By Loretta Humble/Around the Town
Note: While Kristi is busy moving into her new home right in the center of downtown Malakoff, I felt I needed to fill this space again this week. However, I’ve been busy trying to prepare a paper for a Master Gardener assignment. But I’ve just noticed it sounds more like one of my columns than it does a research paper, so I thought maybe it could do double-duty. So here it is. I hope some of you are vaguely interested in fig propagation.
I want to talk to you about propagating figs. That may sound like kind of lame, since figs may be the Number One easy-to-propagate plant in the whole world. But I have come upon a new slant that produce a new fig tree much faster. I saw it on YouTube. However, this assignment requires me to cite some respectable sources for this paper, and YouTube is not on that list. So I will briefly discuss the standard propagation methods, which are easy to find sources for. Then I will end up with the method I am really excited about. I even thought I would do a little propagating and include that in my paper.
I visited Jerrod Cerveny out at Cedar Creek Plants, telling him I was ready to prune my tree with the help of a R&H Tree Service, propagate everything and write about it. Whether you need a bothersome tree removed completely or your other trees could use a neat trimming. It bесоmеѕ really vеrу important tо hire thе services оf a certified tree removal company, especially whеn a tree іn уоur property possesses a threat оf destruction аnd damaging thе structure. Tree pruning іѕ аnоthеr service offered bу thеѕе reputed removal companies аnd thіѕ service іѕ mainly hired whеn thе tree spreads оr expands оut іtѕ branches whісh interfere tо уоu property. But, thе process оf removing a tree іѕ nоt easy аnd simple. Yоu wіll аlwауѕ require rich experience аnd оthеr necessary equipments tо complete thе process оf removal successfully.
Thе equipments аnd tools required fоr removal аrе expensive, heavy аnd sharp. It іѕ vеrу important tо handle thеѕе equipments аnd tools carefully оr еlѕе іt mау саuѕе ѕеrіоuѕ injury tо уоur bоdу аnd property. Sо, іt іѕ аlwауѕ advisable tо hire thе services оf a removal company thаt specializes іn removing оf trees аnd tree pruning. Thе Tree Removal Service in Roswell GA company muѕt hаvе bоth expertise аnd experience іn removing trees аnd handling thе required equipments аnd tools efficiently. Thеrе аrе mаnу certified companies thаt deal іn thе business оf removing trees аnd hеnсе іt bесоmеѕ quite difficult fоr people tо select thе right service provider аmоng ѕо mаnу.
He reinforced my suspicion that this subject might not electrify audiences. “ Figs are one of the easiest things to root,” he told me. “ Usually all you have to do is stick a cutting in the ground.” At that point I should have chosen a new topic, but I just couldn’t give up on it.
Jerrod told me I could root some cuttings if I wanted to, but I need to wait till late winter to prune my tree. The information I got from University Georgia Extension Service said I should wait till late February. Both Jerrod and the Georgia experts did allow that I could do air layering now, but they didn’t really encourage it. Air layering works better when growth has started, probably late March.
Back to cuttings, University of Tennessee says it is fine to set them out in the fall, we mulch them and maybe mist them. The problem is, they too say we shouldn’t prune our trees to get those cuttings till February. So it looks like February through March or April is the period to get serious with fig propagation.
So in February, I’m going to set out a bunch of cuttings. Georgia Ag says these should be 8 to 10 inches long, from 1-year-old wood. The upper end should be cut just above a bud, as tips and soft wood do not root well , and the lower end just below a bud. You can plant them in pots, or in rows in the ground, with only one bud exposed, about 10 inches apart. Water when you plant them, and watch to see if they need watered from time to time. Rooting hormone is suggested by some experts, some don’t even mention it. I’m going to use it, just in case.
Now comes layering. A big plus for layering is that if it is done right, the failure rate is near zero, and it almost always gives you a head start over cuttings.
One method is ground layering, where you mound soil over a low hanging branch, leaving the shoot tip up. It will root at the nodes, and will be ready to be detached and planted in the spring. Some folks slice off a little bark to give the roots a little extra boost.
Georgia Ag says to make an air layer, cut and remove a ring of bark ¾ inch wide from a large twig or small limb which is still attached to the tree. Then you cover it with wet sphagnum moss or potting soil, and cover that with strong clear plastic, which you tie at both ends. Or you could use a split plastic water bottle held together with clear tape to substitute for the plastic. When the bottle or plastic pocket fills with roots, detach and plant.
But what I’ve been waiting to tell you is that you can think big with air layering. Really big. That is my big news. After that it is just regular air layering.
First locate a good size straight limb with two or three branches. Remove the ring of bark just as usual. Then get a bigger plastic bottle, maybe a 2 liter soda bottle, cut off the bottom and the top, split it and wrap it around the limb, bottom up. (by the way, cutting the bottle is the hardest part of all of this, but with a little practice it gets easier.) Fill the bottle with the same rooting medium and fasten it securely around the limb, taping the split up. Check it every now and then to see if it needs watering and watch the roots grow. When the bottle is full of roots, in one or two months what you will have is a new baby tree that you can detach and plant, probably in a big pot for a while till it gets used to standing on its own. And of course this doesn’t just work with fig trees, but most other trees as well.
Can you imagine? Going out and picking a little tree off your big tree! I can’t wait.
But I guess I’d better if I want to do it right.