The low was 42 F today.  Is my computer calendar wrong?  It is the end of May right?  It's suppose to get close to 90 F by the end of the week though.  I'll need to get my air conditioners in.  They get heavier every year.  After my hernia I better just get a couple of small ones instead of one larger air conditioner.

On some of my slow-growing plants I'm tempted to try some alfalfa tea (I grow alfalfa and can always have areas that don't get cut or raked up to be baled anyways) for the Triacontanol content.  I suggested it to a friend several years ago who said his plants really took off after brewing a batch that smelled like vomit. We nick-named it "vomit tea" or VT for short - no offense intended to those in Vermont :)

What's the brewing process, Harvey? I'm assuming you use dried alfalfa. Maybe a slug of alfalfa added to the compost while making a batch of compost tea could kill two birds with one stone.

Neil, it's been a while since I read about this, but it's an anerobic fermentation (unlike compost tea) because, as I understand it, triacontanol is an alcohol.  I did make a small batch once, using fresh green alfalfa I mowed from a corner of one of my fields.  I think dried alfalfa would work fine also.

Here is where I first read about some of this "VT": http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesorg/msg0623323517083.html

Posturedoc

For what it's worth, in a 55 gallon barrel I would put in 5 gallons of alfalfa cubes (horse feed pressed cubes)  when I made compost tea, weather it was enough or not I don't know, but it worked well for the lawn.  

I would also put it in panty hose so that I didn't have to sift things out, it's not necessary but it made it easier to spread out later from the panty hose vs scooping the sludge out after.  

I would first start by put a fish air pump in the barrel filled with water (town water) to get rid of the chlorine, then add the manure or compost (also in panty hose)  and let it brew over night to maximum 24 hours.  It gets a nice sweet smell when it's done, kind of subtle but presently sweet to me.

Hey TMC,

Just a thought, for what it is worth. Here is my CDD start from last year--now 38" above the top of the pot. My thought would be for you gradually to add a little fertilizer (whatever kind) and maybe a bit of pelletized lime. My favorite mix for the young plants is 6-8 granules of 10-10-10, a pinch of epson salts (only once or twice a season), and a few more granules of pelletized lime 3-4 times a season. I do like a little bark to loosen up the potting mix, full sun (gradually increasing every day until it can stand full sun), and letting the soil nearly dry out before watering. CDD really likes the sun.

Tom,

Here is one of this year's CDD cuttings sprouting. No fertilizer yet, apart from what is in the planting mix. Kept very dry, hardly watered, and not in full sun yet.

I had a Col de Dame Blanche UCD. It was a sickly little 3 year old tree I gave away. There's a cleaner cddb out there but if you have cddn or Gris why bother.

I have Coll de Dama Negra and Coll de Dama Blanca, and both are vigorous and healthy growers.
Very probably they are different strains from UCD Coll de Dama.
Coll de Damas are not the most productive varieties, but produce decent crops.
It seems to be a bit more productive CDD Blanca than CDD Negra.
Here a picture from http://www.galgoni.com showing an old CDD Blanca with a decent crop:

The main drawback for me is that they are late varieties.
I am hopeful with Coll de Dama Blanca&Negra, it is two week earlier, and for me it can be the difference between to get or not to get ripened figs.
At the moment, Coll de Dama Blanca&Negra is slow growing, but it is soon to get conclusions, it is an small plant yet.
it is worth trying, they are excellent taste varieties.

axier,

both Col de Dame Blanche and Col de Dame Noir are doing well for me as far as growth is concerned. however, to the productivity, i'll have to wait and see. they are just going into their 2nd yr of growth. per herman and others, it seems CdDB UCD are not very reliable. however, our weather here is much warmner and slightly more drier than NJ where herman and others are. will wait and see what happens in next couple of yrs. if they are not doing well by 4th yr, they will got destroyed.

Wow, Axier, now that is a fig tree! It makes my largest UCD CDD Blanc look so spindly. It's always good to see your posting since you have so much experience with these trees. I learn something every time. Your website is great, too.

Scott

My gris wants to produce a ton of figs whereas the blanc doesn't want to so much and negra wants to as well, but vigour is roughly the same.

scott, 

that's a good looking tree. hope mine grows that big at least. 

chivas, 

mine are both too young for me to do anything.. CdDB seems to be pushing few figs, but Noir is just not there yet. need to find me a CdDG.. and few other CdD...

When I pinched the gris, it pushed out lots of figs, even doubles on the same node, but the secondary growth has been slow as in the buds are just starting to enlarge now maybe have a couple leaves on them in a couple weeks.  It's a secondary year tree so I am leaving one on 1 and same with the noir.  Gris is thumb sized now and the noir is about half that size but was planted in ground and faced colder temperatures.  Hopefully they stick so I can taste one of each this year.

good evening, im looking for martinenca rimada fig cutting, is there anybody have it? or some rimada series or call de dame series? thxs