Propagate fig trees by cuttings in 10 steps

A Fig tree brings variety to your orchard. In a warm, sheltered location, sweet, healthy fruits will form in late summer. With instructions on how to propagate a fig tree, we explain how you can grow and raise your own offshoots.

The fig tree

The real fig (Ficus carica) is one of the oldest useful plants.

Characteristics:

• Home: Mediterranean region
• grows as a shrub or small tree
• numerous varieties available
• deeply slit leaves
• medium-sized, conical fruits
• inconspicuous flowers
• Color of leaves in autumn
• robust against diseases

Site conditions:

• bright, warm, sheltered locations with loose, nutrient-rich soil preferred
• suitable for bucket culture
• Overwinter with winter protection outdoors or in a protected, frost-free place in a bucket

Propagate fig tree

There are 3 ways in which a fig tree can be propagated:

• Cuttings
• Cuttings
• Seeds

Propagation by sowing is complicated and often results in no fruiting.

If you want to harvest delicious figs, you should use cuttings or cuttings. Choose a healthy, fully grown fig tree. The cuttings or Propagation of cuttings is a suitable method for the production of new ornamental and useful trees.

Cuttings

Cuttings are obtained from young, still unwooded shoots. Depending on the area of ​​the shoot from which they are obtained, a distinction is made between head cuttings, partial cuttings and basal cuttings.

Cuttings

The propagation of wood by cuttings is a special form of cuttings. The difference is that cuttings are obtained from slightly woody, leafy shoots that have grown in the last season.

Propagate through cuttings

Best time: late autumn to spring

Instructions:

1. On the fig tree, choose a slightly woody shoot that has grown in the past season.
2. Use a sharp, clean knife to cut it off from the tree under one eye.
3. Divide the shoot into two or three pencil-length pieces, each with a bud at the top and bottom.
4. Make a wound cut on the lower end of the shoots by cutting off a small piece of bark next to the bud.
5. Let the cut surfaces dry overnight so that no more milky juice escapes.
6. Tie the cuttings together with a piece of string. Pay attention to the direction of growth. Coat the upper cut surfaces with wound healing agent to prevent it from drying out quickly and to support the formation of roots.
7. Place the connected pieces of wood in a flower pot so that they protrude about three to four centimeters.
8. A mixture of potting soil and sand is suitable as a substrate.
9. Pour the cuttings on.
10. Put a clear plastic bag over the pot. In this way, a greenhouse climate develops, which stimulates the formation of roots.

Attention: After the shoots are cut, milky juice comes out. Put on gloves because the milk juice can cause allergic reactions in sensitive people.

Note: The connection of several cuttings with a string is a method that is still widespread in tree nurseries today, to pull offshoots. The advantage is that at least one log forms roots and the available space is optimally used.

Propagate by cuttings

If you want to gain offshoots from a fig tree, you can also use young shoots as cuttings.

Time: summer

Instructions:

1. Choose a young, not yet woody shoot on the fig tree.
2. Cut this off below one eye with a clean, sharp knife.
3. Remove the leaves in the lower part.
4. Make a wound cut in the lower area of ​​the cutting by removing a small piece of bark.
5. Put the cutting in a flower pot filled with potting soil. Put a transparent plastic bag over it.
6. The young plant requires a warm location in winter. In spring, when night frosts are no longer expected, you can slowly get them used to the outside temperatures.

Note: Alternatively, you can put the cutting in a flower vase filled with water and, when stable roots have formed, plant it in a pot with soil.

Frequently asked Questions: