I've been lurking for a while and thought it was time I said hello, especially since I'm growing figs in a tropical monsoon climate and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info on what varieties grow well down here. So every so often, I think I'll pop in with some updates on the varieties I've got.

Growing figs in zone 10b's humidity doesn't make for particularly pretty plants without pesticides and fungicides, but they seem to be doing well. I've found that the biggest issues down here are leaf-eating bugs and the fungal condition "rust." I try to do my best to get rid of bugs manually, but I may have to resort to pesticides when these trees get unmanageably large.

Also, nematodes are a problem here in South Florida, so I grow all my figs in containers. 

My picture-taking is goofy, but still, if any of you have comments or suggestions about what you see, let me know. 

Ronde de Bordeaux

I got these in the middle of February in the form of rootless cuttings. They came wrapped in plastic wrap, each stick only about 6 inches long, and look at them now! A cute 4 feet, and it's only been ~7 months. They're much thicker than the photo lets on...

 I think they have FMV, although I read somewhere that young trees put out oddly shaped leaves. What do you think?

I'm ridiculous. But come on, that's adorable. 

JH Adriatic

I got these in the same package as the RdB. Same rootless, 6-inch sticks wrapped in plastic. They're very sturdy, although not as tall as the RdB. These guys need attention when it comes to rust.

Not the greatest placement for a photo, but I think you can see that they're pretty healthy for being so young and for this climate.

Violette de Bordeaux

Last summer, I bought this variety as a single 3-gallon tree, and when I went to transplant it in February, I realized it came with a full-on, raging case of root-knot nematodes. So, I prepared a few cuttings from the branches and found that the main trunk was totally salvageable.

Basically, I shaved off all the roots and some of the affected bark, and then I poached the wood in 120F water for ~10-15 minutes. I rooted it in the exact same way I rooted the smaller cuttings. Problem solved.

So now I have four trees of this guy and we'll see what happens. 

Also, notice how these figs are bright purple, even when they're severely underripe and the cutting is 7 months old. Does your VdB have these features?

Kadota / Dotatto

I got this at Lowe's for only $6! It's whippy but it's grown about 4 feet since last year when it was just a lil twig with about 3 very rusty, pathetic leaves. Now it stands at what's probably 6 feet tall? (None of the full profile photos came out… I'll post better shots next time when it's more of a tree and less of whip.)

Brown Turkey

A kind of skanky looking shrub thing from Lowe's for the price of a carton containing 8 half-ripe fruits. I think I got this one in April. BTs aren't my fave, but considering how my yard is basically a giant experiment, it stays.

Texas Blue Giant

I've read a lot of opinions on figs over the past year, and despite all the arguments, internet drama, and the opinions that stand in direct opposition to one another about figs in general, the peaceful consensus on the Texas Blue Giant is generally that it's watery and not that great. I cosign on that. At least for its third year. Maybe it'll get better in a few years… maybe not. We'll see.

Deceptively bland. Although, during the spring, their flavor is decent; a very light sweetness while still kinda watery. If you're going to grow these, don't overwater them. Also, the eye is open enough to allow ants inside, so prepare for that.

Hollier

I got this tree when it was three feet tall and four years old. It really took off and put out a grand total of 6 figs this summer, three of which molded and fell within a week of sprouting. Still a young tree, though.

LSU Scott's Black

Resilient and bushy. It, like the Hollier, was three feet tall and two years old. It grew outward while the Hollier grew tall. So far, it looks really promising. It stands at about 4, maybe 5, feet now.

Notice the rust on the bottom leaves. This one really needs attention in this climate. 

"Green Ischia" 

Got this one at Home Depot for $15 earlier this year and I think it's mislabeled. I think the leaves look like those of Adriatic figs. What do you think?

Anyway, it's taking a while to get started but I think it's gonna be fine.

"Magnolia" 

Another $6 find at Lowe's or Home Depot. Apparently, they split in heavy rain. No figs yet.

I'm up for trading cuttings. PM me if you've got some ideas. 

