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Chill requirements for different fig varieties

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  • levar
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In this Dave Wilson article, he makes some interesting points about chill requirements 
 
 
 
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"In warm-winter climates, ... fruit growers sometimes find that a variety produces well with much less chilling than “advertised”. This could be because their locations receive relatively few hours of chilling below 45°F but plenty in the 45-55°F range (perhaps lots of foggy days), or because the variety’s chilling requirement is actually less than stated.
 
"Researchers suggest also that some varieties in the absence of cold are better able than others to "switch" to a heat requirement for triggering bloom and setting a crop."


So, is there anything substantive or revealing about the chill requirements for different varieties of figs? I live in Miami where we don't average more than 50 hours from 32-45, yet all of my figs fruit and break dormancy either early or on time - except in some cases with young trees. I'd like to find or help create a list of reliable varieties for people who live in places where we're never going to get 100 hours at ~40. Also, I'd like to figure out what varieties - if any - simply won't work at all in climates like mine.
 
Thanks for reading.
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It will be interesting what you find on this regarding figs.  It is certainly true for many fruits (apples, stone fruits, etc) that chilling is required.  I am in Hawaii and at the place we rented from a few years ago, our landlady had a fig that bore pretty well and if it even reached 55F on a couple of occasions, it would be doing good for a "chill".  Figs have been trialed here (mostly on the drier part of the island) and they have done well.  Some locations were higher altitudes where they probably got the chill but some were closer to sea level and would not have gotten it.  I am just starting my collection now so I have nothing to contribute but it would be worthwhile to get a list of those that do not do well because of a lack of chill, just as it is useful to know which do not do well in humid / damp areas.

John
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All my figs are now leafing out. I know some fruit need the cold to set fruit. As far as i know fig are all tropical type fruit. Southern state grow all figs the best. The only challenge would be spilting of fruit from to much humidity or rain fall. LSU FIGS ARE,GROWN SPECIFICALLY FOR THE SOUTH. SMALL EYES AND RAIN AND HUMIDITY MAKE THEM THRIVE AND DOESN'T SPLIT THE FRUIT. I HAVE MORE THAN 10 VERIETIES OF THE LSU FIGS. richie from louisiana zone 8
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There are fig trees growing in the tropics without chill and doing fine. However, I have a report that Black Mission does not fruit in Thailand. Working to find out if they are descended from something other than Black Mission, or if BM might be a variety that actually does need chill.
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Interesting need to find were BM ORIGINATES FROM...

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They grow many apple varieties in Africa by pulling the leaves off the trees and fooling them into blooming.  It would be interesting to see what other fruit trees this could work on.
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Plums loose there leaves then flower
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Originally Posted by alanmercieca
Citrus and figs ripen faster when the leaves all come off.


Did you really mean citrus? Citrus trees do not go dormant and they don't like pruning except dead or diseased wood.
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