I reside in the Philippines.It is typically quite warm to hot depending on the season,but normally from the mid to upper 80's to the mid 90s.Humidity normally is 60-85%,and being at 14* N,the sun can be pretty intense.I am wanting to purchase about 3-4 varieties from one of our members here that sells cuts via Ebay,and would certainly appreciate some help selecting for my climate.I have a list here,if anyone would care to comment.

1.Conadria. I have read that this one can handle some heat and humidity,and still delivers a pretty tasty fig.

2. VDB This is one that has captured my imagination.I have no idea whether it would be a good choice or not...I just want it.lol..Just kidding...but I don't want to take on a variety that is not likely to do well...it's just that it sounds great.

3. Alma

4. Beall..dropped

5.Excell...dropped

6.Osborn Prolific

7.Paradisio Genova  I read a review on Paradisio and it sounds good,but is Paradisio Genova and Paradisio the same fig?...dropped

8.Petite Negri sounds good,but maybe too similar to the VDB?

9. Sicilian Red?

There are others offered,and I may ask about them as I progress thru the list,but the above are probably a pretty good sampling.

Thanks for any help and/or advice offered.

Yikes.Anybody have a thermometer? I think I have the fever... :)

Go with proven varieties that can handle a good degree of rain/humidity like LSU Improved Celeste,
O'Rourke, Tiger, Champagne, Jack Lily, RdB. 

I would not recommend Beal, Excel, Paradiso's. 

Thank you Pauly for the advice.I'll drop the Beall Excell and Paradisio from the list.

I can provide some cover for the rains (and winds),but the humidity is pretty constant.Unfortunately,the seller does not have the varieties that you mentioned.I had read a few accounts of folks in the south where it is hot and humid stating that the Conadria worked ok for them,so I thought that one might be a reasonable choice.?

I was also leaning towards the Sicilian Red and VDB,but not necessarily based on solid evidence that they would do well for me here.

Ok.Here is what I am considering:

Conadria

VDB

Petite Negri  (is this variety so close to VDB that it might feel like a duplicate?)

Osborn Prolific

Alma

Sicilian Red

Sals

Anyone care to ring in with an opinion on whether any of these would do well in then heat and humidity and not be especially difficult to root?

Thanks for any help.

This is in general, not including the humidity factor.
The VdB and P.Negri is pretty much the same thing.
The Sal's (assuming EL) is a Mt Etna fig. I would go with MBVS or Takoma Violet, they are better .

Good luck! Not much of an experience with the humidity here, sorry

Thanks for the suggestion greenfig.The only problem is,that the vendor I am dealing with doesn't have the varieties that are being suggested.They have some very good offerings of other varieties tho.

I'm in a very different climate, so I can only venture a guess for you. Violette de Bordeaux seems like it could do well. When our summers get into the eighties and nineties the VdB loves it. I've heard it is excellent at handling heat. We get lots of summer humidity at lower temperatures (damp) to the point that fig rust is inevitable at least once a year. VdB handles it like a champ; she didn't drop any leaves on me even. I have rooted it before to make a second tree for myself, and it wasn't any tougher than Hardy Chicago to root. It did well with moist sphagnum in a clear plastic container, checking daily to avoid mold. The fruit is delicious, so it seems worth trying where you are. I hear that Sal's is similar to Hardy Chicago (both Mt. Etna types), and I've found that to be a strong fig too. It does get more evidence of fig rust, but it still thrives. So Sal's could also be a winner for you.

One problem you might have there is not having enough winter chill to fruit fig trees. The Dave Wilson website says that many fig trees need around 100 hours of winter chill to fruit. Winter chill hours count the number of hours each winter that the temperature is below 45 F degrees but above 32 degrees. It’s a big problem for what I can grow and fruit in my garden here in SoCal. Wikipedia says the winter temps in the Philippines only get down in the 70 degree range in January.

The Dave Wilson website doesn’t list a chill requirement for Excell, Latarulla, Pete’s Honey, Texas Blue Giant, and VdB. http://www.davewilson.com/product-information/product/figs

Perhaps other people here will know of some varieties that will fruit without winter chill? 

