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Chicago Hardy Producing after Freeze-Back

I have a Chicago Hardy and a UCD Black #1 in the ground out by my barn.  I covered them too late last fall and both were frozen to the ground. 

I've always heard that CH can be frozen to the ground and yet make a crop on new wood in the Spring.  Mine is making figs; it has marble-sized figs springing up all along the new wood. 

Here is the kicker; The Afghan fig, Black #1. has also loaded up with figs on the new wood.  Larger and at least as numerous as those on CH.  

As a second matter of interest, the leaves on the Afghan fig look to me to be identical to Kadota. 

;Anyone have cold-weather experience with these two figs?
Ox
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Ox, the winter of 98/99 our Chicago Hardy was killed to the ground by a late spring frost. Then came back with sprouts from the root system. Around the end of July of last year I read about pinching on the forum. Stating that one should start pinching at the 6th leaf. For us here in this part of Connecticut, that is some time around the first of June. It was around the end of July. But, I figured I had nothing to lose. So, I pinched. In about three weeks three figs appeared. Around the first of November one of the figs ripened, and had a average taste. Considered that it was pinched so late and that we had a very cold summer, it was better tasting then the fresh  Mission figs I had been buying, The other two figs never ripened.


We seem to have a lot of problems with our Chicago Hardy. Last year I ran out of rat poison so did not bury the Chicago Hardy with poison. Of course it was the only fig plant out of the nine we buried that was eaten up by the mice. The mice not only ate all the bark above ground, but also the root system down to about two feet into the ground.

So, it was not until the first of June that new Chicago Hardy shoots came up. Around  July 1st it was about three feet high and I started pinching. 

This year I'm pinching about three weeks ahead of what we did last year. So, that alone with the fact that this has been a very hot summer I'm testing to see if we can get a better result then last year.

On top of pinching this year, I also scored on the shoots starting about six to seven leaves down on the four shoots I kept. Under each leaf petiole I scored about 1/16 of an inch into the green bark. Or until white latex came out. Then applied about a gallon of Miracle Grow, Bloom Booster. At each daily watering the Hardy Chicago gets sprayed with the Bloom Booster. This weekend we will be placing black plastic under each fig plant 

So, with pinching, scoring, Bloom Booster, black plastic heavy watering, and oiling we are testing to see whether or not figs can be grown with heavy mulching, like perennials, here in our part of Connecticut 

If your fig fruits are already the size of marbles, depending were you are located, I would think you would have a good chance of getting ripe fruit, this year. 

Of the one year old fig plants we planted, bent to the ground and buried last year we have about 45 fig fruits, so far. The fig fruits range in size from pea size to marble size. 

What part of the country are you in Ox?  
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Robert, I am about thirty five miles S. of Tulsa, Ok.  I should have the rest of July, all of August and September and a few days of October before we get a hard frost.  The really hot weather will end in August,. but September will still be warm enough.  The figs now showing should ripen, but those ripening late may not be first quality. 

I have a Texas Everbearing, a Kadota, a Plattner Violetta and several other potted figs with well developed fruit.  An in-ground bronze Paradiso and a Celeste are also carrying figs that should ripen if the 70-day rule works here.
Ox
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Let us not create another fig name. The name used has been Hardy Chicago (& not Chicago Hardy even though one may mean the same plant)
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Don't get all excited, Ottawan (Chuckle).  What I have is actually a Muncibeddu; I only call it CH/HC so that you  North Americans can relate to it.  Around here we refer to it as "that fig out by the left side of the barn door."
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Ox, I was wondering why your fig fruits were so large this time of year.  After being winter killed down to the ground. Our Chicago Hardy (Hardy Chicago for Ottawan - Chuckle) that was winter killed to the ground, didn't even have fruit on it. Let alone marble size fruit.


Ox, I have never heard of a muncibeddu. I have been researching Chicago Hardy now for about five years. Or at least what info I can find on the internet. I suspect there may be more then one strain of Chicago Hardy.

I'm starting to think there may be hundreds of Figs from the area that Hardy Chicago came from. Maybe not all the same. But simply closely related, some more cold hardy then others.  

Even UC Davis has it listed as Hearty Chicago. 

At any rate, I don't care what a fig is called. All I'm looking for is the most cold/frost hardy fig tht I can grow here in Connecticut, without winter protection. 

Bob

Ox, can you post pictures of the leafe of your Muncibidd?? 
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Bob:  Muncibeddu and Mongibello came from the discussion of Maggie's figs.  Long ago Maggie posted that the Italian name for the fig that she believed Hardy Chicago to be was Mongibello.  Last week someone posted Muncibeddu as the Sicilian and Mongibello as the Italian  name for the same fig, which may or may not be HC as Maggie believes it to be.  All this struck my funny bone and I decided that Muncibeddu had a sinister Mafia overtone, so posted that I would henceforth label my fig that way.

 Don't take any of this seriously.  Like all the rest of you I want my figs to be known by the ordinary name.  All these "unknowns:" we have out there have names if we could just identify them.  My "Real Eyetalian P:aradiso" is just the dark Paradiso that Joe Morle sells, the one which Maggie says is the TRUE Paradiso.  (An excellent fig, by the way.)

I also have the Marseilles VS, an excellent fig down from Herman.  I doubt that even Herman knows the original name for this fig--it certainly is not the only Marseilles out there, but as long as I have it, it will be the MVS. 

And while we are speaking of good figs, somewhere I read a few days ago that Kadota (or Dottato) was probably the most important commercial fig in the world, hardy, prolific, easy to grow and commercially useful.  I've got one in a half barrell and it appears to be living up to its promise.  We will see if it makes good fig preserves.

Yes; give me a day or two and I will post pictures.  Right now my wife has me jumping around like a cricket trying to do things for her. (Which I don't mind at all, but it cramps my loafing style.)
Ox 

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