I just read a thread about "Kathleen's Black Fig"...concerning the taste of the main-crop, and how it compares to some other figs.

I've read on more than a few threads, that sometimes it might take a few years for a fig to develop a true, full flavor.

I have questions regarding a fig tree's "age".

1.   Let's say a tree is started from a rooted cutting and then grown on for 5 years in ground.  The tree is now 5 years old.  You then prune a few branches, and root a few cuttings.  How old are the rooted cuttings?  Are they 5 years old, like the original tree...or, are they the age of the WOOD / BRANCH that has rooted?  Sections of that pruned branch may not be 5 years old.

2.    Let say that it takes your variety 4 years to develop full flavor, and you root-prune the tree in the spring of the 5th year, and replant the tree back into a container.  Will the tree still be able to make figs with the same full flavor as before the roots were pruned, or are you back to square one, after the root-chop?

Are you confused?  I am.  I think there is "root-age", and "wood-age"...and, they could be two different things.


HELP!!!!!

Frank

OK Frank, you get my "un-expert" opinion ;-))  I know when they determine the age of an old redwood or Sequoia tree, they count the rings from a slice of the trunk.  Your cuttings won't have as many rings as the trunk, so I'd say they are much younger, and need time to develop age.  But that's just my opinion.
Suzi

Frank here is something that may be of interest to you from other forum Tapla posts in this thread several times , you may want to read the whole thread.



http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg070007054857.html

Thanks...Great!  Now I will go and read the whole thread.  Thanks for the link.  I hope I will be un-confused...after reading these older, past-postings.  : ))))

Frank

I was wrong!    After reading all the explanations, I'm even more confused.  I feel like a first-grader.

It doesn't matter.  I'll just wait until the figs develop full, rich flavor, and say the tree has reached its potential for producing good figs.  Done.

Too complicated....

Frank

My personal opinion only but I would age the tree from the age of the cutting before removal from the mother tree. If you are taking 2-year old wood, the tree is essentially 2 years old. If you are taking green wood then the tree is under 1 year old. I know I'm probably wrong but that's how I play the game.
Sue

If the age is determined by the tree the cutting came from, all trees would now be 1000s of years old, and maybe 10s of 1000s. And if the life timje of a fig tree is 100 years (for sake of argument), then they would have all died by now, because they would all be much older.

Now I wish I had not slept through all those science classes I took in school. Jon is that some kind of chicken or chicken egg thing your talking about? LOL. Tapla are you out there somewhere? Maybe you could simplify your older comments that Martin pointed out in the thread he listed. I read the entire thread and thought it was close to TLI (Trans Lunar Injection). I am willing to state I am not the sharpest knife. However, I am not a butter knife. This is an area that I have interest also. I would love to hear the fifth grader version if possible. Maybe pictures would help.

Wow, I didn't think I cared about this and then I read Tapla's explanation and got interested.  What I want clarification on is: is it easier to root tip cuttings or basal cuttings?  I'm also curious as to what religion requires you to eat fruit from a tree that is at least 4 yrs old.  I've never heard of that.  How could you ever shop for fruit then because what store is going toknow that.