Every year, I experiment with a variety of methods to root fig cuttings, and for the most part, I’ve had great success with all of them. That said, my go-to method has always been rooting cuttings in transparent cups of water, simple, effective, and reliable. This year, however, I decided to expand my approach and try rooting fig cuttings in an inert growing medium, specifically coco coir.
Coco coir is an excellent alternative to peat moss because it’s renewable, whereas peat moss comes from a finite resource with a limited supply. The only downside to coco coir is that it’s sold in compressed form only, so you have to break it apart and hydrate it before use. You could use play sand as another inert medium, but between all the bags of soil amendments already scattered around the house, I decided not to add sand to the mix.
Once a week, I make a stop at ReStore in Newburgh, New York, a Habitat for Humanity affiliate that’s dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of homes. They also happen to be a treasure trove of useful odds and ends. I’m always on the lookout for clear plastic containers in various sizes for rooting, and this week I scored four plastic containers with lids that are absolutely perfect for the job.
At the moment, I have 14 containers rooting a wide range of fig cuttings. For the past three years, I’ve been working with a Middle Eastern fig variety called Red Lebanese, originating from the Bekaa Valley, and let me tell you, it is notoriously difficult to root. During the 2024–2025 rooting season, I lost all but two cuttings. Devastated doesn’t even begin to describe it.
That’s why this new method is extremely promising. The Red Lebanese cuttings are looking healthy, and a few are already showing signs of new growth. The two photos above show just a small subset of them because I have about sixty of these cuttings rooting in total. Good times!
I’m also lucky enough to have access to a beautiful fig tree growing in the Village of Walden, which I help winterize every year. In return, I’m able to take plenty of cuttings from it. I root those cuttings and give them away to library patrons as I spread the good word about fig cultivation. These cuttings are absolute champions—they’ll grow in just about any condition and any medium. They simply want to grow, no drama involved. Since I found them in the Village of Walden, I call this fig “The Walden.”
Take a look at the cuttings above, they’re practically begging to grow. I wish I knew the exact variety because it’s unbelievably easy to propagate.
I lightly mist the coco coir in the containers with plain water, then wrap the entire container in a plastic bag to retain moisture. Every two to three days, I check on them to make sure they haven’t dried out.
Watching these cuttings come to life never gets old.
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Stay tuned, keep on rootin’ and happy growing!
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