These are round, very thin skinned figs. Red, syrupy, berry flavor interior. They are always 10/10. I should have about 10,000 more ripening this season. The tree this one ripened on was only 2ft tall. The size of the fig was a feather light 51g.

Next two ripening are on a 7ft tree. They look like they should come in at between 90g-120g.

Figo Preto is the biggest, best tasting and most productive variety out of 60 I have.

Geez,how are you getting thin pulped fruit on the Preto in your rain forest?
With all the rain you get I would have expected the opposite.

Well done!
Do you have a top ~five best performers? 

Top 5 /Size Range

1. Figo Preto. 50g-120g
2. Ronde De Bordeaux. 40g-60g
3. JH Adriatic. 70g-120g
4. Grise Olivette. 60g-110g
5. Napolitana Negra. 70g-120g

I picked mostly large and heavy producing varieries. With a range of different flavor profiles.

I would love to see more photos of your setup if you have a chance....are you taking figs and plants to farmers markets? I will have to tell my brother in HPP to seek you out-he really likes figs.

Sid,

Preto and RdB are my top 2 as well.  Preto is one that has a delicious skin that compliments the flesh, do you agree?
Also, my Valle Negras this year are outstanding.  It's another that has a great tasting skin.

Sid,

Why do you rank RdB at number 2, given its small size. For sheer productivity? Or maybe for flavor and shape?

Also, do you find the JH Adriatic skin to be sweet enough, or do you peel it?

Sid, have you been quantifying how much water, you're giving your trees?

Man I don't know how you are getting high quality Preto of that size. I can get very high quality but at 1/3 to at most 1/2 that size. Many figs are much bigger than Preto for me. I wonder if it's the same variety. Black Madeira is the same size as Preto here.

Is BM the same size as Preto there? Are yours caprified?

Could you elaborate more on water, fertility, and other inputs that you are using?

I'm looking for fico preto . Anyone have one they want to sell that I can pick up in ct. ?

RDB has a nice color shape and flavor.
It is not as small as Celeste and Mt Etna types, they are between 20-30g.

RDB exterior color, weight and interior pic attached.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.websitetoolbox.com/30989/3423064

https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.websitetoolbox.com/30989/3423068

I also like that it has a small eye usually plugged with fig honey. Flavor is like strawberry jelly with a hint of molasses.

JH Adriatic does have a thick skin and I don't eat it. Most green figs seem to have a more bitter skin generally.

Preto skin is very chewy and does have its own flavor that compliments the interior flavor.

@fignutty:

Here is my soilmix, fertilizer and watering routine for this season.


Starting with 1-2 ft trees uppotted from 1gal to 20gal

Soilmix

50% Perlite #4
25% Promix BX
25% Coco Coir

(Week 1)

These are mixed in the soil

1 cup nurticote 13-13-13 (180) with micronutrients.
1/2 cup powdered dolomite lime.
1/2 cup crystalized dolomite lime.
1/2 cup azomite.
1/4 cup organic chelated iron

Water averages 1 gal per tree a day.
Trees have 3 inch deep, 20 inch wide, plastic saucers undernearth them, to hold the water.

Week 8

1tbs Urea 46-0-0
1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 10

1tbs Urea 46-0-0
1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 12

1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 14

1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 16

1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 18

1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 20

1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 22

Reduce water to 1 cup a day.
Figs are starting to ripen.
1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 24

Water 1 cup per day
1tbs Triple Superphosphate 0-45-0
1tbs Sulphate Of Potash 0-0-50
1tsp Organic Chelated Iron
1tsp Powdered Dolomite lime
1tsp Crytalized Dolomite lime
1tsp Azomite

Week 26

1 cup water per day
No fertilizers lime or micros

Week 32

Fig crop is all picked. Topdress with Promix bx/Coco Coir. Start process over.
1 cup nurticote 13-13-13 (180) with micronutrients.
1/2 cup powdered dolomite lime.
1/2 cup crystalized dolomite lime.
1/2 cup azomite.
1/4 organic chelated iron

Sid, if this is what you did for your fig trees, I am gonna bail.  My fig trees, after selection, will be in ground or grafted to those in ground (space limitation).  They will be treated like my other fruit trees.  I may not have large size fruits like yours,  but I get to eat them just the same without all these hassles.  No offense here, it is just me.  I just pulled three yellow Asian melon plants out due to the vine borer and powdery mildew issues.  It is like routine schedule for me comes every August. Not worth my effort to fight these bugs for limited success.

Figgysid:

Thank you for that detailed information. That's quit a program.

So you go 10 weeks during ripening only watering 20 gal pots at one cup of water per day. If I did that my trees would drop all their leaves by the end of the first week. My highs average in the 90s so that's a big part of the difference. And your humidity is much higher. But that's quit a reduction in water during ripening.

I restrict water to most of my fruits, including figs and stone fruit, during ripening and even before in order to improve brix and flavor. So we are on the same type system.

Sid got it dialed in..

Sid, Thank You for such a detailed plan.

The temperature is 77 degrees high here. I have shaded uv plastic with 50% light reduction. That makes a huge difference in the amount of water required. Outside trees in the full sun can suck up 5 gallons or more per day. I only have rain cachment water of 20,000 gallons. The leaves do fall off some as the fruit start to ripen.

This is for a commercial fig farm not individual home fig production. In ground trees have different nutritional needs. They also vary in quality, depending on soil quality, drainage and rain saturation.

People like consistency. I am doing this in a way, to ensure every fig looks the same, tastes the same and is of similar size and shape.

I am growing 200 Figo Preto fig trees in a 40x140ft covered area. Depending on how my second main crop turns out. I will be shooting for between 50,000-100,000 Figo Preto figs by the 3rd year.

Now I understood why...

Love your work Sid.Thanks for the detailed explanation on the inputs.I know you've spent significant time and treasure to produce these.

Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures and all the cultural information. Pretos are my favorites also. 

Sid,

How much of your soil/fert/water routine did you arrive at by trial and error, and are you making adjustments as you go?

Same observation holds here too about the skin of green figs.

"200 Figo Preto fig trees in a 40x140ft covered area ... shooting for between 50,000-100,000 Figo Preto figs by the 3rd year."

Consistency of fruit aside, how many Preto figs would you think you might produce in that area in ground, presumably without plastic cover and pruned low enough to readily pick, assuming the weather cooperated and sufficient but not too much water was available? Any comparison?

Sid,
Any chance you could show us the layout of your setup.

Hi,
Hope you have the market for them... Or you'll drown in Preto's figs :) . What a nice fate !

These are super fast growing trees. How often do you intend to root prune?
I have a Preto in a twenty five gallon pot and after total dieback this past spring, as of today ended with three upright stems with no less tha 67" for the center one and three feet for each of the side ones. In addition to all that growth, there are a couple of fruits, that might ripen lay this fall.
It is the tallest tree in this photo.