Message Board

I hate you folks!

warrior — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:46:21 GMT

You are going to be the ruin of me.
First let me introduce myself. David here, I go by the handle of warrior (from "my" river back home in AL) on most of the forums I'm on and by my patrinymic (mcleod) on GW. I found GW while scheming and planning just what I am going to do on my .58 acres here in GA. I am a fruitnut and just knew I required apples, pears, peaches, grapes, muscadines, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, plus a fig or two.
Of the other fruits I am quite familiar having grown up around them but figs were always of the unknown variety. I just knew that there were differences and that some were better than others. I love a good fig but lacked the knowledge to select a good variety or two. So I began to read and read. I have read every page the GW FF. Imagine my amazement that even within the "named" varieties figs vary in quality but from the descriptions it seems that the search for the perfect fig is an ongoing quest for most of you. Care if I join in that quest?
Here's my thing, I set out to select the best two or three varieties for planting here but I learn that first I need to sample as many as I can (sampling figs, oh the horror of it ;) ) so I plan on obtaining cuttings and growing them out and see what I find out.
BTW, a thourough study of this site resulted in a list of 20 that have my interest.

cuttings needed

pezzuti9 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:12:13 GMT

My attention only turned to this fig variety only after it being mention on a recent posting here on the forum. It's the Violetta fig. If anyone can supply me with at least two cuttings from this tree so I can see if it will do well in my zone 5.

I have I think at the last count 20 trees but many are very young. As it stands now they are in 5-gallon pots mostly because of their size. Most are not ready to take cuttings from at this stage. I do have a couple of older fig trees and because I don't have them covered as yet I might be able to take and trade cuttings if youre interested. If you want to know what I can part with write me at pezzuti@verizon.net.

If a trade is not possible I am willing to take the pay as you go method. I would pay for postage, cuttings and a little for your time if need be.

From what I read it seems like it would be a good tree to get going in my area. Would be interested in knowing what you people that have the tree already think about it.
Thanks for your time.

Lou NE., PA

F4F New Look?

OttawanZ5 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:53:38 GMT

I had problem accessing F4F site for a while yesterday. Now that I got to it, it looks different. So, I am not sure if it is my computer or the Internet provider or the F4F look has changed?

Fig growers in my region?

saxonfig — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 17:43:28 GMT

I started this topic in another thread but decided it may be significant enough to have it's own thread.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

I have learned something interesting about my specific area. We have a bad tendency for getting late frosts here. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who is a local horticulturist and he added some very interesting insight to the subject.

So, according to everything I've read, heard, had discussions about, & learned from experience, we have a chance of frost right up until about the 1st of May. The downside is we can start getting temps in the high 60's low 70's as early as the end of March. The reason this is a downside is that it causes many trees & flowers to break dormancy & start leafing and flowering. This can be especially true for plants that aren't well adapted to this kind of "unexpected" fluctuation in temperatures. The native stuff such as paw paws, chickasaw plums, elderberries, etc. etc. have no problem with this because they've adapted to it over a really long time. Even fruit trees like apples & peaches that have been cultivated for our area often lose alot of blooms due the early warm-ups & then these late frosts.

Now, my reason for sharing this is how it relates to growing figs in my area. I know this obstacle is likely to be shared with many others. Especially throughout the lower midwest, zone 6 regions. It would be great for me to get in touch with some folks who grow figs in my region. Specifically around SE Missouri, S Illinois, KY, NE Arkansas, & N Tennessee. Anybody growing figs in these areas? It would be very helpful to know which varieties others have had experience with and may be doing best unprotected in this region.

Just to a little more insight from the conversation I had the other day. Apparently our area has one of the longest periods of chilling hours in the nation. It was explained to me that areas south of us are simply milder and don't get the chilling hours we do here. Further north it gets cold more quickly and stays cold (below freezing) longer. Apparently "chilling hours" only qualify in the temperature range just around the freezing mark but not well below. And I have to agree that we do get alot of that even during the coldest part of the year for us.

Any further thoughts or insights here? Especially from any who may live in in the condtions I've described above. But, of course, all are welcome to comment.

Thanks!

-Bill
SW KY
Zone 6b

Is this a male or female fig?

The_montreal_Fig — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 17:24:20 GMT

This is an imature fig that fell from a tree and I was wondering if there is a way to tell if this is a male or female...