Good to see that other people love figs as much as I do, and special thanks to the people who've made life long commitments to growing figs. The information in this community was definitely helpful in getting me started with these plants. Thanks for doing this.

Levar

Beautiful looking plants. Thanks for posting these.
I am curious if you have deliberately removed leaves from the stems. That is not how they grow naturally.

Nice healthy looking plants, good growth habits. Keep on posting.

Hey Ottawan,

I think I know what you mean, but I'm not sure.

If the leaves look a little weak or the trees look bare in cases, it could be the result of at least three causes that I've noticed:

1. Bugs eat away at the leaves. I have a bit of an infestation of tomato horn worms.

2. Rust causes the leaves to eventually die and fall off the stem. 

3. FMV or just oddly shaped, young leaves, which appear much thinner than normal. 

I don't remove parts of leaves or whole leaves intentionally. 

Did I misinterpret something? Did I answer your question? 

Does anyone else see something that I missed?

Great start... Need a lot more nitrogen and maybe a lot more water

IMHO :)

Welcome!  I think they have enough water - the leaves aren't drooping and you're already struggling with fungal issues.  Keep up the good work!

Thanks, everyone! I'll work on testing and adjusting the nutrients. 

Is there a time of year when I should add certain nutrients and not others for figs? Will too much nitrogen around the time when the trees set fruit or harvest adversely affect the quantity of fruit? 

My first thought when I saw the growth habit of your figs is that perhaps they appear kind of leggy because they are not getting optimal sun but I could be wrong.  Perhaps it is the rust which affects the older leaves first.  It looks like they are producing figs so that is main thing - good work!

I am with Steve. They do not get enough sun and nitrogen. I have a couple of figs under a tree that get about 4-5 hours of direct sun and the rest shade and they look exactly the same. The ones in a sunnier spot (9-10 sun hours) look much healthier and bushier and covered in figs. 
The figs like the sun, the more the merrier in my book.

Great feedback! You're absolutely right about the sun. Some do get some afternoon shade. I'll fix that.

Welcome. Nice intro. Love the photos.

Welcome Levar.  I'm down here in South Florida, too, and also grow only in containers.  My RDB's act like yours in the full summer sun here in Florida.  I can notice the leaves look fairly normal earlier in the morning and later in the evening and have moved mine to a more shady spot, but you know the South Florida Sun in the summer time! :)

I'm happy to trade cuttings and will PM you my info.

Oh yeah, without rain, the SoFla summer sun is brutal. 

Plus, since there hasn't been much rain, the heat has been kinda nasty and maybe I've been a bit too overprotective by giving them more shade than they really need. I'll play around with it. 

Welcome to the forum. Yea I'm an addict. I trade.

Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have a start to a nice fig orchard already!

Hi Levar,
Welcome to the f4f forum.
Question: Why don't you let the roots of your fig-trees escape their pot ?

Hey jdsfrance,

I haven't heard of that. What are the benefits? Do you have a link or a name for this practice?

Although, I'm not sure that exposing the roots would be a good idea in my area; we have heinous root knot nematode problems and it's my understanding that figs won't survive an infestation without the grower having to intervene in a way that may involve removing the roots and kind of starting over. (If anyone has any info on saving a tree from an infestation, I'd love to read about it.)

Also, every one of these trees has been in its pot for less than a year. In fact, the JH Adriatics and the RdB outgrew their smaller pots earlier this month and were moved up a few weeks ago.

These questions are great. Thanks!

P.S. I misread one of the earlier posts about the legginess of the "trunks." Rust has caused many of the leaves to fall off over the past few hot, humid months. There are "leaf scars" all along the trunks where leaves once were. I'm sure if I were in a more fig-friendly climate, they'd be huge bushes. 

This is really apparent in the third photo from the bottom of the assumedly-mislabeled "Green Ischia." It has a tuft of leaves at the top, and the trunk is bare with a bunch of leaf "scars."

Levar, nice photos. You really made out at Lowes with some good prices!

Nice pics, Levar. Keep up the good work.

Hi Levar,
Indeed, root knot nematodes are the reason to not let the roots escape the pots :) .