Chill requirements seem to be a topic of confusion with figs. At least for me. From what I gather, they need very little if any chilling hours.

I don't think Hawaii gets as hot but maybe recommended figs for them could help narrow your results.

http://www.hawaii247.com/2008/12/29/farming-with-love-choosing-the-best-figs-for-hawaii/

Windowsill_Gardens  Thanks for the suggestion of VDB.That really helps,cause I was looking for ANY excuse to get one.Ha-ha.

AltadenaMara:I know there is a lot of confusing information out there,and I appreciate the heads up..really...but if figs needed chilling,I am pretty sure that it would be a major topic of discussion for those in more temperate zones who do not get chilling hours...


don_sanders,thanks for the link to the Hawaiian trials.Very interesting.One thing I did notice tho,was that the variety info on this site states that Osborne Prolific does not do well in heat..but on that Hawaiian trial site,it says that the Osborn is recommended for Hawaii locations.Our climate pretty much parallels that of Hawaii,so that information is very helpful to me...Thank You.

Tropicalgrower, you have the fever for sure! And, I'll say to you what one member said to me....let the obsession begin!

This is a great forum. You came to the right place!
Good luck with your choices.

I can see where it could lead to an abundance of plants,that is for sure. :)

I was all set to go ahead and order,then the vendor pm'd me that they had decided to suspend international orders.Now I am on the hunt for a vendor who can legally ship overseas.

Wish me luck.  :)

I think the best answer is for you to talk to your fellow fig growers in you area and see what has worked for them or be willing to experiment a bit and test out a few varieties before settling on any mass planting.

IMO splitting and associated souring is caused mostly by persistent wet soil and also to a lesser degree by constant high humidity during ripening.  

The quality figs I have found for many years to be very resistant to splitting are;

- Ciccio fico nero
- Bolzano Nero
- Fico Bianco

The last year or two (relatively dry weather) also found these figs resistant to splitting;
 
- Melanzana (tonda and Calabrese)
- desert king
- Spain 296
- lattarula (both pink and white flesh versions)
- LSU Gold
- Excel
- val rosso
- bifara
- natalina
- Sicilian Black JR (breba)

My DKs always split if it's raining hard while they're close to ripening.

Does rain alone cause the splitting? 
Can other factors like drainage and not letting roots staying wet too long help so less splitting?
I have been lucky with my DK so far:)

Be advised that most of the work reported on figs in Hawaii is from the dry side of the big island.  If you look around, you can probably find more detailed reports on the study.

I suspect that your climate would match more closely with the other side of the island.  Figs are grown & successfully fruited on the wet side of the island however I don't think that there has been much documented on this.  If you search this site, there are lists of figs moisture resistance -- with closed eyes, eyes sealed with resin, and those with solid interiors.  Those are probably the best candidates to try.  Figs developed by LSU are generally very good at dealing with rain and high humidity.

By the way, temperatures in Hawaii are generally moderate -- we do not see extreme heat here so that can explain why a fig that does not do well in high heat may do fine here.

John

   TropicalGrower - Addressing your inquiry about Osborne Prolific's ability to handle the heat...  our summers regularly hit 44.5*C (112*F) ...and we spend several weeks straight north of 38*C.  Our O/P has never shown any signs of heat stress.  (0 fruit/leaf loss)  Our humidity is always low... averaging 30% unless it's raining.  (Summers 15%).

pino rcantor HIfarm Figgysid1 Bluemalibu:

Thank you so much for the responses.Perhaps I have overstated the heat and humidity.It certainly is not as bad as some places in the Southern US.I wonder if the intensity of the sunlight makes a difference...not that it makes any difference I suppose,as my choices seem to be limited at this point in time.Like I said earlier,I have tried to contact all fanciers that live in the PI,hoping to get info,or perhaps a cut or 2,but have received no responses.Of course,not everyone in this country has a computer at home,or internet access,but it is getting to be a lot more common.I have seen a couple of sellers at Ebay that will send international...I may just have to try it and take my chances.

Thanks again to all that responded.

Ted