(On the left you can see larvas which I am guessing could be the fig wasps)

Recipe for Killing and repelling bugs

Italiangirl74 — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 13:19:42 GMT

Ciao amici!!!! I found this very old recipe that belonged to my Grandmother, writen in Italian and translated into American measuring units. the paper is a dark orange color from age and has alot of stains from sauce ect on it. It was probably near a stove. Its apparantly a repellent and killer for bugs on your trees and garden. Alot of it is not readible by me but the recipe is there. I remember They ( Grandparents) never bought insecticides or anything like that. These are the bugs it said it would kill. Cutworms, mites,slugs ect ect, I couldn't read the rest. My question, could you use this on Figs I wonder. I'm sure you can use it during leafing periods, but wonder if spraying this on the fruits would make the fruits taste like garlic? I guess you could always wash the fruits. I think this would be very usefull especially in the winter month indoors with so many fruit flies and spider mites running around.

2 hot peppers
1 onion
6 cloves Garlic
4 ( CUPS ) water

You can substitute 2 what would be teaspoons hot red pepper for the fresh peppers. Let the mixture stand for 24 hours then strain and add one teaspoon of a liquid soap ( I would imagine something like dawn). Spray on plants.

Martin, your unknown

pitangadiego — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 05:20:30 GMT

The pic is a little fuzzy. Your's are in the center pot and up to 18" tall, already.

Fiorone Di Ruvo

rafed — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 02:46:55 GMT

Does anyone have any Fiorone Di Ruvo cuttings they would like to sell?
How would they do in zone 6?

Fig trees in Istanbul

The_montreal_Fig — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 01:31:41 GMT

I have been walking around Istanbul and in almost all corners of the city there is always a fig tree growing somewhere.

Here are a few pictures

I will try to do more pictures in the next few days and also some videos

Kalamata! the fastest rooter?

Italiangirl74 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:46:47 GMT

I potted up many Kalamata sticks last week with spagnum and a little dirt.These were sown directly into the medium, immediately after I cut them from mother tree. Not prerooted in a bag. Today I looked and there is good Spaghetti growing in the pots. In one week Unbelievable. Has anyone else ever discovered this with Kalamata variety?

Don't make it personal

pitangadiego — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:33:52 GMT

I really try to let people have their freedom, which means that they should govern themselves. However, this forum is about figs and things related to figs. So I have deleted some threads that were about personalities and not figs. I am not yet deleting any person, and I hope it doesn't get to that point. Some people have started threads that they should not have, BUT, a lot of others have felt the need to join in, which is just as bad. I am not interested in researching all of the drama to see who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, and those involved know their part. Hopefully we are clear on this issue. Now, back to figs...

Air Layering--Timing?

fyvfigs — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:39:57 GMT

Weather-wise, the 2008 & '09 years have been very similar in our NW AR area: a couple of weeks of July heat & way above normal spring, summer, & fall rains.
In late July '08 in the withering heat, I set up about 4 dozen air-layers on my 18 or so trees of various kinds. I had root formation on almost every single one--including: Petit Negr, White Russian, Black Mission, Celeste, White TX Everbearing, TX Blue Giant, Brown Turkey, and Encanto Group.
(This is not to say that they all survived to be planted out in Spring '09. I lost approx. 10 to panic'ed over-watering after they dried out in our sunroom).

This year, I spent way too much time struggling with my new HoopHouse (poor OKie design, long story) I did manage to transplant 45 trees therein. But I felt less ambitious in the air-layering department & did not set them up until late August. My results: maybe 1/8" of root formation on a Celeste, ZERO on my ever-trusty petit negri INCLUDING the usually fail-safe method of burying a couple of low branches in the soil, covering them with plastic & weighing it all down with a stone. For the record, we had one sunny day in the month of October.
Do we love variation in our fig experience or what?
Signed,
Still Learning.

Paradiso in Philadelphia

Bass — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:53:27 GMT

Meet Giovanni

This is his Fico Paradiso that he brought from Italy 30 years ago.

It's a very large tree as you can see.

Nelson Blk Madeira

2007_giants — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:18:01 GMT

Do you recall what months the Blk Madeira would ripen main crop on the Island and was it later then the other varieties found there?
Sal

First Brebas of the 2010 Season

pitangadiego — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:13:43 GMT

Can't remember what variety I saw these on, but it still has it's 209 leaves, and is now forming brebas at the base of 209 growth. It has been a strange year.