Can you use the olive oil trick on figs now to get them to ripen? The figs are in that stagnent mid size stage. I want to ripen one becuase I am 99% positive ths tree the same as a tree I already have. I just want to confirm it now, so I can move this tree out to make room for my other trees if it is the same.

It works best on figs already ripening.  I assume it works by keeping the ripening hormone (ethylene in many fruits) inside the fig rather than evaporating out the ostiole.  If no ripening hormone is being produced, oiling won't help.  If a little bit is being produced it may help a little.

Once they have or are about to swell it works most of the time but not always, sometimes you will have to repeat it every 4-7 days.

Maybe you could try defoliating the tree.  There was a link to a youtube video here once about this.

Gustav Eisen

OILING THE FIGS.
In southern France—in Argenteuil and in Frette—a process is performed
called '
' appreter les Agues " or hastening the figs. In Argenteuil
and in Frette it is employed on all the figs which are desired to ripen
early, the proper time for this process being of the utmost importance.
If done too early the figs will not ripen at all, but will dry and spoil.
The proper time is when the fig begins to color and the skin begins to
feel soft, or about seventeen days before it w^ould regularly mature if
left alone. Toward evening, if possible, a single drop of good olive
oil is placed on the eye of the fig, care being taken not to spread the
oil. The oil is placed on the eye by means of a wheat straw and in
such a way as to touch only the center of the eye. The next daj' the
fig shows a change and in nine or ten daj's it may be cut, perfectly
ripe, the operation having hastened the ripening of the fig certainly
from six to eight days. Such treated figs are also better, sweeter, and
with smaller seeds than those which have not been oiled.


Here in my climate in our yard i have done this and the taste is not as good perhaps because
it hastens the ripening of the figs were here near Chicago they ripen slowly and therefor develop more taste.

Southern France may have the wasp.  That's the only reason I can think of for early oiling to inhibit ripening.

Here's what I've done with success. 
http://www.treesofjoy.com/content/oiling-fig

Thanks guys, I guess oiling it out. I know i could wait a maybe a few weeks or month and find out, but I'm to annoyed by this tree since and space is at a premium over here. So, I'll post up some pics and let me know what you think. The first to pics are the tree in question which is in a pot in roughly a 5-1-1 mix with some osmocote. The second two are an in ground tree which is a Brunswick. These are trees I picked up when I first got into figs from a local guy who just has three unknows and sells them. He insisted the potted fig was his black, one this is the first year I am going to get anything from the potted one. They look the same pretty much the same to me and considering they are the same source and he only had three types. They both send up a ton of suckers.


This is the first tree potted







This is the second in ground tree