Here is my VdB cutting, it seems to be doing great with good roots.

 


But I have noticed that even after up-potting to 3 gal, it does not seem to like the heat. It gets a little wilted looking in full afternoon sun (low 90s). I moved it to a afternoon shady spot and everything seems better.

Has anyone ever see this with the VdB? I thought all figs loved the heat?

If this is the case, it will have a big impact on where I can plant this VdB in the ground. Any words of wisdom?

that soil looks dry to me,
id put it back in the pot and soak it in a tub of water.

that pic was before I up-potted into a 3 gal. In that case I intentionally let it get a little dry before pulling it so the soil would hold together.

I recently asked the same questions and apparently this is normal with VdB. My leaves curl for about 3 hours every day and It's in full sun for about 7 hours a day. I recently put foil around the pot to help shade the black pot from getting too hot and it seemed to help although I still get curl but it is not that extreme.

I have a large Negronne in a Bill M sip. The leaves do all sorts of weird things in the heat

My VdB gets sad too.  I guess it's part of their nature.

My Vdb is in ground, has been 6-7 years.
It and many other varieties have leaves curl in full sun, then uncurl in the evening in my orchard.


Doug

VdB is a big drooper

Yes, I've noticed this too with my VdB.  It was often unhappy in a container in the heat.  I put in in the ground back in May and it was still frequently unhappy for about a month as it adjusted to its new surroundings.  Now it is doing much better - still a little droopy in the heat of the day but generally looks pretty good.

You might try placing it in a shallow tray with an inch of water so there's always plenty for the roots to take up. You might need to refill it occasionally during the day.

Are there other figs 'known' for sensitivity to sun or heat like this?

I'm a rookie with about 25 recently rooted varieties in #1 pots, and out of all of them my 2 O'Rourke plants droop a bit by the end of the day.   Just wondered if it is a known characteristic or not, and if others may be known to do the same.  I have a 2 yr old VdB but it is in a 3g pot with no problems.

My O'Rourke is in a 10 gal pot and it does not droop.

My VdB leaves are allergic to sun too, they droop and look ugly but… the figs are much tastier and larger and more of them if the sun exposure is at its max. So I do not worry about the leaves any more. 

Ed, it's interesting that your VdB does not seem to behave like others from other forum members.  I'm not sure where my older VdB (the one referred to above) is from but I got it from texascockatoos about 4 years ago.  It shows some fmv but is productive.  I now have a younger VdB that has not fruited yet which was derived from EdibleLandscaping.  This one is growing in a SIP and it does not droop in the heat.  That could be because of the SIP but it's interesting that it also shows no sign of fmv and seems to be a more robust grower than my older VdB.  So Ed I would be curious to know what the source of yours is if you are comfortable sharing the info.

Edit: I looked back at my old notes and it appears that my older VdB is derived from Raintree Nursery.

Absolutely.  I have my stepover VDB's in the ground and mulched and they still wilt in the sun.  

VdB wilts here in Arizona as well.  The fruit also tends to be dry and tough when the tree is really stressed by our dry heat.

However the figs become candy sweet in the heat.  So there are ups and downs to growing this variety in a hot climate.

My VdB origin was from Suzi ( DesertDance ) - she sent cuttings to another forum member last year and this was an extra plant that was gifted to me.  I received it dormant in a small pot last fall, uppotted in Jan to a 3g container with 5:1:1 mix, and started the fig shuffle in April.  It is growing, with about 10 leaves on it so far, seems healthy, has nice green leaves without sign of FMV.

Of course, I live in a relatively low sun area this year - buckets of rain and often overcast skies, not an abundance of bright sunny days so far this summer. 

But those 2 recently rooted O'Rourke's have drooped on the sunniest days, as noted above, when none of my others have done so.  Maybe they are behind on root development or something.

I think I have the answer. I am putting in a raised bed for blueberries, one that will have late afternoon shade. I am going to extend that bed by 4ft and put the VdB on the end of the bed. As long as I keep it trimmed back to 10-15 ft it will go in the spot just fine. And besides it will look neater in the yard than two beds.

Ed,
My O'Rourke did the same thing in a large pot last year. I think it is the gigantic leaves. Now that it is established in the ground, it doesn't seem to droop anymore. Perhaps the ratio of leaf to root mass.

If you are man, beast, or fig tree in the Deep South (and I'm sure, applicable elsewhere) if your not droopy in the heat of the day somethin's wrong with ya.

Mad dogs and Englishmen.

My Turkey fig always wilted then perked up in the afternoon. I take it as normal behavior :)