It looks like my fig took off this weekend while i was away.  Aside from the 50+ approx golf ball sized figs, I now see a bunch of pea sized figs also.  Do these have time to ripen?  should i leave them on or pick them off and let the plant focus on the larger size set?  I am in NYC and it is a container grown atreano, if that makes a differenc.
Thanks,

Leave them on the plant. They are the reason we grow them. If we have a warm fall they may ripen. If not no big deal.

Can't say I agree Rich. Standard operating procedure is to remove embryo figlets on 8/15 so the tree can devote its energy to ripening what is more advanced. I wouldn't count on a warm september the way our weather has been lately. They probably wont ripen in time.

I've been knocking off the new figlets that appear on my trees, as of a few days ago.  If they were larger than a pea, I let them be.

I usually keep any figlets that look healthy and get rid of the ones that do not.

So far I haven't knocked any off my established trees but I think I'll start within the next few days - thanks for the reminder.

If you take off some, just maybe it will have enough energy to ripen a few before the fall.

Figinqueens,
The recommendation is to pinch figs that form less than 90 to 120 days to first frost unless of course you have a sunroom or greenhouse to extend the season, otherwise you will expend the tree's energy reserves on figs that will never ripen. Earlier cultivars will ripen closer to the 90 day and later ripening will ripen closer to the 120 day range. This timing can be applied in any Zone. The rule of thumb is 30-60-90-120...

30 days to grow to the stagnant stage
60 to 90 days in the stagnant stage
90 - 120 days total to ripen.

BTW, My improved Celeste PP ripened in ~ 78 days and Hardy Chicago took ~ 95 days total elapsed time last year. the Atreano was not allowed to ripen any figs last season. Good Luck.

Hi Figinqueens,
Easy answer : it all depends, so do as you prefer as you're the boss of your own trees.
On what does it depend : the weather and global heat at your place and on that cultivar .

My "Longue d'aout" stops growing at some point and no matter what I do or what the weather does, it no longer moves .
Knowing that last year I knocked the main-crop because it appeared as of first September - really ! So no chance to get them ripe here. And the tree did not move, no new leaf, no new growth nothing, nada, rien, nichts .
As for now, My "Dalmatie" and my "Goutte d'or" are in this first group as well, although I didn't knock the main-crop last year .

My Unknown ufti, if I knock the figs will grow a new leaf and make a new fig, no matter when - until we get several nights of frost in a raw.
The problem being that sometimes we get a night of frost followed by fifteen mild days -in October and November -and so the trees do start to make new leaves and of course when
winter finally sets in, those tender stems have good chances of being toasted, and the future brebas hopes are already gone .
I noticed that if I leave the figlets, the trees won't make new leaves and will focus on the hanging figs, and thus the stems do harden. Most of the times, the leaves will fall, but the figs still hang on the stems, and that's when I knock them .

So, what is the profile of your atreano ? Group of Lda or the other group ?
Depending on that, you'll have your answer .

Thanks for all the responses. Hds- not too sure of the profile but appears to be continuing to grow. If a single frost or two, I can pull the plant into my garage and hopefully extend the season a little.

Also not sure if early ripening but I am close to the 90 days if going by that rule.

Figinqueens-

Personally....I would leave on only the largest figs, and certainly nip off all the smallest figs.  It's better to ripen a smaller number of figs, than to have too many figs that may not ripen properly.  When you pull off all the small figs the tree's energy will go into ripening the fewer figs that you leave on the tree.  You want to shorten the ripening time and not extend it.

If night temps start to go into the 50s bring your trees into a warm garage at night, and back out into the warm, full-sun in the day. The cool night temps will cause the ripening process to slow-down, so give your trees all the solar, and nighttime heat as possible.

"Atreano" will probably ripen the largest figs by mid-late August....expect earlier ripening in good years, and as the tree ages.  However, this year, with the freezing winter and cold spring weather, caused a delay of at least a month.  Also, I would stop using any fertilizers at this point.  Green wood needs to lignify and harden-off before winter storage.

Good luck.  I hope you'll get to eat the sweet, golden, "tennis-balls" that grow on your tree.  : ))


Frank