Hi all. While I'm hunting for a good local source of fig trees, I have a few questions about figs from seed. I have some dried figs that originated from the middle east, so i am sure that i have viable seeds. as i understand it, these are the problems growing figs from seed:

Seeds will not produce "normal" figs. 

The figs produced will need pollination.

The other half will be capfrigs, males.

This could work where fig wasps exist, so the capfrigs could pollinate the others.

Not recommended for places without fig wasps.

This is my question. If i plant figs from seed, the source of pollen will not be an issue. 50% of my plants will produce pollen. What i will need is a pollinator. However, Q-tips have replaced quite a few pollinators in pollinator-challenged areas. Ie inside the house on winter when you want to pollinate you meyer lemon.

So, could i hand pollinate my figs?

THis is what i'm thinking. when the capfrigs reach maturity, cut them open and shake the pollen into a container. THen, coat a q-tip in pollen and use i to do the wasp's job.

Will it work?

You will damage the figs during pollination with a qtip, damage causing the eye to stay open would reduce rain resistance and allow insects in.

The way it is done is to blow the pollen in through the eye after puncturing a small hole in the fig near the neck (so air can flow through). Or putting the pollen in something like a solution of rubbing alcohol and squirting it in the eye.

But the biggest problem for you is that most likely the males will not be persistent so they will never "ripen" pollen without the wasp.

It is kind of complicated. Start HERE. And the further you get into it, the more complicated it becomes, or so it seems.

looks like i have a lot to figure out with this seed business. Well, i might as well plant the seeds and learn as mush as i can in the time it takes for them to grow! i better plant the seeds before i eat all the figs :).

Well, they're planted.

Let's see how this turns out.