Simple ways to propagate figs from cuttings at home

Countries with a subtropical climate are considered the birthplace of figs. Previously, in Russia it was grown only in hot Krasnodar and Crimea. Later, varieties were developed that are suitable for cultivation in regions with a temperate climate and, with proper care, can withstand cold temperatures down to -20ºC.

There are several ways to propagate figs, but the most popular of them is cuttings. This method allows you to obtain a large amount of planting material, which quickly takes root and retains maternal characteristics. Read on to learn how to propagate figs by cuttings at home.

Is it possible to grow and propagate figs at home?

It is possible to grow figs at home. More and more gardeners are cultivating this plant on the windowsill, because the fig tree is undemanding in care and is easy to create suitable conditions on the windowsill.

fig tree - this is a ficus. It has a beautiful branched crown with large cut leaves. Looks attractive even without flowers and fruits.

During flowering, the plant is covered with large flowers that look like a tea rose, but have a larger number of stamens. It bears fruit with beautiful and tasty dark purple fruits.

In order for the plant to bloom and bear fruit at home, it is important to choose the right variety. It is imperative to use self-fertile varieties (Solnechny, Sochi, Kadota), since it will be problematic to “force” a tree that requires pollination to set fruit.

In order for the plant to bear fruit, it must be propagated vegetatively. The seeds often grow into wild plants, which begin to bear fruit late or do not bloom at all.

Note! At home, figs reach a height of up to 1.5 m (depending on the size of the pot). An adult plant produces up to 100 fruits per year.

Features and advantages of propagating figs by cuttings

Most gardeners prefer to take cuttings from a fig tree. The advantages of this breeding method are obvious:

1. Allows you to obtain a large amount of planting material. Branches obtained by pruning the plant are often used. This is an advantage of the method over propagation by layering.
2. Cuttings allow you to achieve the first flowering faster than when propagating by seeds.
3. When propagated by the vegetative method, the fig tree retains its varietal characteristics.
4. Fig cuttings take root well and quickly. They are easy to work with.

Suitable timing

In order for cuttings to take root quickly and easily, it is important to choose the appropriate time for harvesting and planting them. Possible options:

1. Spring. It is better to cut green cuttings in the spring, before the buds wake up. It is better to do this in early March. Slicing is also possible at the end of February. Such planting material is ready for rooting immediately after pruning, that is, in the spring.
2. Autumn. In the autumn, lignified cuttings are harvested. They are rooted only next spring.
3. Summer. Reproduction of figs is also possible in summer. This time is suitable for two cutting methods.However, many gardeners believe that in the summer the branches take root worse and the plant experiences more stress when pruned. In addition, it is important that the sun is not active when slicing. The procedure is carried out in the morning or evening.

Cutting options

To grow figs, green and woody planting material is used. Working with such cuttings has some differences. This must be taken into account when choosing a method.

In both cases, it is important to choose a suitable mother plant. It should already be blooming and bearing fruit. This is a guarantee that child trees will also have this ability.

It is important to inspect the tree for disease and pest damage. If there are any suspicious spots or other symptoms, propagation is postponed until the plant is completely cured.

Lignified cuttings

Lignified cuttings have a hard but elastic bark. If you make a cut on it, you can see the green layer. The branches should not be too old or dry. It is important that there is no damage or signs of disease or pest damage.

The branches are cut into lengths from 15 to 25 cm. They must have at least three living buds. The lower cut is made at an angle of 45°, and the upper cut is made perpendicular to the branch.

The collected branches are placed in storage. If there is a basement, they are buried in sandboxes. Before use, sand is disinfected with a hot dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or by calcination in the oven (30-40 minutes at 180°C).

In the basement, planting material is stored at a temperature of +1…+5ºС. Once every 30 days, the sand is moistened with a small amount of cold water so that the cuttings do not dry out.

Advice. If there is no basement, the planting material is stored in the refrigerator, first wrapped in a damp cloth.

In March, the cuttings are cleared of sand. The lower part is shortened by 1.5-2 cm. Incisions 1.5 cm deep are made on the bark (in the lower part). The depth of such cuts should be such that the green epithelium is not damaged.

Note! Lignified cuttings take root within 45-60 days.

Green cuttings

Green cuttings are cut in spring. They must be absolutely healthy, well developed, without damage. The number of buds on high-quality pruning is at least 3-4. The branches are cut at an angle of 45º.

A juice resembling milk is released from the cut of green branches. Immediately after cutting, the planting material is left for 6-8 hours so that the sap stops.

The planting material is kept in a cool, dark place for 4-6 hours. Shallow cuts are made on the bark. After this, the cuttings are immediately rooted. The blanks form a root system in 1.5-2 months.

Note! Notches on the bark are made so that the root system forms faster and is more developed.

Preparation of cuttings

Both lignified and green cuttings are prepared for planting. This process involves three stages:

1. Disinfection. The cuttings are soaked for an hour in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. It is not necessary to immerse the entire branch in the liquid; it is enough to pay attention to the cuts.
2. Growth stimulation. To do this, planting material is soaked in a solution of a growth stimulator, for example, “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin”. For green branches, the duration of soaking is 30-40 minutes, and for woody branches - 1.5-2 hours.
3. Processing of slices. To do this, the upper and lower cuts are dipped in ash or tobacco dust.

Immediately after processing, the planting material is ready for rooting. The described procedures are carried out on the day of planting.

