I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

This is my first unknown fig adventure.  Hope someone here can ID it, but until then, it shall remain "Catherine's Nacido" Fig tree.  The tree is on Nacido Drive, and the owner is Catherine.

I noticed the trees 4 days ago, and finally built up my courage to go ask.  The nice lady agreed to let me take some shoots if I would make her two baby plants.  I got a total of 6 shoots.  Some with big roots, and some with hardly any.  Catherine is the owner, and she has no idea what it is, but it's the sweetest most wonderful green fig anyone has ever tasted, according to her.  She says friends have green figs too, but hers tastes the best!  She invited me back in August to give me and JD a taste of our baby figs.

I only had 4 1 gal pots, so I potted 2 in one pot here and there.  They are in potting soil, and under a gerry-rigged greenhouse in mostly shade until they get established.  Suggestions welcomed!

The tree is very prolific.  It's a multi-trunk variety.

I hope you can see the tree. in the pictures  There are dozens of shoots around it, but most are visibly coming out of roots, so you can't cut off roots.  They are like branches or trunks at that point.

Suzi

Great find Suzi hopefully this will be one no one has enjoy.

That's a handsome tree. Does the lady trim that tree? Sure wouldn't mind a cutting or two. I need to stop looking at new varieties...

Pete

Good job suzi yeah dont ever be shy to knock on someones door all they can say is no....SLAM no biggie lol if you ever want some unknowns from around my way let me know theres plenty to go around if you end up with anymore let me know if you wanna trade ill send you some cuttings from two of my local unknowns we can call them the (connies rockaway) until we id them 

Nice looking tree with deeply veined leaves.

On Saturday, we'll be back on Nacido Drive, and I'll stroll down and take better pics of the figs and leaves.  Maybe someone can ID the fig with better photos!

Suzi

Ask the lady who owns the tree if you could do some air-layering.  You'll have bigger, rooted material to grow-on, into proper trees, and, so will the owner.  Let the tree do your work.
Judging by your photos, there's plenty of places to do some air-layers without changing the overall "look" of the tree.

Good luck, good find...get plenty for propagation...distribute some cuttings for evaluation in different climates, BUT document the provenance, to eliminate future confusion.

Frank

Congratulations on what sounds like a great fig! Never be afraid to ask. The two people I have asked for cuttings from so far have told me I could have the whole tree! In one case I took them up on it, but only because it was along our shared retaining wall which had collapsed and it had to be dug out anyway.

This morning my shoots look a little wilty.  Should I have cut them back to just one leaf?  Some are so tall, that would be hard to do.  They are in little greenhouses, but wilty.  Very green.  They are in full shade now.

I will ask Catherine if I can air layer a few shoots on Saturday.  That foil looks pretty tacky from the road, but maybe I can bend some shoots down, put dirt over, and hold them there with a plant anchor.  I'll come prepared to do that on Saturday, but I'm still crossing my fingers these shoots will survive.

Suzi

Suzi....

There is a very good video, on you tube showing a man named Ray Givan propagating a fig tree from green cuttings with leaves.  Give a look.

Also, in the thread: "My First Air-Layer" posted today, you will find a video on how air-layering is done without the foil.  If you are still worried, do the air-layering on the invisible portion of the tree.  You can do a dozen air layers in little time.  Just go prepared in advance.

Good luck.  Plan on a new home for your new fig trees.

Frank

Frank, do you have links for these things?
Suzi

I'm not Frank, but hereeeee's Ray

Suzi....forgive my computer ignorance.  I have no idea how to use various functions to link up information.  The air layering video was posted yesterday on this forum, in: "MY First Air-Layer".

Figluvah....Thanks for coming to the rescue!


Suzi....have fun, and tell us how you made out with the propagation process.

Frank

Thanks everybody!  That link was fabulous! 

We have been so crazy busy going between two homes, one is down the street from Catherine's Nacido tree, that I haven't taken the time to read all the threads!  Should have read that air layer one.  Could have saved me some time, but I do get another chance at Catherine on Saturday.  I'm going to bring her 2 plants from my VdB, and I think she'll give me another chance for sure!

 I have 2 questions: 

1.  They started out as tall shoots.  and they all have a few roots.  Should I strip my wilty trees of all their leaves except for the growth tip, even if a couple are over a foot high.?  Then follow the potting method in the video with an empty soda or water bottle on top?

2.  Can I rescue them by cutting them shorter, thus removing any roots, and following the video method from there, or will 3 days in a pot in a make-shift greenhouse set them back too much?  We can't get back there until tomorrow afternoon.  They are definitely a huge priority to me!

Suzi

You are most welcome Frank!

Cover the pots with a plastic bag and keep them in the shade.  Tell her you have friends all over the country who would like cuttings  :)

So, I got over to Catherine's yesterday, took her some VdB babies, which she gave back to me to grow bigger.  I promised to come by in September for a taste of the figs, and she got my number so she could be sure I'd bring her fig babies plus the ones I gave her.  She gave me a big hug, told me to come back and get more cuttings, so today I did.

These are waiting for me to pot them individually, which I will do late tonight, but here they are, plus photos of the leaf and the figs.

Fingers crossed these all grow.  Would like to trade some with YOU!

Suzi

In trying to ID this fig that Catherine has been so generous to allow me to try to propagate from shoots and green cuttings, I did some research.  By the shape of the leaf, from descriptions on Ray Given's Site, it appears that this is a 3 lobes variety, with the top two being larger than the bottom, and according to Ray, it is close to the variety called Ischia.  It might be "White Ischia." 

Catherine raves about the flavor and the white juicy color of the meat inside, and if it is "White Ischia," I'll drop the name of "Catherine's Nacido White."

What do you think?

Suzi