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Black and Purple BT's?

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  • FMD

Black-Purplish and long:



Dark Brown-Blackish Flat:





Nice looking figs. Course I've yet to meet a fig I don't like. 
Are these any of the ones you got at Lowes?
Later
Dave.

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  • FMD

Not from Lowes, they came from mail order places many years ago. Names are long forgotten. Although different in appearance, they have a similar taste and texture.

That's definitely not a BT.  Wrong leaf shape for one (all three dominant leaves I see).  Fruit not quite right either.

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  • JD

FMD,

Is the your same tree that I note as "Unknown Purple" with red pulp that I posted about in this thread http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5379644? If so, considering the background it looks like photos of both the Mother and the offspring. Is that right?

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  • FMD

Quote:
Originally Posted by JD
FMD,

Is the your same tree that I note as "Unknown Purple" with red pulp that I posted about in this thread http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5379644? If so, considering the background it looks like photos of both the Mother and the offspring. Is that right?

JD, welcome home from vacation. Come by and help me eat some figs.

The bottom 3 pictures are from the fig facing the garage. The top two are from the "back 40". 

They have different parentage.


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  • JD

No question...

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  • FMD

Ok, it is all coming back now...The top two pics are of Petit Negri obtained from Edible Landscape many, many years ago.
The bottom three pics are of Beall.
Phew, now I feel a lot better. Identified and catalouged.

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  • JD

Frank,
So the 4th, 5th, and 6th images in this post (called Unknown Purple) are actually Petite Negri from EL? Excellent! You have the mother tree in the back 40 and an offspring closer to your residence, right?

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  • FMD

Hi JD, sorry for the continued confusion. The  4th, 5th, 6th and 7th images from figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5379644 are from the NJ Red (spicy complex unique flavor).The Petit Negri figs (1st and 2nd pictures from this post) are from the tree that I hung the snakes from (green garden hose with eyes painted on, that fooled neither the birds nor your kids).

BTW, what can we do about those birds? I hardly get to taste my black figs!</Electric Scarecrow Owl:?Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler? Too expensive and fraught with failure IMO.

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  • JD

Frank,

Here is a suggestion of a temporary solution: build a few "chicken coops" for your dark figs. I have been experimenting with structures that will support bird netting (PVC, rebar posts, wood, and green fencing stakes). Nothing worth promoting at the moment but generally speaking wood has been the easiest because I can build it, net it, place it, and access it most readily without having the birds access it well. I must admit, the #1 issue if mending the netting together. If there are any gaps, the birds will exploit it. Given that you want to sample your smaller dark trees just for 'today', per tree is acceptable.

Meanwhile, if you are willing and able, consider this work by Ken for a larger scale and the start of your fig orchard - http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4865348&highlight=bird+netting. Again, you can count me in.

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  • FMD

Thanks for the suggestions, JD.

Unfortunately, I've had some bad experiences with bird netting. Last year, I draped some over a small fig tree that had never fruited, to be sure to at least get a taste. One day, I found two black snakes caught in the netting. I tried to release them but it was too late. When they get caught in one of the loops, they try to escape by twirling  and turning desperately but only end up making the noose tighter until it cuts through their skin. An hour in the hot sun and they are cooked. It was a sad experience knowing that I had accidentally eliminated two beneficial creatures from my garden.

This spring the same thing happened with 3 small black snakes that had gotten into my shed. They became entangled in some bird netting that I hadn't bothered putting back in the package. Since then I got rid of the rest of the netting I'd bought..

Perhaps the solution is to plant as many trees as possible saturating the environment with figs. There has to be a breaking point at which time the bird will say, "Figs for supper, AGAIN!"



We found that in our area there is no such thing as a saturation point for birds.


We found that the more food there is, the more they reproduce, and the more food there is, they stop keeping neighboring birds away.

The end result for us was, whether or not we had one tree or a dozen, the birds will take every last one. What they don't eat they will spoil.

The only thing that has ever worked for us is some type of barrier.

Bob

FMD, a good solution to the snake problem (though it's a bit more work) is to make a 24-30 inch high fence around the tree with heavy-duty plastic sheeting, and then bring the bird netting down only far enough to overlap the plastic by a few inches. When I did that, I quit catching snakes and lizards.

JD,

You guys are killing with all those ripe figs you keep posting.
I'm here in Vegas getting loaded to go to Orlando and while I'm waiting I keep suffering from these pics.

I might stop for the night in Tallahassee on Thursday night

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  • FMD

Ken, I am sure that the system you described would work. Unfortunately, I am planning on an entire orchard of fig trees over a two acre field and that would indeed be too labor intensive and cost prohibitive. Maybe, I could just learn to enjoy looking at the foliage and the unripened fruit. Who needs to taste them anyway? {{:


Rafed, you are welcome to drop by my place for a visit. Unfortunately, those pictures were from early July and I am currently in between ripe figs. There should be another "flush" in the fall, hopefully.

Frank

Thanks FMD,

Last couple times it didn't work out with me and Jimmie as for the meeting.

Let me wait till Wednesday to let you both know for sure.


Frank, i think the best you can hope for is a small hawk to set up residence because of the ample food supply.

My farmer buddy uses one of these scare guns to keep starlings from eating his corn seed, I've never seen them mentioned here before but maybe someone has used them. Of course they will scare your neighbors too though. Another thing I have seen used in Blueberry fields are the big blast cannons and speakers with bird distress calls. I doubt there are many orchards that cover all of their trees, I can't imagine it would be possible economically, and I have never seen one. Maybe for something like grapes that are harvested all at once, but figs and berries would require several employees who do nothing but cover and uncover the trees all  day long.

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  • JD

Let us know Rafed. I am in town this time...

Jimmie,

I sent you an email. Hope you and FMD can make it.


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