Hi every one,
I live in north Africa. where I live the male fig is not easy to get, every year my figs get fall off the trees . I could not get male fig cutting to grow male fig.
therefore, I am starting seedling. hopefully 20 to 30 seedling. so I can get male fig trees.
Will I be able to get any male fig trees???
If I will get any: Will it be a good male fig tree?
If any one has any experience growing seeding please let me know what is my chances?

thanks

Hello Saad,

What is the variety of the tree letting all figs to drop immature ??
May be the place or person where you got it from knows and help  you to sort out the problem

The tree you have may also be another caprifig  .. Caprifigs do let all its figs to drop as well
However an isolated caprifig does not help much... You still need to have 'fig wasps'
Are these wasps in your area ??

Seedlings require fertile seeds, having a minute kernel inside!  not hollow seeds.
To find out if seeds are fertile.. clean/wash them well  and drop the seeds inside a clean transparent glass with water
Good/fertile seeds will sunk   .... non-fertile,  ..float

If you go to Monastir or Mahamdia in Tunisia, near your western border,  you may get good potted Caprifigs trees as well as wasps .  Over there they grow many Smyrna fig varieties and caprifigs and wasps are available
good luck

Francisco
Portugal

Very insightful Francisco! 

Saad, at least half of your seedlings will be male, but like Francisco says you also need the wasp, and the wasp needs fruiting male trees to reproduce and pollinate female trees. You may be able to determine if the tree you already have is male by cutting the dropped figs open and looking at the flowers. Male figs contain the 2 types of flowers shown on the left (the first only appear in the first crop of figs), while female figs only contain the flowers shown on the right. Francisco may need to correct me, I am not sure if the differences will be apparent at such an early stage of development. Good luck to you!

Thank you very much guys, this is a geat information.

I am sure that all my trees are female trees, because a few years ago I managed to get Caprifigs for them, their figs didn't fall as much as this year and last year as  I could not get Caprifigs for them.

I will grow fig seeds to get Caprifigs, and hopefully in January/February I will try to get Caprifigs cuttings or potted Caprifig trees.

again that was very helpful information

Male figs are present in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt.
I think it's a bit further from your area so you will need to roam around your neighborhood to find one.

If you try to grow them from seed your problem has not solved yet because the wasps to transfer the pollen is still absent.

So you will need male figs AND wasps.

Hi,
Plus growing from seed, you'll have to wait 5+ years for them to bare fruit.
Better take a car and find a wild tree and get some cuttings from a wild-male.
With cuttings you can get ready in one year or two ...

You go visit those growers and get some caprifig trees.

Once those trees are well estabilished and producing figs then you make another trip and get some wasp-laden caprifigs to carry back to your place and introduce them to your caprifig plants.

Then you will have your own wasp colony.

Thank you " helike13" very much. this is very useful information.

But what do you mean with (wasp-laden caprifigs)?
do you mean cabrifigs that contains wasps like those ready in May for female fig trees?

again thank you very much 

thank you very much Francisco

this is one of my fig trees. I have other trees . I will send them later.

Hello Saad, 
Nice Fig tree, it would be suprising that there are no Caprifigs in your area..
Are you from Tunisia ?


Jamel.

Think it's better now,,
In your environment, providing you have  water available (you do not need much).. mulching would help the growth and fruit production of all your trees... and yopu shall be using much less water.

Been looking into your plan to have caprifigs in your yard as soon as possible.
I would suggest then,  that you take a couple of your fig trees,  where you would arrange to graft 2 or 3 caprifig buds on selected branches... this could be done during the second half of  this coming August.
If you are not prepared to do this job.. may you have a friend with sufficient experience to do it