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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
The story begins a couple of years ago when I ,Mrs K and little Miss K went to a local park to ride our bikes!
Even though we moved to this part of the country almost ten years ago, we never had a chance to visit Lenora park so we grabbed our bikes,helmets and Eco friendly water bottles and headed there! After an exhausting ten minute car ride we found ourselves riding the asphalt paved bike trail( 1.27 miles exactly with signs to prove it!)! We Were probably half way through when I spoted a very pleasant and familiar sight and took off like Neal A.(you all know who, the bad one lol! ), my wife and daughter shouting"what happened " with no success and there it was!!!! On the side of the trail a fairly big,about 18 feet tall and equally wide but visibly old and neglected Fig tree! I forgot to mention that it was late fall so the tree was fully dormant with lots of dead limbs ,single trunk about 10 inch wide and in a distance by a line of hedges another one even more neglected and barely showing any sign of living tissue! Right in front of the tree there is a small 4x4 wood post that at some point hosted a sign of some short probably explaining about the trees origin or previous owner or,,,, Your guess is as good as mine! The poor post is more neglected than the tree itself, a bad surprise for an otherwise very well taken care park! Well it s just a tree I guess!
My lady companions caught up and greeted me with the same response- OH NO! Dady found a fig treeeeee!,, and we all busted out laughing cause dads Achilies tendon was exposed once again! My Awesome Mrs very graciously promised that we will come back at a later date to check on them and maybe take a cutting or two and left( after completing a few more laps of course)!
Two Freagin years past by and I not once went to visit my new buds! Easy to get caught in an everyday routine when you're having too much fun I guess but it happened!
Late October (2014)we woke up from dormancy and desided to visit again! Fast forward and the poor trees look almost dead, this past winter was extreamly harsh to local fig trees and those two were not the exception being that they were in bad shape already ! And so I pulled out my pruning shears and took a single cutting! A sucker branch about 14 inches long that looked kinda promising , thanked the tree for the contribution and promised to take good care of it! I cut the stick in two and bagged it with lots of hope of resurrecting the legend! I don t know if it is rare or sweet or even if it makes figs but I know it has a story and the post is there to prove it! What am I saying,It is just another fig tree anyway! Or is it?
Thanks for your time and the happiest Merry Christmas to all!I will take a ride and post pics of the original "Lenora park Ukn", I promise!

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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Yup, rooting very well so far, will do, thanks Shailesh!
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ChrisK
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waynea

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Great fig story Chris. That is why you need to go on more bike rides.
rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Congratulations!  See if there are other fig trees around.
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Zone 6, MO

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Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
donpaid

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Very cool! I hope it turns out to be something good :)
zone5figger

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Nice of you to take in a neglected stray, Chris- that's the spirit!
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Jesse- zone 5, 1000' elevation
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Thanks guys lets see how the baby develops, it looks pretty eager to grow roots! What I m dying to know is what the writing on the sign said!
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ChrisK
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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Maybe use a screw driver to poke around in the ground near the post, perhaps the sign still exists. 

I'm glad the cuttings are rooting and you are able to preserve the tree.  I'm sure that within a few years it will be in the hands of many F4F members and its future is safe. 

Great story!

Scott
coop951

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Hi Chris,
Nothing more rewarding than keeping an old tree going.
Good luck with it
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Coop  
Northern NJ Zone 7a
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Thanks Scott,thanks Coop! I will do that ,it is definitely rewarding to save an old warrior, I could probably get a few cuttings now if any of You guys is interested! It is not easy to just walk out of there with a bushel full of cuttings ( being a state park and all )but I could put my ninja gear on and walk out of there with some! Let me know! I ll send them at no cost!
The more cuttings I spread the better a chance of success!:)
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ChrisK
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Frankallen

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Hey Chris ...Really great story! Hope your cuttings do well for you, so far so good! Please keep us informed! ; )
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Frank from Bama-  Zone 7-b Alabama

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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever".

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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Will do , thanks Frank! I ll try to post a few pics of the mother tree!
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ChrisK
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rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
The sign says, "Beware of Radiation"
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Zone 6, MO

Wish list:
Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
Hershell

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Another good story. Thanks and I hope it has a happy ending one day and for someone else a beginning.
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Hershell Zone 8. Ray City, Ga.
jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Hi Chrisk,
Because it was a root-sucker, I would have pulled it to try to get roots at the same time instead of cutting it.
Or with the pruning-sheers I would have dug some dirt and roots with.
Not always easy, but with luck, you get it already rooted - even if just an hair style root.
When you have the choice go for the thicker root-sucker even with less roots, as those , to my bigger surprise, do perform better than thinner root-suckers with more roots.
To help the mother tree bounce back, bring her some fertilizer in the Spring for having more stems in the Fall ... Just an idea ...
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Well thanks once again Hershell , and also thanks for the wonderful wish! Very well said!

