San Pedro figs ripen the breba crop and drop the main crop unless it is pollinated by the fig wasp.  I have two varieties that supposedly are San Pedro figs - Zumwalt and Green #2 (which the source and I believe to be Desert King).   This year both Green #2 and Zumwalt ripened a few main crop figs - others dropped.  The Green #2 main crop was excellent, the Zumwalt were soft, but not quite ripe.  My Desert King did not ripen any main crop figs.

Can anyone guess what would trigger this?

Left Green #2, Right Desert King


Green #2 Main Crop


Zumwalt Main Crop


 

Yes My Desert King has ripe main crop,but they are very poor tasting,i never use them,not even for Fig Jam.

Probably weather related, it is interesting thought need another season to see if the lampeira will drop main crop figs. Last year I too got a couple main crop desert king figs and Adriano's tree ripened a very big portion of maincrop wich it had never ripened like that in over 30 years. I did eat a few there last season and they were delicious.

Good to read all these posts but those of Herman and Nelson clarified something that has been confusing me for the last few weeks.

I never expect a Desert King main crop to ripen here because I never had before and was not expecting. However, there is one fruit left from the main crop which is softening, drooping and changing colour like a ripening fig will do. I am confused because almost every other maincrop had shriveled and dropped weeks ago. I did not have any breba on this plant this year (probably because stored in very cold garage).

After pausing here, I taste my only ripe Desert King and it soft and sweet. I don't think it could be a breba ripening in mid-September (leaves were dropped in heatwave with lack of watering so can't be sure if breba or maincrop).
Can a maincrop Desert King ripen by chance (or other reasons?) without those wasps?

Akram you wrote is it possible for a main crop desert king fig to ripen the answer is yes it is possible only in some years and it seems its a very very low percentage.

I wish I knew why and how this happens if we could some how manipulate what ever it is that is happening we could somehow get more to ripen.

I remember I even called Adriano and asked him last year if it was possible and he said he had lots of maincrop ripening and I went to his house and seen it with my own eyes. He had quite a few dozen dead ripe main crop figs that were very sweet and nice flavoured . This year they are all falling off.

Strange for DK main crop to ripen. Hope it happens to my DK tree.

Paul
Life with figs is full of surprises.