How to Propagate Fig Trees
Let me first say that I’m not the Fig Tree expert. My neighbor has been a Master Gardener for a very long time. He has planted thousands of plants. He has a bit of knowledge to share and I’m ready to learn. On his property there are several varieties of Figs. When I offered that I wanted to start some Figs, my neighbor graciously allowed me to take some cuttings. He also shared how he used to propagate them when he worked at the Botanical Gardens. They would put cuttings in Perlite alone and claimed 100% success with his propagation.
My method will be a little different. I’ll be using course sand.
For planters I choose the yellow Kitty Litter buckets. These are a great resource. They have so many uses. It pains me to know that many of these go from the grocery store to the house then to the trash when empty. What a waste.
Check out this video of my process of how to propagate fig trees.
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We start with a Fig branch with a few leaves on the end.
When is the best time of year to do this propagation? I live in Vancouver, Canada and planted my first fig tree in my garden this summer. Unfortunately, it does not look to be to doing the best and I pretty sure that was because of the soil conditions. I started to add some dolomite lime and it looks better now.
If I were doing this straight in the ground, then I’d probably do it in the Spring after the last frost. For me, since I have a small greenhouse, I decided that the timing wasn’t critical. I’ll put the buckets in the greenhouse for the Winter. Hopefully next Spring I can plant them. I’m glad yours are perking up.
I have a Q about when it comes time to transplant. Would you wait until they are dormant and wash the sand off to transplant them as bare-root, or what is the right way to get them from the bucket of sand and in to the ground?
I’m thinking of using this technique for several grape vine cuttings – any thoughts on that?
Thanks!
I think that would work fine. Otherwise I’d just do it like a potted tree when it’s fully leafed out. I don’t think there would be any issue planting it in the sand… But someone with more experience might have a different opinion.
Hi there
Thanks for this useful article. Really appreciate it.
How long did your fig cuttings take to root? How long will you wait until you replant them? How do you remove them from the kitty litter box without damaging the roots?
Many thanks
Claire
This experiment went bad. I believe that my mistake was adding the cloth over the drain holes. The sand was a bit stinky which told me that the drainage was not good. All my figs died. I’ll try again coming soon 🙂
Do you have an update on your fig propagation?
Yep 🙂
glad i saw this. i just tried your fig tree propagation method and used clean cat litter as it’s coarse, because i don’t have perlite or sand.
i used an old tin and made large drainage holes, with no cloth to cover up the holes. And just watered with rain water. It’s not sitting in water either. lets see if it will work. will water it when it’s a bit dry.
cindy
u.k.
I’m so glad you are giving it a try. Don’t let the sand dry out much because it could become hydrophobic (repels water), then your root zone has little chance of getting the water it needs. Be sure to try my “better way” as well, as described in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30nPgCJdNrM
muito instrutivo!
1. To prevent sand from running out of drain holes I use coffee filters to cover holes from the inside of my transplant pots. 2. Have propagated Roses, Pomagranetes, etc using your method but the easiest way, in my opinion is air layering. Taking the same type of limb and a limb at least 1 year old, I take a wet sponge, wrap around the selected limb, wrap limb and sponge in plastic wrap , and tie securely with brown twine and monitor moisture every few days. That involves unwrapping and checking moisture of sponge being careful and fast to re wrap securely. Depending on the daily temperature Rooting takes place in about 3 or 4 weeks. This needs to be done when temperature is at least 75 degrees during day. Air layering doesn’t do well at the end of summer when temperature doesn’t get over 50 or 60’s Works just about every time.
I am very interested in Air Layering. Thank you for describing your methods! I did one experiment with it so far but it didn’t work out. I’ll try your method to see if I get better results.
Look forward to propagating our fig tree this coming spring. Great information and video. Thank you.
I live in northern New England. I experimented with my Celeste and Black Mission figs last winter and the previous summer. Cuttings placed in perlite during the summer rooted okay, but took a few weeks and not all of them made it through the winter (in containers in my garage). I then tried dormant cuttings about 6″ long on April 19th directly in perlite over a bit of heat. After 2 weeks I had some initial root activity and by May 17th there was substantial growth and I then transplanted them into individual pots in a potting mix which they remained in for the season with 100% success. They all look healthy going into the winter where they will stay in my garage with their parent plants until next spring. I try and use a sterile mix and if I were to use sand I may sterilize it first in my oven as I have in the past to kill off any disease. I have also done well with air layering , but find the dormant method much quicker and I can get many more plants in a very short time.
I have often been tempted to buy a fig tree, but was afraid to lose it do to the cold. I had seen that one of my family members who lived in DC had a successful fig tree. I live in central NY on one of the FingerLakes. I understand that you winter your fig tree in your garage? When do you place them in the garage? When do you take them out of the garage? Do you water them through the winter? Is your garage heated? Is there light in your garage? Thank you, I am highly interested in understanding how to succeed with a fig tree.