Jdsfrance,I thought about taking it with the root also but Georgia state police do not play around so I chickened out and just clipped it off but it looks very strong so I think we re safe! Thanks for the comment! Merci Baku ! Please correct me if I m wrong;)
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
rcantor,I just noticed your posting, lol, imagine ? Or it said" fig tree" or something! Hopefully something a bit more meaningful ,I will investigate further, I promise !
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ChrisK
Atl GA
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Briian1972

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Chris

Great story keep us posted on the growth of your new fig tree. I bet your heart was racing as you were cutting that branch off cutting a plant up at a public park!
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LIVE OAK, FL
ZONE 8B

figs growing LSU PURPLE, BROWN TURKEY, MAGNOLIA, BLACK MISSION, PETERS HONEY WISH LIST any variety that grow well in  zone 8b
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
Thanks Brian, oh You bet, it s racing now just thinking about it but it was worth it! The cutting looks very very healthy The roots are coming out of the top of the glass! How old are your trees? We re growing almost identical varieties! I have what I think is a Brunswick, is it the same as Magnolia? Do you have a pic to compare? Thanks in advance!
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ChrisK
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Briian1972

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Chris
The LSU purple has been a great producer about three years old. My Brunswick/Magnolia is a beautiful gnarly looking tree but no figs yet I have had it in a pot for several years. Just got peters honey from ebay three cuttings and all are doing good three months old. Black mission three years old no figs yet just put in the ground before winter. I didn't fertilize my figs much until recently because I thought they were good on there own naturally? I realized now they do need some loving care stupid me.The brown turkey fig was in the ground when I brought the farm and and my father ate the only fig it had so far, so that is a guess.I just got green Ischia from Lowes.I'm going to put a lot more time and care into fig plants this year now that i'm learning more about them. I'm going to be adding lots of organic mulch and organic fertilizers. No pics yet sorry. I have some new cuttings started now Conadria, RDB, Nero 600m, Neri 2., Negrone, Imp celeste, Sicilian about 2.5 weeks old looking good so far.
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LIVE OAK, FL
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figs growing LSU PURPLE, BROWN TURKEY, MAGNOLIA, BLACK MISSION, PETERS HONEY WISH LIST any variety that grow well in  zone 8b
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Awesome thanks Brian,best of luck with your trees and cuttings and keep us posted ! You have quite a nice selection going on! I grow , lsu purple did very well for two years but last winter killed it to the ground! Black mission three years with good production, celeste. Four years awesome fig tree over all,production and taste, brunswick was a mislabeled tree I got from Home Depot , one year very good production- taste, peters honey from bay Flora , great tree to have, you will love this one,hope your cuttings do well! Thanks for sharing your info and happy holidays !
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ChrisK
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Aaron4USA

