I read the following on the Encanto Farms varieties descriptions for Celeste: the same quote also appears on the Alabama Cooperative Extension's Fig Production Guide (linked from Encanto Farms http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1145/):

too much heat will cause the figs to drop off. we have a discussion about it on the other forum.

I live in the Southeast and in my area Celete fig trees are everywhere.  They grow better once planted in the ground and can reach 20 feet.  Once planted in the ground and growing strong for about 5 years, the fruit dropping stops.  But once its growing in a container, it will drop fruit if stressed by too much heat and lack of water.  Celeste is a very good fig!  cheers,

I live in the Southeast and in my area Celete fig trees are everywhere.  They grow better once planted in the ground and can reach 20 feet.  Once planted in the ground and growing strong for about 5 years, the fruit dropping stops.  But once its growing in a container, it will drop fruit if stressed by too much heat and lack of water.  Celeste is a very good fig!  cheers,

I live in "California and the Southwest" and have never had an issue with my Celestes. Love 'em.

Hi Jon,

How high do your temps get there?  How dry is it where you live?

noss

Noss, does this variant do well in coastal LA ? I  was thinking of sending some cuttings to my brother who lives in climate similar to coastal LA.

I am eating some fantastic preserves made from Celeste figs right now.  There seem to be many varients among the Celestes, some good, some not as good.

The Celeste I picked these from belongs to a good friend.  Her father planted it about 30 years ago, and now it is huge, and produces huge crops, which thankfully she shares with me.  She supplies the figs; I make the preserves; and both of us are happy.  It makes the best preserves ever.

I have a Celeste though, that is on its last year if it doesn't change its ways, and I am not optimistic.  It drops fruit and what it produces isn't that great.  I'm giving it one more year.

But I already have some better replacements.  Herman's nursery offers some great strains of Celeste, so I am growing his "No Drop" Celeste (which drops much less) and his "Blue Celeste" which I think came from Jon's Nursery originally.  Both should be great.

But to answer your question, one of the most fun things to do as a gardener is to succeed greatly at things people told you you can't do.  Our AG agent said there were only three types of figs that would grow successfully here: Celeste; Brown Turkey; and Hardy Chicago.  I am now growing over 50 different types.  He looked in a book for that wisdom; I planted things in the ground.  Turns out you can do lots of things the "experts" say you can't do.

The people here at the F4F Forum actually grow figs, they don't just read books about them, so I'm sure you will get some good advice Ken, and then plant a Celeste!

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b 

Thanks, everybody, for the great input. That's what I love about this forum--people who don't just read the books, but could write them. I will definitely plant my little UCD Celeste in the ground and see how it does. If it goes too many years without a dependable crop then maybe I'll start looking for another Celeste variation, but hopefully giving it adequate water, some deep mulch, and a little afternoon shade from an adjacent tree (and maybe a shadecloth canopy while it's getting started) will be enough to convince it that Tucson is a great place to call home.

Usually in the high 80s to 90s in nthe summer, usually warmest in late August and September.  Humidity is generally low, but we can get a monsoonal week in August or September.

Pity,

Hi Jason.  Very true my friend.

If we all did nothing till circumstances were ideal, we would all do nothing!

Gardening (and life) is about doing the best you can with what you have.

Best wishes to all.

John

Excellent summation John. Thks.

Hi I live in North Texas and it can get extremely hot in the summer. I love my Celeste so much I just bought another! The first year in the ground it rained a bunch right after I planted it and it dropped all its figs. That was mostly because of my mistakes: planting in the summer, full sun, clay like soil. But I dug it up and replanted it dormant that fall and it is one of my best trees 4 years later. sugary sweet figs :)

Hi Paully,  I don't know what to tell you about this variant.  By that, do you mean Celestes in general, or just mine?  Supposedly Celestes do well all over Louisiana, but I've heard so much about their fruit dropping in so many places that I don't know what to think.  I don't have room to let my trees grow to 20'.  Though my two trees dropped a lot of fruit last season, I still had more than I could eat, between the two and I've kept the trees cut low.  I found these forums because of the fruit drop that I couldn't stop even with watering regularly.  I am going to be sure to fertilize with 13-13-13 fertilizer and water regularly again this season.  I will also try either weed cloth, or shade cloth, but I don't think the shade will help any.  I'll just put it over the framework on the one out back and leave the one out front with just the bird net.  I wish I could be of more help to you.  I really think that the only thing that would help would be cooler temps.  If it would rain regularly during the fruiting and then not so much during the ripening, that would sure help, but Mother Nature couldn't care less what we'd like.


Hi Kim,  Does your Celeste drop figs in the high temp dry weather?  If not, would you put me on a list for some cuttings from your tree that doesn't drop the fruit?  :)  What did you do differently when you dug it up and replanted it?  Did you change the location of the little tree?  Does it have some shade now rather than full sun all day?

Dennis, I wish my Celestes knew that they were supposed to stop dropping their fruits as they got older.  They're in the ground and are nine and eight years old.  :(

Noss  -  Appreciate the feedback. I was thinking about sending my brother some Celeste cuttings in Malaysia where the climate is rather similar to Southern LA. Looks like he would do better with LSU type figs like Purple,Tiger, Champagne, Improved Celeste. Currently he has Tiger, Champagne, Hollier and LSU Gold.

Though the question was how they do in the Southwest I thought I would add that the one Celeste I have here in Michigan did quite well for me last year.

Very few dropped considering the past experiences I've had with other Celestes.

Definitely a keeper in my book.

I purchased it from Lowes in/near Brownsville, Tx. about two or three years ago.

Looking foreword into how it does this season.

Celeste is the number 1 fig around here....We love em.