Good Morning All.

This morning while watering my trees, I noticed some growth
coming up from the ground from my Kadota Fig.

I gues that's what you would call a sucker?
Will that be viable or will that be considered wild growth?

I was told that on grafted trees that any suckers
are not worth keeping.
They are from the plant that was to hold the graft.

Does that apply to figs?

Jerry

As far as I know, most figs would not be grafted, but layered. That means that suckers are the same as the fig tree that they grow from, same as a propogating from a cutting. So now you have two.

Grant
Z5b

Well that's good to know.
My Brown Turkey is grafted on to a stock.
So if that one has suckers, they would be from the plant holding the graft?

Jerry

That would depend on where the sucker originates.
If you plant the brown turkey deeper, the brown turkey stem/trunk will get roots, and may also shoot up suckers, that will be brown turkey.
you would have to check to see where the sucker originates, if it is below the graft point it is something else, above the graft point then it is true to the turkey type.

Grant

A question to more knowledgable members: Why would  someone graft a fig when they are relatively easy to propogate from cuttings or layering?

There could be many reasons for grafting of fig trees but it is not a common practice. I may graft different varieties on one trunk if I was limited for space and was able to protect die-back of the grafted trunks (just like 4-in-1 plum or apple trees available).

One need to remember that the top scion determines the fruit varieties and the fruit other characteristics such as colours inside and out etc etc whereas the base plant (rooted plant) determines the growth vigour, size tendencies of the top tree, relative hardiness (as is done in hybrid tea roses) precocity in some cases  etc etc. so some may graft a variety of their choice onto a naturally dwarf tree to keep the size smaller. That is my opinion and there can be more.

You could probably deduce whether it was grafted or not by looking at the leaves. If it was grafted, most likely the leaves from the rootstock would be different than the grafted part on the top. Grafting is not common, so likely the sucker is true.