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Chris,
Great story, and you surely know how to tell it :)
I thought I was facing the tree and feeling the breeze on my face for a second....
Nice of you to try rescuing the fig tree. I would find the park Rangers and ask more about their (fig trees) heritage or should I say Lineage or Pedigree and the story behind them. Sounds like there must be a good presentation behind he posts that were carrying the board with story of fig trees.
It definitely must be a hardy variety because of it's age and many winters that she has faced all those years out there, unprotected.
And both of your cuttings have rooted, awesome!!
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Thanks Aaron, I will definetly ask more questions when the weather gets warmer! The two pics are of the same cutting ,the top piece! The bottom is still in the Baggie ,two nodes look like they want to sprout no roots yet but nicely formed callous so good hope!
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Hey my forum friends ?
Here is an update to the Lenora park Ukns!
With all the holiday "madness" ,vacations ,work, bad weather and you name it,I did not have a chance to visit my new "old fig tree" friends until yesterday morning.
It was 32 F when I hit the trail on my bike at 8:30 am with a cold north breeze kicking my butt! Full gear in hand( well back actually), backpack filled with a camera,clippers, a few plastic bags and an extra hoodie to hide my loot on the way back,I rode straight for the trees! I thought to my self that in this weather ,who else in their right mind would want to ride,jog or walk for that matter,especially on a Friday morning!!! Right??? Wrong!
The darn place was full of people doing it all! Well, I m here now, I thought ,so I kept going. Long story short,I timed lap three that there was no one to be seen on either direction and made my move! Took out the clippers and cut as fast as I could! From both trees! Yeah!!! Put the cuttings in my blue backpack and as cool as ever started taking pics! I also looked on the base of the tree for the missing sign ,as per suggestion ,with no luck. Do not despair my friends ,I left with some info regardless. As I was about to climb on the escape bike, a very old but great looking for his age jogger approached me! If I had to guess, I d say he was in his 90s! Hey there young fella(whaaaat? ) he said. Quite an old tree don't ya think? Well ,after a ten minute conversation I found out the following..... He and his friends,a bunch of old ladies and these are his words, have been coming to the park for years and every summer when the figs are ripe they pick them to eat fresh and also make preserves! When I asked about a description of the fig he replied" medium size fruit with a dark brown skin and very sweet strawberry flesh",also his words. It was enough for me.
I asked him to pose for a photo next to the tree but he got camera shy and backed out! Oh well,I thanked him and left! Mission fully successful ,in my book! What do you guys and ladies think? If any of you are interested on finding out for yourselves how sweet those figs are, pm me your info ! I will kindly ask for a $10 donation for packaging and shipping costs(3 good size cuttings)! Figging has become a very costly hobby and I don't think I can keep Mrs K from kicking me out for much longer! Lol
Thanks for Your time and attention!

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ChrisK
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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Wow Chris!!!!  The pics of the trees are amazing, the bases are huge! Are all fig trees in your area that big when left to grow wild?  I was not expecting to see anything that big. 

I can't wait to get the cuttings started, I love the ideas of seeing what they are and helping to preserve these historic trees.  It sure would be nice to know the back story on them.  Maybe one day some information will come forward.  

Thank you for making these cuttings available to everyone. 

Scott
rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
Were there 2 different kinds of figs or were they all the same?  Did your new friend say?
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Zone 6, MO

Wish list:
Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
Thanks Scott very much,
I have way better pics but they will not upload! I have to figure out another way.
Most trees around here are huge and Celeste is a typical variety in the southern states! The fact that it holds and ripens a lot of fruit is promising ! The cutting I am growing is doing well with strong roots forming ,swollen buds but still dormant. It was pretty easy to root !
I will definetly ask more questions about the tree.
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
Hey Bob.
He did not seem to know the dif but I m keeping the cuttings seperate just in case. Most likely the same but only time will tell!
You can make out the second tree in the background ! That poor thing is in bad shape. They both need a good haircut so they can regain their strength.
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ChrisK
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Posted Reply with quote  #29 
I'm wondering if there may be any old news paper articles about the trees and their story.  I'm sure it would just say fig and not a cultivar, might name the people involved. ... could be the start of a crumb trail. 

I look forward to seeing more pics, and now trying to grow a giant fig tree outside in Colorado.....  So, what is the most cold hardy short season fig? ????

Scott
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Posted Reply with quote  #30 
Are the photos to big to post Chris? I use a photobucket account to store my photos and use a link from them to post to this site. Perhaps that could help.
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Arthur, Saint Louis CO, MO (Z 6B)
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #31 
Exactly! It tells my they are more than 1 MB and I tried to crop them but.... Thanks for the lead! I ll try doing that!
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ChrisK
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eboone

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Posted Reply with quote  #32 
Very nice work Chris, and what an amazing coincidence!
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Ed
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Short wish list: CDDG, LSU Red, Dark Greek (Navid),  Col Littman's Black Cross.   And any cold hardy early fig.
waynea

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Posted Reply with quote  #33 
Hey Chris, I use Photo Gallery to resize to about 7-800KB.
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #34 
Thanks very much Ed. Right place at the right time!
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #35 
Thanks Wayne . I use my iPad to do all my posting so I m trying to figure out how to edit the pic without chopping it to badly!
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ChrisK
Atl GA
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tyro

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Posted Reply with quote  #36 
Hi Chris,

You can just plug it in here and specify less than a meg.

http://www.picresize.com/results

Cheers,

Paul
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jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #37 
Hi Chrisk,
Did you wear the famous ninja suit ? Or because the tree was in an open area, you couldn't :) ?
Looking right and left, that reminds me of my fig cuttings hunting during my last Summer holidays :) . Nice memories :) .

