Around farms and backyards people are now busy bringing the live, ripen Caprifigs of the first crop (Profichi), close to their female figs (Smyrna) as well as Common and the Smyrnoid San Pedro main, in order to have their crops pollinated and producing outstanding and crunchy fruit.

They have searched the bushes, dry river beds, creeks, ravines and protected places near farm boundaries, old roads , abandoned and ruined houses, trying to get the best/biggest and most productive Caprifigs.

They use baskets, bags, tins, etc..to carry this non-edible fruit and on their return (the more purists)  will also bring home a bundle or two of long dry stems of wild carrots (Daucus Carota) to prepare the fig strings before distributing them over their trees.
The majority still use the necklaces with half a dozen figs each.

In a week, ten days, there will be another run to insure that the full  crop shall be caprificated

Francisco

That is beautiful, Francisco. Thank you for sharing the photos. I have 2 caprifigs that I am planting in ground, so that hopefully my figs will benefit. I am not sure if there are caprifigs in my area, but I will take care of that. Thank you again;

Gary

Francisco: Thanks for sharing good information and nice photos.

Best,
Tam

Thank you Gary and Tom for your commenting.

Gary, you live in a good environment for figs, although I believe it is somehow cooler than other fig places in California. Even Caprifigs will ripen, in your place, approximately one month later than in more central areas of the Valley.

Best way to find out if you have wasps in your area is to keep 1 or 2 good Smyrna varieties in your yard and see what happens...if they are around they will find your figs and once pollinated they will ripen.

Or, if you have no Smyrna or San Pedro fruit for that test, do it with, say a Common fig.
Try  this season, by selecting a nice, ripen, juicy and well developed fig, use one half of the fruit, and wash its pulp out to separate the seeds. Then put them inside a transparent glass with water.

If all the seeds float, this means no pollination so, probably no wasp visits to your figs. The seeds are empty
If they go to the bottom totally or partially, well it indicates some degree of pollination and certainly some wasp presence.

The enclosed picture shows a positive result of this test with the pulp of a Smyrna variety fully pollinated..those seeds are from one single fruit.

Francisco

 

Lovely tutorial my friend :)

Thank you for your constant supply of knowledge.

Is that a Wild Anise flower that you are using to strain the capries?

Thank you Aaron,

Sorry,  I have to say no. It's not  'Wild Anise' It's the 'Wild Carrot' stem or the 'Queen Anne's lace'
Wild Anise or Fennel  stems are too soft and you could not pierce a Caprifig with it.

But you are giving me some ideas..I may start a new topic soon... ' Figs and Fennel ' 

Francisco

Muito obrigado again, Francisco. I will do as you suggest, to see if the wasps are in my area. As you say, it is a cooler climate here in West Sonoma. The wild carrot is everywhere here also, just beginning to bloom. We use it in many flower arrangements, but I like your use better. Stay well;

Gary 

Nice picture Gary, Thank you.
Your Queen Anne's Lace is still fresh and green with the flower canopy in a convex shape...
As soon as they ripen, they will turn into a concave form, dry and rolling in its flower stems in a spherical shape.
Are there any fruit on the Caprifigs you say to be planting in ground now ? If there are some figs, may I see them in a close up picture ?? Thanks

Francisco

Gary,

If there are any fruit on your rooting Capris, please do not destroy or cut the figs..Just leave them as they are but show in what part of the plant they are growing..Thanks

Fr5ancisco

Here you are, Francisco. This is a young plant that I got from Harvey. I also am starting caprifig cuttings from Aaron.      

If one has caprifig trees growing within 50 yards of each edible fig tree, would it still be worthwhile to do this?

Gary,

Nice picture and nice fig. May be we have good news!
For how long  have you had this fig sitting there ?

Harvey, please chime in and tell us what you think

It looks to me a live Profichi which may have delayed its ripeness (*)  (see as it sticks almost perpendicular to the main branch on last year's wood).. with such looks it may have wasps and pollen developing  inside. Try a gentle finger-thumb pressure and see if it is still hard or already showing signs of becoming soft i.e., ripening.

Higher up, just under the top bouquet of new growth with several smaller leaves (3rd picture), there is a big leaf, its stem bending to the right.. 
Notice a roundish shoot on this leaf axil ?
Is it a fig ? ... check if there are similar protrusions on other leaf axis..all in this year's growth

If it is a fig, it will be the next crop of this Caprifig, - the Mammoni - where eventual wasps from the big Profichi will move in soon, to give birth to a next colony of wasps and to remain inside this fig for most of the coming summer. This Mammoni figs grow very rapidly and soon they shall be ready to take the wasps.

(*) Or there is no delaying here and the ripening process follows the standard timings for this variety

Francisco

Paul,

Difficult to say, but if you have enough space for another fig or two it will be worthwhile to have the pollinator near your trees. But if you have some Smyrnas, San Pedro or even Common figs,  NOW is the opportunity to see what your neighboring wasps do to your figs...once we are right through the
pollination period. (*)

Morning visits to your figs, say after 07.30 AM and a throughout close inspection (they are very small) to your figs with the help of a good glass may be the best procedure...this is what I do every early morning. and until 10.00AM if they are there , you stand a good chance to surprise them trying to lift the fig eye scales to move in. Typically the little insect is detected most of the time by the shining of its wings under the sun light... and  with them pointing  upwards !

(*) Dominant winds may help or make it more difficult

Francisco

 

Francisco: Thanks for providing very helpful information to us.

Best,
Tam