Hi everyone.

I have a fig that has proven to be rather of a poor performer, but it is taking up prime real estate in the orchard.  It has a bad case of FMV, and I have too many good figs to allow it to just take up the best space.  So its next assignment will be roasting hot dogs and marshmallows at our next cook out.

Since it is sitting in one of the best fig growing spots in the orchard, I wanted to replace it with a strong variety with no FMV.

But could the new fig acquire FMV from the soil where the old fig was?

Thank you my friends.  I appreciate your insights on this.

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

No, FMV will not be tranmitted to your new tree. FMV is transmitted by chewing bugs that go from tree to tree.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Thanks Dan.  That is very helpful.

And I love the "Semper Fi-cus"!

I come from a family (Dad's side) where if you didn't have a Semper Fi tatoo, you felt absolutely out of place.

Hope your having a good Spring.

Best wishes.

John

John,

I just ordered me a new motor for my specialty shallow water fishing boat.  I am as happy as a pig in a corn field even though the winter has top killed quite a few of my in ground fig trees. Most are already growing from the roots and they should be fine.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus..........with no tattoos!!

 
I ordered one on these with a hydraulic steering column to make it easier to steer. ........

http://www.gator-tail.com/

Hey Dan.  Fishing and figs.  It doesn't get much better than that.

I have a good friend up here in Gainesville who always says: "The farther we get away from the simple things than really matter in our lives, the less happy we will be."

There is great wisdom in that simple philosophy.

We had top kill on the newer figs, to the ground, but that is common, and I just checked and found new shoots budding out on all by one, which is the one that I was taking out anyway!

Good fishing friend, and hope you have the best fig season yet.

Best wishes to all.

John

P.S. Very cool motor for what is no doubt a very cool boat.  Thanks for sharing.

Sounds like great fun, except honestly, snakes really creep me out.

So while gator boating in the swamp looks very cool, I think I'll stick to the mountain lakes and streams.  I'm sure there are some snakes there too, but fortunately, I almost never see them (which means less embarrassing running and screaming for me!).  ;-)

That looks like a great boat though Dan.  Hope you have a fantastic summer fishing in it.

Best wishes.

John

John,

If you have other figs in your orchard, they are likely infected, and will subsequently infect any new tree you plant. Also, it is very unlikely that you will find an un-infected tree from a nursery.

Hi Jon.  I have had FMV infected trees and uninfected trees within a few feet of each other for almost 10 years now.

Some varieties are clearly more vulnerable to FMV, showing symptoms in leaves and slower growth.

But do you thnk that all figs today have been exposed to FMV, but only some show symptoms?

Our LSU and White Hybrid, for example, have never shown any sign of FMV, and grow very fast, fruit very strong, even though there is a clearly infected tree right between them for almost a decade.

Best wishes.

John

Different cultivars react to FMV in different ways.  Some it's glaringly obvious, others not so much.  Some of them it stunts growth, some of them it doesn't seem to affect.  Fico Preto and Native de Argentile seem to be two that I've seen which are heavily affected by it.

It doesn't pass through the soil, it passes from chewing insects and (I believe, although it's been disputed) dirty pruning implements.

It is entirely possible to spread between trees so close, just not by soil.

All I can say is that I have been growing figs for 30 years and have never had a problem, or seen fmv until I started my fig addiction a few years ago.  The more figs I aquire the more I see fmv.  What I am saying is I have had non fmv figs for almost this whole time and now that it is in my collection I don't see it spreading as much as introduced by new aquisitions.  Yes some of my collection has fmv but I can't say is has "spread".  I don't know if it spreads within a collection but I know that it is not something that "has to be dealt with" because if you don't want it then I believe you can easily stay away from it.

I agree that some trees show more symptoms than others (assuming that they are not poor growing trees that happen to be infected, as well). The lack of symptoms doesn't mean that they are not infected. And it doesn't mean that any new tree introduced into the orchard will not be infected. After exposure, you might find it to be a variety that shows no symptoms, or a variety that is more affected. My point was that introducing a disease free tree into an infected orchard will expose the new "clean" tree to the disease. How it will respond can only be known after the fact.

It is a recurrent subject. From time to time it revives in the forum.

As Jon says, P. Baud supports in his book "Figues" that all fig trees are infected with FMV, so to keep the trees supposedly protected from FMV is wasted time.

It is the environment and variety susceptibility what does the symptoms to appear, water and/or warm stress, bad emplacement...

I forget FMV and I am very happy since then.

This is what P. Baud says in his book (sorry, in French) regarding FMV, he is very clear:

Hello Axier,

I'm afraid that's all "Greek" to me, there, but I've read that all trees are infected with FMV, too.  In English.  ;)  Thanks so much for the input. 

I actually can understand that last sentece in the next to last paragraph which says how the virus is transmitted by a tiny bug.  How about that?  :)))))

Merci beaucoup,

noss

Noss, although I am not French nor English,  I will try to translate the most important points.

• All the figs, except for those young from seeds, are carriers of FMV.
• FMV doesn't affect the plant development nor fructification.
• When the plant is in good growing conditions, FMV is usually undetectable with a naked eye.
• On the contrary, in stressed conditions, mainly in excess of watering, FMV can act out.
• All varieties have not the same sensibility to FMV, for example, Grise de St. Jean is much more prone to show the FMV symptoms than Pastiliere or Dalmatie.
• When the plant comes back to good growing conditions, the symptoms disappear.
• This phenomenon is specially spectacular when the plant is in a pot.
• No treatments are necessary when the symptoms appear, a simple watering conditions check is usually enough.
• FMV is transmitted by an small mite called Aceria ficus

I spoke with Pierre Baud a couple weeks ago and mentioned to him about FMV. I sent him some cuttings and advised him that some may have FMV he said that every country in the world that grows figs has FMV, some will show it some not but it doesn't affect the fruit production in his orchard. I agree, but under stress some will show it worse than others.

Just thought i would share some things i see with my eyes only and a few from what i have read on internet and within Jons links.

One of these statements im not so sure about mentioned by Baud but do not dispute it so don't get me wrong,
i only go by what i have seen and its only a hobby for me but i do get curious as to what  i see in some of the performance of my fig plants.

FYI.........June bugs eat fig leaves at night. IMO, these "chewing" bugs can spread FMV from infected trees to non infected trees.

Thank you Axier.  That was very, very helpful.

Despite two years of study (many years ago) my French is terrible, but I could read enough to get the main points.

And Noss:  I'll you know what this means:

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"  ;-)

I sure do--Honey--Let the good times roll!  ;)  Ca c'est BON!  (But that's Cajun French...)

noss

Fig MosaIC VIRUS,Of course it does affect fruits production and development of the tree.
Example:I have an Ischia Black ,9 years old that did not produced 9 ripe fruits in the whole 9 years.
And is still about 1 foot tall to this date!.
I Winter protected it every year but it  dies to soil line every year due to Fig mosaic virus.
In My colder climate it also affects the life of the tree.
Fig mosaic virus infected trees,will not survive the Winter without heavy Winter protection.