I see some small root suckers or small stems near the base, I would have tried those as well.
Although I have to admit that for a quick cut, cutting in the canopy between belt and shoulder height is much quicker.
From Fig Ninja to Fig Ninja, I had a non-transparent bag at one wrist and the cuttings would fell directly in the bag :) .

See, you've even found one of the fig tree's guardian. It is amazing how quickly they can show up when you approach "their" tree !
If you meet him again, I have a question : how do his club fetch the higher figs ? Do they climb a ladder ? At their age, this is not reasonable ! They should call you :) .

That was a good adventure ! around two really nice fig trees !
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zone5figger

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Posted Reply with quote  #38 
What a beautiful old tree!   Thanks for sharing, Chris.
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Jesse- zone 5, 1000' elevation
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #39 
Wow thanks very much for the wonderful response .
JDSFRANCE lol the ninja suit did come up as a thought, I actualy wanted to go in full camo gear and take my pics under the trees just for laughs but as you all know and unfortunately I must say , these days full camo and a backpack ,taking pics of places ... Can get you in major trouble !! I desided to go in my LA Galaxy soccer sweatsuit and an orange beanie hat! I figured the more visible ,the least the attention in my case.
I also thought about uprooting the suckers but I desided to take only limbs that will eventually grow back. I made sure to leave at least a few nodes to the branches I took cuttings from .
Like pruning it . I realy want those trees to come back healthy and now I have another reason, I know I m not the only one with that expectation.
I will definetly try to meet the old man again , he probably has a similar routine every day and ask for more info. I got so excited ,I did not even ask for the mans name!

Lilly thanks for your kind words,best wishes to you for a very successful season also!:)

Jessy thanks for reading, my pleasure sharing with friends!

Paul thanks for the link. I think this is my best bet, and thank you very much for the amazing cuttings! Hey, check out my wish list;).

I m glad to be part of this forum Yall. Nothing but beautiful people!!!!!!
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ChrisK
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rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #40 
Maybe the parks dept will accept your offer to prune the trees to restore them to health.  They may have more info as well.
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Zone 6, MO

Wish list:
Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #41 
That would be awesome but I ll need some heavy weaponry to trim those bad boys!
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #42 
Hey Lilli.
It will be spring before you know it and we ll be working like ants to make things happen before fall arrives again! You get what I m trying to say! We always complain that time goes by too fast so it is ok that time slows down a bit in the winter.
Plus we need some time to prepare for fig season. Just sayin.
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ChrisK
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ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #43 
Here are some more pics.

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ChrisK
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Posted Reply with quote  #44 
I too am ready for spring.  But your right Chris, I'm not ready yet.   So much to do and so little time to do it. 
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #45 
Yup and when it finally comes ,it s over in the blink of an eye! Just like this weekend. Lol
Like I always say: back to reality tomorrow ! Yall have a good night!
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ChrisK
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Posted Reply with quote  #46 
Nice pictures, you weren't kidding that you would need some heavy weaponry to prune them.

I hope everybody gets some cuttings from these trees, it will be great to see how they do through out the country and what cultivar they are. 

Thank you again for the story and the cuttings Chris.  
JLee

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Posted Reply with quote  #47 
Wow, you weren't kidding - that is a huge tree! 

This should be an interesting grow out.
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Orange County, California / Zone 10b
Wish List: Col de Dame Grise, Aubique Petite, Vasilika Sika, Galicia Negra

-Jeffrey and Anna
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #48 
It sure is Jeff ! Most of the top,if not all , has been dead since last winter but there sure is hope at the bottom! Thanks for helping out Jeff, I hope they grow well for you.

Thank you also Scott for the encouragement and support ! I have a few cuttings left and if no one claims them I ll teach a couple of soccer buddies how to.....
Maybe send a couple to #4444 along with Aaron's package!
Spread the love!lol!
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ChrisK
Atl GA
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Posted Reply with quote  #49 
Looking forward to the cuttings, it will be interesting to see how they do up here in eastern MA.

Hopefully they will ripen before frost.
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Kevin
Zone 5b/6a(Eastern MA)
ChrisK

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Posted Reply with quote  #50 
Thanks Kevin! From the info I got from my new buddy it rippens late July here in GA so you have a good chance to get some fruit by late August,mid September! I'm in the process of growing my first cuttings of this tree now so I do not know if it will produce on the first year ,only time will tell!
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ChrisK
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