Hi!
Just wanted to introduce myself as new to the forum. My name is Jeannine, I live in Phoenix AZ with a wide array of vegetable gardens and trees on my property. Just this year I put in a Black Mission and recently was able to try my first fresh figs from it...I am hooked. I have ordered several varieties from our my local rare fruit growers chapter. Very excited to expand my fig collection! I have a wide array of knowledge for growing things and from what I see around neighborhoods in Phoenix, Figs are a common fruit tree for even owners who don't do much with them! I am excited to see what yields I get putting my efforts and knowledge to good use. Anyone else in the Low Desert Planting Region of AZ?
Greetings

Welcome to the forum, Jeannine!  We are glad to have you here.

Welcome :)

There are a few members  who are located around the AZ desert.
I live in Tucson/Marana, so very similar to Phoenix climate.

Look up member "Frozen Joe".
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrFrozenJoe/videos
He is in Phoenix and has made quite a few Youtube video reviews of various fig varieties
grown in Phoenix. His videos are well done and very valuable for those interested in
growing Figs here. We don't have a lot of the challenges growing figs here that people in other
more temperate areas do, but we have some that they don't.

I have a small yard and am space limited, so I only have a couple in ground fig trees; VdB and Panache.
I have 4 full sized multigrafted citrus and 3 Pomegranates as well.

My worst fig challenge this year by far has been #$%@^ birds. I know they ended up getting at
least 75% of my figs. Things are winding down pretty rapidly now, it's been into the low 40's
a couple nights here and the fig trees look like they are getting the idea to move towards dormancy.
Maybe a few more figs will make it to ripe, but the really late season figs are never the best. Citrus
is looking good now and early varieties will be ready anytime now.  

Welcome! Jeep us posted on your new fig trees :-)

Welcome, Jeannine! 

Welcome to the world of figs. It's a fun ride.

Welcome to the forum :)

Welcome to the wide world of figs. Larry

Welcome to the forum

Welcome and congratulations on your first 9 fig plants.  Save some room for some of the better varieties that will become available soon  :)

Hi Jeannine! I am in your neck of the woods (I live in Chandler). Yeah there are a wide variety of deciduous trees (we average 300-500-ish chill hours here, and we can find low chill varieties of most deciduous fruit trees) and subtropicals. We have lots of challenges here (heat being most obvious) but I really love growing fruit trees and gardening down here. Welcome!

Very nice to meet everyone.
I have a lot going on in my yard tree wise. Some of my figs will be in ground and some in pots. Anyone notice fruiting occurring sooner in ground VS pot when raising from cuttings of similar size?
starch...are you a member of the rare fruit growers club here in the valley?
Regards,
radtechg9

Hey there Jennine...Glad to have you here! ; )


Frank from Bama

Hey Jeannine, yes I am an AZRFG member. I went to the Avocado meeting last Thursday (my first one). I also went to the fall plant sale and picked up and Antonio Mango (I see you have one too based on your list). Right on!

BTW, Axel recently posted a fantastic writeup of the Antonio Mango at cloudforest: http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/gardening/the-hardy-mango-for-real-t6265.html

Jeannine,
Welcome to the forum!

Hey Jeannine--Good to have another Arizonan on the forum. I was at the AZRFG meeting also (with a bucket of blackberry cuttings), but am not a member.

I know that maybe not belongs here. But I like to watch Jake Maces Gardenshow on youtube and would love to get one of the aravipa avocado trees they talk a lot about.But the owner absolutly not want to ship. Is there maybe a possibility somebody would ship them to me?

Hola, Jeannine. Also an Arizona functional figaholic here, small world!

--Esteban

Hey Esteban!
Where do you live?  I am up by Cave Creek and Union Hills in North Phx.
-Jeannine

texas_girl,

Here is what I would suggest:
- Plant an avocado seed in the location where you want to have an avocado tree. Make sure the soil is fairly well draining (break up / amend as necessary). If you can find a Lula avocado (which are grown commercially in Texas) that is the best. Lulas are salt-tolerant and very vigorous. Actually the AZRFG chapter is trying to acquire some Lula seeds and if they become available, I will ship a couple to you.
- After the seed has sprouted, you want to keep it watered and provide some afternoon shade (if it ends up sprouting in summer/fall). Definitely baby it with partial noon shade and full afternoon shade if the temps are above 90-95 F while it is a seedling. On the flip side, also certainly protect it from the cold (keep it above freezing with either frost cloth or heat lamps / Christmas lights or both).
- After a few months the seedling will be a foot tall or so and be about pencil thickness. This is the perfect size for grafting
- I have an Aravaipa tree and can send you some budwood. Actually my tree is not doing great at the moment but assuming I can nurse it back to health I will be able to send you some budwood. You will want to do either a cleft graft if you can match up the calipers low on the stem or a veneer graft if the diameter mismatch is too great.

The Aravaipa is supposed to have a good cold tolerance, but I do not think anybody really knows how much it can take temperature wise. There is a report that the mother tree has had snow on it on suffered no ill effect. What is your USDA zone?

Oh so excited to see all the Arizona fig n plant lovers. Jodi here from Scottsdale (used to grow mangoes) now in Camp Verde. I'm a recent fig addict. My sister had a huge green fig at 56th and Grenway. We had figs by the buckets all summer. We had fig fests/feasts. Every dish was based on figs. Amazing! ;-) Alas the tree succumbed. ;-( Probably too much love aka overwatering. I'm establishing a garden and orchard on the Verde River. Met a lady up here from Bolivia that supplies 3 farmers markets all summer with great big sweet figs all summer. Great to meet you all. Looking forward to sharing AZ fig stories. Happy figging, Jodi

That is what they said about the tree that is cold tolerant. Just thought to give it a shot. But when they not really seem to know it themselfes then any avocado would be good to try out I guess. They sure created a hype around this variety.
You have your tree in the ground?