Here's a few pictures of what is ripening here now besides Celeste. First picture is Fico Nera Duemane(medium/large sweet fig, not rich, reminds me of Celeste, large open eye,good during dry periods, thin skin, sours in rain)

Martin, better not look at the rest of these!;))

Second picture: LSU Purple(not). M/L Squat yellow figs similar to LSU Gold, but whiter pulp and not as sweet not rich). Good during dry periods, sours some in the rain. Small almost closed eye. Even grows upside down and sideways like LSU Gold does droop some when ripe.

Third pic: Tena(RR) sweet figs not rich. Thick skin. Closed eye. Rain Tolerant. Not as productive as other figs.

Fourth is Marseilles White (JR). Very productive med. fig Very sweet honey like. Highly productive.

Fifth: LSU Gold(JR) M/L super sweet yellow fig(birds tear this one up). Very productive. Not sure how rain tolerant it'll be here. Haven't had much rain in the last 2 years)

Sixth: is Atreano(RR). Large mild fig(much sweeter this year-4th season) Fall crop(3rd) is the best fig you ever tasted. Ripens slowly in the cool fall air. Never has soured or split for me. Best when dead ripe. Juicy fig.

Tim ,
Great to see that you are having such a productive fig season already.
Hope they keep rolling in all year.
Thanks for the desciptions of how these varieties do for you.
How early will your Hollier and Improved Celeste ripen ?

Tim, they're looking good. Have you set up your fig selling stand out by the road way yet?  Something must be wrong with my eyes because that LSU Purple, ain't, but I do see some similarity to my LSU Gold (not). The difference is that mine is very sweet with a nice mild figgy flavor and very productive. I've never had a season where it soured or got sour beatles and this year, knock on wood, the birds aren't touching them. I guess when my Celeste runs out, look out.

My Tena I got from you is looking great, in fact Dan and I shared my first fig off of it today and I have another one for a few days from now. It is not quite as good as my (not) but good to eat. I remember eating a bunch at your place last year and I didn't complain then either. There are some much younger ones coming on and I hope they get to ripen before the weather cools.

Keep up the good work, and keep the pictures coming.
"gene"

Way to go Tim. Those sure look nice and yummy

Tim--very nice. What do the initials after the name mean? Are those your sources?

Hi Guys, thanks for the nice comments. I'll post more pictures as others ripen.

Kerry, the Hollier already ripened a week before Celeste, but they were small and sweet. This was the second season in the ground. I had a hard time keeping it watered enough in this drought. I have a couple of large river birch trees down the way from it and they suck every bit of moisture from the ground, Have a hard time getting anything to grow on that side of my yard. Have had to resort to containers for the most part, but they even send roots up into the container for moisture though the drainage holes, so I have to move them often to prevent that. I may dig it up this winter and move it. The Improved Celeste(O'Rourke not) has dropped almost all it's figs, despite my watering. Just too hot and too dry. I put a net over it yesterday as I spied a couple of figs turning dark, but I'm skeptical whether they will ripen. Figs drop everytime I touch that tree.

Ken, yes JR is James Robin and RR is Rolling RiverNursery

Gene, I call it LSU Purple (NOT) because it was bought as LSUP. I did find a couple sour ones yesterday and it hasn't rained in a while. Upon further inspection, found a couple if those little sour beetles running around. I guess, I have them now. I knew they would show up eventually. The roadside stand  will have to wait until this drought is over.we're down about 30" this year and still have a 30" deficit from last year too. Glad you got to taste the Tena. Flavor does improve with age. Was the skin tough on yours? The reason I ask is, I wonder if it is because of the drought.

Does anyone know of something safe to spray around a fig tree to kill these souring beetles? Wonder if Diatamacious(spelling?) earth would work? Would tanglefoot stop them? Thanks in advance.

Tim,

I had the same severe drought conditions in my yard and my LSU IC did not drop any figs. Maybe your tree is still too young.

To help keep sour beetles out of your orchard.... get rid of any cultivars that split and sour easily. Brunswick is notorious for doing this and will draw those sour beetles seemingly from hundreds of miles away. Removing any dropped or tree souring fruit helps. I do not know of any safe spray alternative or how to stop their breeding cycle other than removing souring fruit from the area.

Tim, this info might be useful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r261300111.html

Ken,

I had a second crop come in later in the year that ripened without any problem. It's still a toss up for me whether I will keep it. I've heard lots of rave review about this fig so I definitely want to give it a long chance. Right now I do not  have any figs on this tree which is several years old and about 7 ft tall. Last year I only ate a few good tasting fig. If it does not produce a decent crop of later figs, I will send it to fig heaven........well maybe. I said that about my Flanders and my Morle's Paradiso too and I did not remove those either as I threatened to do. I just hate sending a tree to fig paradise when I have so much time invested in it........

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

I have no doubt that Atreano doesn't perform best,when temperatures often exceed 90*F,in the Summer Season.
In such hot climates,it  still,manages to have a high quality crop in the Fall only.
I would advice anyone that have room to never discard Atreano,because when it will get old and large as a tree ,it will better be able to manage the heat,by shading itself better,with it's dense canopy,and overcoming the problem of high temperature!

Thanks guys for you advice--very much appreciated.

