Need any help & advice on propagation of fruit trees please

[socalgardengal]

I will be moving in 6 months and would really love to learn from you all about propagating a few fruit trees I have right now. I have 2 fig trees and a few plants around the neighbors here that said I could take cuttings from that I love alot. Not sure what they are called. How hard is it? Is it ok to do if the tree is fruiting right now? Anything you can teach me would be fantastic. I'm new to gardening so please speak in general terms so I can understand. Sorry but I don't understand all the scientific talk yet Thank you so much! ~Christine

[Doug9345]

Whether you can propagate by cuttings depends on what you are trying to grow. It can range from easy for something like the willows to almost impossible.

[socalgardengal]

I want to propagate fig trees for now, that is most important because I love the figs growing here.

[Whwoz]

Figs are best propagated from dormant cuttings about 1 foot long, remove buds from lower third and plant about half it lenght in the mix/soil. lots of info on web.

Woz

[socalgardengal]

Ok so I should wait til it's done fruiting?

[Whwoz]

Yes, Ideally wait until it has dropped all its leaves, assuming that they do so in your area.

If they do not drop all their leaves, wait until the new growth is firm enough that it will not wilt, cut off lengths with about 5 or 6 buds, which will be located on the tip side of where the leaf comes off the branch, remove the bottom 3 leaves/buds, reduce the size of the leaves by half to two thirds of their area, coat the exposed wood (branch cut, leaf/bud removal areas in a rooting hormone, which should be available from a garden supply/nursery in your area and push into soil/potting mix to a depth that covers all removed leaf/bus sites.

The new roots will grow out from the exposed inner bark layer, so the better the rooting the more stable the plant in the ground in the long run.

Note: Make all cuts to the stem of the plant as close to a leaf base as possible and slope cuts away from buds immediately below the cuts to reduce likely hood of rotting.

If you take the cuttings when the plants have leaves, it would be adviseable to place potted cuttings in a greenhouse of some sort. If you do not have one, you can make a mini greenhouse by getting a soft drink bottle (eg Coke) cutting top off it and pushing it into an appropiately sized pot over cuttings. This will prevent cuttings from drying out, increasing there chances of stiking.

Woz