Hi,

After losing my only breba on my White Marseilles today, it looks like my Brunswick is my prime candidate to actually give me any fruit this year.

Seeing all the references to it being prone to splitting/souring in rain/wet weather I am a little concerned about how to treat them as they ripen.

All my figs (other than the Marseilles) are in 30cm self-watering pots. Are keeping these topped up going to over-water and split my Brunswick and if so, how should I be looking to treat it through the summer.

(based in London, England if that's important)

Woodenman,
  I have only just begun to use SIPs so my firsthand experience is limited, but there was a related discussion about SIPs/SWCs on the forum over the winter...
...if you are using a SIP AND if there is a plastic cover over the top (with just the tree poking through)....then theoretically the only water the tree gets is the water you give it in the SIP.  (This is not counting incidental water it gets on the leaves and fruit, which I do not believe is what contributes to splitting.)  So, while the fruit is ripening and prone to splitting, you are in complete control of how much water the roots are exposed to.
Jim

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I get that I'm controlling the water myself, but what I'm not so sure about is whether the normal amount of water (i.e. reservoir full and topped up 1x / week) is too much and will promote bursting.

If it is, then reducing that will probably be quite tough, as it will suck up any water in the reservoir (at least, that's what it's designed to do, so will require dry periods which kind of ruins the point of having a SWP!

Woodenman,
    The definitive answer is best left for someone with firsthand experience growing Brunswick/Magnoloa or some other prone-to-splitting fig in a SWC.  For all other varieties, and for splitting types during the stage of growth when greenery is actively growing, the SWC concept seems to be great.  For splitting types...well, I guess you can't have everything.  The SWC allows you to let the reservoir run dry during the ripening stage when the figs are prone to splitting.  You still have some active work to do, but at least you aren't at the mercy of the weather.  That might be as close to "set it and forget it" as you will get with the splitters!
Jim