEN, THAT's when I am confident I was not shipped an RKN-infected fig. If at any point I find RKN I keep the fig "quarantined" and airlayer a new tree from it - later destroying the infected plant. At last count (January of this year) I had right at 190 varieties of figs growing (allowing for some name duplication). This year - in addition to rooting many new varieties - I've also acquired from other sources numerous new varieties. This is something I've enjoyed doing, and I would have never been able to put this fig collection together without encountering RKN. I also believe that anyone who wants even a much smaller fig collection should be realistic - yet careful - about dealing with the inevitable Mr. nematode. The only way you will know with 100% assurance you are not bringing in any new contamination to your local soil is to root ALL your plants from cuttings. Then, if you are in an area where RKN is a problem just hope a bird, squirrel, or another of mother nature's creatures doesn't do it to you anyway. OK...I'm done...said my piece...won't address any attempted rebuttals to what I've said, etc., etc., etc. If anyone wants further information from me based on these comments write me privately. Today was the first time in a good while I'd visited here, and who knows when I will next? Henry