Outdoor

What is this?

This article is a little bit different than the others, we will be talking about 3 different methods here, two in detail and one a brief overview.

Bulk Starts:

These are our ways of getting rootstock to graft to so don’t expect a super high rooting rate or too much time spent on these cuttings. We have a few older fig trees that have plenty of cuttings, so this is where we source bulk cuttings.

Pots

What will you need?

• 1,2,3 or 5 gallon pots.
• Potting soil, coco coir, perlite and/or D.E.  Other media should also work.

Step by step:

• Fill the pot 90% full of field capacity soil then very lightly pack it.
• Stick the cuttings in almost all the way down leave about an inch with at least 1-3 nodes above the media.
• Set in the shade and water about once or twice a week.
• When the plants look good about 7-8 nice leaves separate them and pot each one up.  This should be after about 60-90 days.  You can also wait until they go dormant in the fall to separate them.

Raised Beds

What will you need?

• A raised bed with nice soil.

Step by Step:

• Stick your cuttings in the bed about 4 inches apart and leave 2 inches of the cutting above the soil line.
• Keep them well watered but not wet.
• When the plants have 9-10 leaves it about time to dig them up and pot them or transplant into the ground.  Or, again, you can wait for dormancy in the fall to dig up and separate.  
• This works for other cuttings, like elderberry and mulberry – as seen in the photos.