When I root figs, I typically rely on plastic cold drink cups from Starbucks or other coffee shops—they work like a charm every time. But this time, without thinking ahead, I made the grave mistake of using a cup made from hard plastic. Ach! What a blunder! Removing the delicate roots from that rigid container turned into a frustrating challenge—one I won’t be repeating anytime soon. Lesson learned!
Fast forward to today—February 24th, 2025—with the temperature finally creeping up to a balmy 48°F (hey, I’ll take it!), I took advantage of the slightly warmer weather to head outside onto the driveway and up-pot three of my little figgies. Now, take a good look at the image below and focus on the cup on the left. Do you see it? Do ya?! That, my friends, is the infamous cup in question. A cautionary tale in fig-rooting!
The fig cutting had developed a stunning network of roots—strong, healthy, and absolutely beautiful. But there was just one problem: the stubborn plastic cup refused to let go of its precious contents. No amount of squeezing could coax the tightly packed rooting medium free, leaving me in a frustrating standoff with this unyielding container.
At this point, my Greek roots kicked in—literally. As frustration mounted, I found myself slipping into Greek, probably cursing under my breath (or maybe not so under my breath!). What a conundrum!
After what felt like an eternity, I finally managed to pull the cutting free, hopefully with minimal root damage—though I’ll admit, I was holding my breath the entire time. And as for that miserable, inflexible, good-for-nothing cup? Well, let’s just say it met its fate. In the image below, you’ll see exactly what I did—I marched it straight to the curb where the garbage can stood waiting.
Adios, amigo. ADIOS!
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Stay tuned, keep on rootin’ and happy growing!
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