Hello everyone.  It’s been nice to get to know everyone over the past few months; my name is Bill.  I have been using this site for a few months now and decided to finally introduce myself.  I have used GW for years and just changed my username from bill_ftmyers_fl to botanicalbill. 

I started to find plants as a hobby around the age of 12 or so.  My grandmother in Pennsylvania had a calamondin tree in her laundry room.  For years the plant always had a bumper crop of fruit on it.  My cousin took a fruit and rooted a few dozen plants.  He gave one to me.  I was very excited about it.  As expected, since I was 12, I killed the seedling.  Then after that I got some small leaf ficus that I still have to this day, planted in my back yard now.

I grew up in NW Pennsylvania; I know what the cold is about.  I moved to Florida in 2001.

I am now 33 and a few years back got into bonsai.  That was the reason why I joined GW, for the bonsai form.  From the new hobby and being in Florida I got to explore a whole new plant world.  Now that I have my own house with a 1/2 acre of land I have a lot of fun trying to find new plants.  At the rate I’m going I probably should buy the two vacant lots next to me so I can continue this hobby with out worrying about land space.

I went to PSU and took some forestry/botanical/evoulition classes but never finished that majory.  I now work as a paramedic and work on the road with a government ambulance service.  I still take some college classes and maybe someday I’ll make it to getting a botanical science degree.  As for now, Ill just chat here with you guys.  You may call this a fig form but it’s really a fig-grower-anonymous (FGA), for the addicts.

Took you long enough to introduce yourself , just joking .   ; )
Shoot ive seen many new members join and not do anything no profile no nothing its a shame and never hear anything from them.
Anyways i been going to the other forum since 2005 and iv'e basically don't go there as much anymore because it seems to load everything really slow now even on our other computer which is the fast gaming one, oh yes once in a while im surprised and it loads quickly but those times seem far and few nowadays i dont know why. So i go here usually least once a day most times. Now that winter least here is right around the corner post may slow down a bit but hopefully some folks will post the experience rooting new scion come the late winter months along with pictures and soon after a new season will began for all of of us once again.
Best Health

Bill--

Welcome aboard!

Thanks also for your heads-up about Ray Givens' New Fig Booklet (on the recent f4f post: "my first ever fig"). I looked at his website and the booklet sounds like a very useful reference for a nearly-novice like myself.

Hi Bill, welcome!!! FGA(Fig Growers Anonymous) Good One!!! HA!HA! The only thing wrong with that name is that none of us are trying to quit! Only our wifes want us to quit! HAHAHAHAHA!

Yep,

My wife gives me one of them looks when I talk about getting that "one more fig" But that don't bother me because I run things around here, the lawnmower and Etc.

Welcome Bill.  It is nice to have some fellow PSU Alum here on the forum!

Pete

Cecil, glad to see there are still a few real men out there. I betcha you always have the last word also. Like "yes ma'am". Haha, you're a real sport my friend. Like I have heard said, "it's easier to be forgiven than to get permission".

Sorry Bill, I forgot to say hello and welcome. So be it.
 

Gene,

You have nailed it to a "T"


Hi Bill

Welcome Bill, great to see another FL fig grower to compare notes with since our weather is much different than most on forum 

I went through the big D last winter so Im single again.  Its funny that I do not consider girls that do not know how to grow plants or have not interest.

Thanks for your guys' welcomes.

Welcome to the forum.  I too lurked for a while before joining the forum.  It is amazing how addicting figs can be.  I started this spring with my 2 Brown Turkey plants from last summer.  I am now up to around 20 with 3 more still to arrive from James Robin.  It will be fun to see what plants do well here in the Florida heat and humidity.  So far mu husband has not seemed to notice that the figs are expanding in number, but if I keep going he is sure to notice.

The fig season in Florida seems so different from everyone up north.  My plants are now staring to produce in full force - at least they are now staring to ripen (and have a fairly good crop).

My gardening love began with the orange tree seedling I purchased (at a yard sale) at the age of 6.  12 years later it finally fruited and was one of the best orange/tangerines I have ever had ( at least until the citrus police in Broward chopped them all down in our neighborhood).

Lisa
zone 9a
Lakeland Florida

I had never heard of the "citus police" so I googled the term and found an interesting article: http://168.203.4.15/2004/0219/p02s01-usju.html

It was sad to lose all the producing trees.  Of course that was the year every last one had a bumper crop.  When they chopped them down, all we got was a $100 gift card to Walmart that was only usable in the garden department for non citrus trees.  Between my grandmother's yard and ours we lost about 8 trees.  

Now I've managed to be in the citrus canker area, so I fully expect them to decide to take my new trees. 

Lisa
zone 9a
Lakeland FL

That's terrible. It's bad enough to lose a good tree to disease or other problems, but to have somebody come in and deliberately cut down your healthy citrus is a real shame. Could you take a baby-Moses-in-the-bulrushes approach, and keep a few potted, dwarf trees that just happen to go on short vacations whenever the chop squad is in your neighborhood?

The article indicated that, in light of one court ruling, some people were protesting the low-ball "compensation" they were offered and asked for much more (one guy valued his orange tree at $5000). I wonder if these folks had any real success?

Let's hope they don't ever decide to regulate backyard figs so closely!

You could have kept a few hidden like that but I think the fines were pretty stiff.  Here in Lee county the did the same so the oldest citrus tree you can find is 2 or so years old.  Well, at least in the ground for that long. 
The thing that sucks about that is it did not put a dent in the canker and most trees end up with it.  It does not kill the tree or harm the fruit, it just makes the fruit look less appealing.

I can understand their angle with citrus being the biggest (or top two)industry down here.

-Bill