Dan, I'm not sure what my IC really is. Bought from JR as an O'Rourke which it doesn't seem to be. Does have three and five lobed leaves like O'Rourke, but for two seasons now the figs are small and have dropped badly. Maybe it's just another Celeste type. Maybe it's still too young--2 1/2 years in ground 4' x 4' bush.. I'm going to yank the one Brunswick I have--only got one unspoiled fig off it 2 years ago, none last year, but does have a few figs on it again this season--just not worth watering. I'm like you, I threaten to send some to dump, but I hate to get rid of them too. I have never had a sour or split Atreano here yet(fingers crossed).

Ken thanks for the link. After seeing the actual beetle, maybe that's not what I have? The were about 1/2 the size of a pin head. I did see some ants on that fig too. Maybe they were the baby beetles, who knows. Haven't seen them on any other figs yet.

Herman, I know the Atreano ripens too fast in my summer heat, but it is sweeter this year and great in the fall as you mention. I'm going to keep it till it's old and mature and see if it continues to improve. 

Thanks for that insight Herman2.....I will definitely give it a few more years. Like I said the fall crop tasted good and was a big improvement from the first crop. Temperature thing makes sense to me..........

Tim, if they're that small, then they're something else--which is probably good news. After a larva (grub) becomes an adult (a beetle), its size doesn't change anymore, so it wouldn't be just a younger stage of the driedfruit beetle.

Nice looking harvest.

Hi Tim,

If the beetles lay eggs in the soil around the trees, then try diatomaceous earth sprinkled around and see what happens.  That stuff is supposed to cut bugs to ribbons because it's the exoskeletons of the tiny diatoms that are found in water.

Good luck with that and let us know how it works if you use it.

And if you have an Atreano, it's worth working with because those are delicious figs.  Dan said the eyes of the later crops in the season are tighter and the beetles can't get into them then.  If I had the room, I'd have one, but I need room for figs that do well here to make the space worthwhile.  :#(

Viv

Ken,

Keep in mind that our climate is perfect for growing figs......when it does not rain. Our season is even longer than Jon's in California. In the fall the region south of I-10 has a mediterranean type of climate wherever we do not have tropical storms in the area. So late season figs can do real well in my area. Also, figs have been grown in Louisiana since pre-colonial times. Louisiana is a melting pot of many cultures and immigrants brought many different figs when they settled in La. There are some fig jewels still left to be found in our area. I aim to find and study them.........
---------------------------------

Gene's LSU Gold (not) is a great fig IMO. And I have studied enough fig trees to know that it is differenet. He told us that he purchased it at Lowe's in Houma. I know for a fact that Saxon Becnel sells his trees at several of the local Lowe's stores in our area. The Becnel family propagates and sells many of the LSU bred figs. They had access to the LSU bred O'Rourke selections BEFORE they were officially relased to the public.

Gene's tree was labeled LSU Gold and he told us taht he does not recall the nursery from which it was propagated. Very few nurseries sold LSU Gold at the time of his purchase. That is why I have little doubt that Gene's fig is one of the LSU bred figs.  And it is different than my LSU Gold. IMO......his is better than the three that I have and the others I have seen.  His is VERY VERY productive and almost as sweet as my sweetest figs. One little dowside I see, is that it develops more sugar spots that other LSU Golds. That bad girl would be GREAT for making wine...........

It is great to live down here in fig Paradise #2 and search for dem figs. It is even greater to find a fig friend like Gene.  He has every right to be proud of his LSU Gold (not). I for one, thank him for making the fig community aware of this fig. Seems like there is always something new on the horizon when it comes to dem figs.........

Dan
Semper Fi-cus 

Dan--I won't complain about fig explorers out scouring the South for ever-finer varieties. Bring 'em on! I'll find room--even if it means somebody else gets transplanted to that big fig orchard in the sky.

Guys:The fruit beetle I had here in NJ on my Brunswick fruits was a different insect compared to the California one.
This beetle was round,not elongated and it was black in color,and very small,about 3 mm diameter.
I am sure it was different in shape and color,tho it is about 4 years I did not see one after I got rid of the Brunswick.

Thanks everyone. Herman the ones I saw were round and black and 1/2 the size of a pin head. Could be what they are. Haven't seen any more.

Viv, I'm going to try some DE and see. It should help all insect populations down around the figs. I like my Atreano, especially in the fall, but the main crop figs ripening now are very sweet this year. You're right about it being a large tree. I pruned it back to about 4' last winter and it is huge now. Most  limbs have put on 5-6' of new growth and is just loaded with figs. Fastest growing tree I have in my collection. Couldn't ask for a tree to do any better heare in my opinion. If they just all grew this way!

Dan, I'm glad to hear the kudos about Gene's LSU Gold not. I have one growing that Gene shared with me last november. I just can't imagine a fig sweeter than LSU Gold. Can't wait to taste it.

Atreano is fastest growing here too.
I am slowing it down with pinching of the tips.
Fatnsassytexan:I have a hint you have the same beetle bug I do here in NJ.

Thanks Herman for the pinching tip. I've tried it on a lot of my young trees to get a taste earlier. I'll give it a try on the Atreano. Drought, birds,birds and more darn birds, now souring beetles. I guess a monsoon is next,lol. Please no Hurricanes!