Methods for rooting branches

There are several ways to root fig cuttings. Possible options are presented in the list:

1. Sand. Before rooting figs from a twig, the sand is disinfected with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate, boiling water or in the oven. The substrate is poured into a plastic cup. The cutting is buried 3 cm in the sand. A bag or cut bottle is placed on the container and the branch. Every day the greenhouse is dismantled and the planting is ventilated for 15 minutes. As the sand dries, moisten it with warm water, and moisten the cutting. The greenhouse is dismantled only after the branch has taken root.
2. Water. Warm water is poured into a jar or plastic glass to a height of 3 cm. Another option is to put cotton wool soaked in liquid into the glass. As the liquid evaporates, add more. To speed up the process of root formation, a growth stimulator is added to the water.
3. Nutritious soil. To prepare soil suitable for rooting, mix 2 parts of garden soil and humus, 1 part sand and 1 part peat. The soil mixture is calcined in the oven or watered with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. 3-5 cm of drainage (fine crushed stone, expanded clay, broken brick, crushed ceramics) is poured into the bottom of the container; the rest of the volume is filled with soil. The cutting is buried 3 cm. The soil around it is compacted. A layer of sand is poured on top. Place a bag or a cut bottle on the cutting. The greenhouse is ventilated daily for 15 minutes. As the soil dries, moisten it with warm, settled water.

When placed in sand or water, the cutting is transplanted into a new container with soil as soon as it takes root. If the branch was immediately planted in the ground, it is replanted only when the root system fills the entire pot.

The awakened buds indicate that the branch has taken root.The plant will begin to send out leaves or new shoots.

If you plan to plant a tree in open ground, the seedling is grown in a greenhouse or at home throughout the year. By the time of transplantation to a permanent place, the root system should be well formed and the tree should be strong. In this case, as the pot is filled with roots, the plant is transplanted into a new, larger container.

Landing

Planting a grown seedling depends on where the figs will grow. If it is used as a houseplant, it will have to be replanted several times in pots of different diameters.

When grown in open ground, one- and two-year-old seedlings are used. By the time of planting in a permanent place, they should have a formed root system and several branches.

In pots

If the cuttings were placed in water or sand, they are transplanted into a pot as soon as they take root. If a nutritious soil mixture was used, replanting is carried out after the fig root system completely fills the old container.

Transplantation at home is carried out several times as the pot is filled with the root system. Typically, adult figs are grown at home in a 6-8 liter pot.

How to plant figs in a pot:

1. A 5 cm thick layer of drainage and some soil are poured into the bottom of the disinfected container.
2. The figs are removed from the pot along with a lump of earth. Clean off the layer with old drainage.
3. The plant is moved to a new container. The free space is filled with soil mixture.
4. The figs are watered with warm, settled water.

In open ground

There are two ways to plant fig seedlings in open ground. In the first case, the plants are planted in trenches, in the second - in holes. Planting technology differs.

The correct technology for planting using the trench method:

1. Dig a trench up to 1 m deep. The trench wall located on the north side should have a slope of 90-85º, and the southern wall should have a slope of no more than 30º. This is necessary so that the soil warms up better.
2. At the bottom of the trench, holes are dug 40-60 cm deep at a distance of 1 m from each other. The soil removed from them is mixed with 2 kg of rotted manure, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium sulfate, 1 tbsp. ash and 5 kg of sand.
3. 5 cm of drainage is poured into the bottom of the hole. (you can use broken brick or expanded clay, but not concrete). Then some of the soil is filled in. A seedling taken out of the pot is placed in the hole along with a lump of earth.
4. The hole is filled with soil. The soil around the seedling is compacted and watered with plenty of warm water. The tree trunk circle is covered with a layer of mulch, for example, peat or rotted straw.
5. The walls of the trench are strengthened a mixture of clay and crushed bricks.

Planting in holes is also used. In this case there are other features:

1. Dig a hole with a diameter of 50 cm and a depth of 80 cm. The soil removed from the hole is mixed with 8 kg of manure and 200 g of Nitroammofoska.
2. 5-10 cm of drainage is poured into the bottom of the hole.. Lay 15 cm of nutrient soil mixture on top.
3. A seedling is placed in the hole along with a lump of earth. The hole is filled with soil, which is compacted.
4. The tree is watered. The soil around it is mulched.

Care after landing

In the first year after planting, caring for figs in the garden will be minimal:

1. Watering. In hot, dry weather, the tree is watered daily, spending at least a bucket of water per plant. In cool and humid weather, reduce the amount of watering to twice a week.
2. Loosening. After each watering and rainfall, the soil is loosened.During the loosening process, weeds are removed, which are considered one of the causes of plant infection with diseases and pests.
3. Feeding. They are held every two weeks. Use a solution of chicken droppings, manure or ammonium nitrate.
4. Protection from diseases. To prevent figs from becoming infected with diseases, in spring and autumn they are sprayed with a solution prepared from 1 bucket of water and 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate.
5. Preparing for winter. In autumn, all fallen leaves are removed. The tree is bent to the ground, covered with film, sprinkled with earth, and then with branches and leaves. If possible, the structure is covered with snow in winter.

It is not necessary to form a plant in the first year of cultivation.

Conclusion

Figs are usually propagated by cuttings. After all, it is this method that allows you to obtain a large amount of planting material literally from the scraps remaining during formation. They quickly take root, develop well and retain the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.

Figs are bred from cuttings for growing in the garden and at home. The rooting process is simple to perform; even a novice gardener can handle it.