In NH (which is similar to your climate), I bring them into the garage after the leaves have dropped. My garage is heated, but only minimally to keep my workshop and glaze materials from freezing (my space doubles as a pottery studio). There are windows, although I move the figs into any corner they will fit in, so they are often buried in a dark corner. I end up with them in large containers, so having them on wheels helps me move them around as needed in the winter. I do splash some water on the during the winter when the soil gets dry, but I am careful to not let them stay too wet as the roots will probably rot.
This article is titled “How and Why”
It goes into great detail on the How but never touches on the Why. I really wanted to know the advantages of this tree versus other fruit bearing trees.
I grow them because my wife loves figs. Fresh figs are not very common to come across here in NH and when you can find them, they are quite pricey. If we ever get an excess of them, I will try drying them as well.
I am an American who is retiring in the Philippines. In the small rural community we are now in it is almost all either Mango’s or Banana’s. So for diversity I have been looking for other fruit trees that might be able to live and thrive in a tropical setting.
Will they grow in a humid climate? How long until you could expect a harvest? Is it a viable plant for the Philippines?
I liked your article and it interested me greatly. Unfortunately it created more questions for me than answers.
Thanks
John
My dad did well with them in Southern Florida for the 25+ years he was living there. In his case, it was only when there was a cold snap that it slowed down his figs!
I see lots of people here in Texas having great success with Figs. Some of the trees here are very large and old. It’s wonderful seeing such a mature food bearing tree!
Bruce, Do you know what variety your dad has had here in florida with such great success?
Hi Kelley-
I just got this. Sorry about the delay.
My dad never was able to find out what variety it was before he died, but I had given him a small cutting from a “Celeste” fig and it was starting to do well when he left Florida. I still have a plant started from the one he had in his backyard in Fla,, which I bring in each winter along with my other figs, but it still has not produced any fruit. I have not been able to identify it yet.
Bruce
With no experience growing anything in the Philippines, my guess is that they would do fine. Plant in full sunlight, compost and mulch regularly. I hope you find great success with this and share it with your neighbors!
I don’t have any specific reasons why Fig is any better than another fruit tree. This is just another fruit tree that will grow in my area. I love the idea of having a wide diverse variety of food plants on my little farm. Fig is just one among many.
If your experiment didn’t work why is it still online? Click bait? Also if your neighboor is an expert why don’t you just follow his advice? I don’t understand this.
I believe that all experiments are valuable information whether they fail or succeed. It’s clearly marked so there is no deception… at least none intended. My neighbor has been away for a while now. He is now in a nursing home. I have to take the information that he gave me and do the best I can with it. My Figs, using my new method, root very well and are doing great. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Hi,
How long until the fig tree produce the first figs ?
My guess is that it’ll be 2 to 3 years from the time I get it planted in the ground. Time will tell 🙂
I live in East Central Alabama (zone 8A) and have been successfully growing Brown Turkey and Celeste fig trees in my yard for about twenty years with almost no problems besides the very occasional very hard frost ( below 15 degrees F) that kills off some of the smaller above ground branches but never the whole tree. I have never sprayed them and have had no problems with bugs or diseases. About the only care they require from me is a few fruit tree fertilizer spikes placed in the root zone according to package directions every year that I did not get 12 inches or more of new growth the previous season.
I have found my fig trees extremely easy to propagate from one foot cuttings taken in the early spring just before the tree begins to emerge from dormancy, as indicated by the end bud tip just beginning to green up slightly. The rooting medium doesn’t seem to matter much, so long as it can be kept moist but not soggy — I have had consistent success rooting fig cuttings in 5-inch pots in saucers on my kitchen window sill filled with Perlite, or Vermiculite, or bagged mushroom compost purchased from Home Depot, or store-bought indoor potting mix, or even just ordinary garden soil dug up from my vegetable garden. I have even had sticks discarded from pruning voluntarily root themselves after being thrown onto my compost pile The key to success seems to me to be to loosely cover the pot-and-cutting with a transparent plastic grocery store produce bag for the first two or three weeks to keep everything moist and humid while the roots are first forming, to keep the pot where it is relatively warm (room temperature in my kitchen), and to keep it where it gets indirect (but little direct) sunlight while rooting. After about a month on the window sill, leaves begin to form in larger numbers and grow in size, so I carry the plant outdoors for a few hours at a time to get real sunshine on warm bright days before moving the plant outdoors full time. You can transplant the new plants into the ground (or, I imagine, into a large pot or tub) as soon as they are well leafed out and all danger of frost has passed.