Rooting From Winter Cuttings

Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links", a link with a special tracking code. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, websites can receive advertising revenue. The price of the item is the same whether it is an affiliate link or not. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.

Rooting from winter cuttings made easy

rooting

Everyone seems to have their own favorite method of rooting, especially when rooting from Winter cuttings. The steps below describe one method that some people like because they can stick the cuttings into the grow medium and then set it aside until the cutting leaf’s out. Other people like to add another step that they think is more reliable. That other step is to first collect a few 6-8 inch cuttings, bunch them together and wrap a damp paper towel around them. Insert them into a ziploc bag, seal it and then set it outside under the shade. Once the roots form, insert each cutting into it’s own pot with grow medium. This method leaves out the need to use rooting hormone.

  1. When you are pruning your tree during the end of the Winter season, gather a select number of cuttings that are pencil thick, as straight as possible and about 6-12 inches in length.
    Tip: The best cuttings are the ones that have some green colored tips like in this image.  
fig tree cuttings taking root
fig tree cuttings taking root

Get a small 5-6 inch tall nursery pot such as the homemade one below and then pack it with grow medium. Add water and let the medium soak for 1-2 hrs or overnight. These pots have holes cut into the bottom to allow water to drain out when watering. Grab a pencil and insert it into the soil to preset a hole for your cutting.

Poking the hole with a pencil
Setting the hole with a pencil

Using your finger, spread the rooting compound (hormone) onto the cut end of the cutting. Don’t worry, roots will not grow from your finger.

Optional

You may also apply it onto the first knotted point in from the cut end. Apply the root hormone

preparing the cutting
preparing the cutting
Adding rooting compound onto the cutting
Adding rooting compound onto the cutting

Insert the cutting into the soil and then press down onto the soil firmly to hold the cutting into place. Add water and then move the cutting into a shaded area. In about 6-8 weeks, leaves should begin to form. I like using the lower end of a clear 2-liter plastic bottle with holes cut on the bottom because it allows me to see the roots pressing against the plastic. Once the roots have fully formed throughout the pot, you may transfer it to a larger pot. By the following growing season you may plant it into the ground. See the Winterizing instructions here for potted plants.
Tip: This method isn’t 100% successful, so I recommend that you do this with more than one cutting in case if one doesn’t grow.

Add the water to soak
Add the water to soak

Rooting Troubleshooting:

If for some reason, your cutting remains green at the tip for more than 5-6 weeks without leafing out, carefully check the cutting to see if roots formed. If no roots, make a clean cut above the area where you added the rooting hormone. Look for wood that is still fresh and not rotted, follow this instruction:

  1. Wrap the cut end with a damp paper towel, seal in a plastic bag (I use ziploc bags) and place in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. This will put the cutting into a normal dormant mode, making it behave as if it’s Winter.
  2. Go back to step 2 near the middle of this page

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *