Born most probably from sparrow drops it laid its roots on the chunky axil of a Gemini palm tree
from where it takes nutrients and water.
Yes, figs can be astute parasites.

This is the second year I taste its fruit.
Figs are dark, small and believed to be of the Smyrna type. Pulps are deep red even violet.
Tastes fine, very sweet, flavored and unbelievably crunchy due to the many fertile seeds.

Francisco


             

wow~nice pic.
thank you for the post

This fig could easily earn a precious space in my garden!

Francisco, I hope you have taken cuttings, since it's future can always be in jeopardy..., this is too good of a variety to ignore or leave it to "other people's mercy.

That's cool :)

Francisco, what a marvelous finding!  I second Aaron's comment above. Hope you save a piece of it.  looks amazing. what would you say it is?

this gave me an idea. I am struggling with what to do with a 20+ laurel hedge that my next door neighbour has. I keep digging my side of the hedge, sawing it huge roots, as it invades my place. it is my sunniest spot, east /west strip. as it is on the north side of my plot (about 20  feet from my house) it would be ideal for my inground fig trees if was not for the competition of roots with the laurel.. if your fig can grow within the palm, could my trees survive and find way to grow with the horrific rooting of the hedge, if I plant them about 3 feet from the hedge and maintain the upper leaves trimmed so that the fig can grow espalier along the hedge? What you think? Check out this hedge of laurel, and please tell me , should I plant figs there? it is the only unoccupied space I have, or I have to plant them on top of the house. (where you see the wood chips along the front, is all planted with figs, squash, tomatoes, grapes and other things...so my only other area is next to this monster hedge)

https://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&gws_rd=ssl&q=10741+n+park+ave+n.+seattle+,+WA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x549016b1d96aa03b:0xd8ff6c114fe2667,10741+North+Park+Ave+N,+Seattle,+WA+98133&gl=us&sa=X&ei=b3jeU_r0N4yqyATL5oLQDA&ved=0CBUQ8gEoATAA


this is what it looks like at about noon- full sun in mid summer:

Hi all,
If you like funny potting mix, wait for my topic on that ... I was disgusted ! I'm offering compost to mine ... But why ?!?

@Grasa, considering the laurels will grow your way to suck the fertilizer and the water you'll be giving to the fig trees ... ... ... Go 80 liters trashcans buried in the dirt with the bottom removed !
That's what I would be doing . One figtree per trashcan and that's it. All the water and fertilizer you'll give will be kept for the figtrees only .

Thank you all for commenting this Sparrow fig post.

Grasa,

The texture of the fibrous 'wood' of the palm trunk, its moisture and nutrients content seems ideal media to root figs and I have seen many similar examples of figs growing on palm trunks... the majority being wild figs. Your case is different and I am afraid to say that if you plant figs close to those 'voracious' laurel roots, your figs would hardly grow.
Planted a Colar fig over 5 years ago 8 meter distant from a carob and it doesn't make much difference today .
The carob roots won't leave any food for the fig, and figs need a rather wide area around free of any competitors. With this in mind, jds suggestion is a possible solution. but the space is too tight!!

Francisco

From last year I already have 2 or 3 scions growing.

I wonder what it should look like if rooted in its own ground with proper fertilizers and away from those bad parasitic habits !?
Will let you know.

Francisco

Francisco, thanks for the update on this interesting fig!  Grasa, I have used root block material which is rigid plastic sheeting that you bury vertically in the soil.  It comes in various width/depth but I used 24 inches I think.  This was to block roots of my neighbor's trees for pretty much the same purpose as you.  If you google 'root block plastic' you can probably find a suitable product.  It's quite a bit of work to dig the trench and do the installation but you only need to do it once.

Good points, but see, these laurels are suckers but they do drop a lot of leaves, which turn in nice black dirt. I dug about 2 feet down and  screened my soil  from all the roots and saw down the fattest ones I saw in that 2 feet are. but I am sure they go deeper than that.  I dug last year, but the weather and work caught up with me and I could not finish up the project.  I put some plywood as a barrier, well, that will rot and will feed the monster.  I like the garbage can idea, but I think they will still send up roots up the garbage can.   the top one foot of soil near them is very beautiful, 20 plus years of undisturbed rotten fallen leaves, but now it is time to make them produce food. 

I wish they were palm trees.

I read a bunch about the barriers... the ass roots can still go down and under them and up again to suck up the nutrients of my plants.  I guess, I can make a barrier with plywood just to allow my plants to establish, then they will do whatever they have to do. I think they will survive. I am going to plant some for the experiment and next year I will evaluate the situation. I know my large tree has a huge webbing of roots, as I find them several meters from the trunks. Perhaps the figs will outsmart the laurel, if I give them a good starting, inside of a container in the ground.  this posts really inspired me.