Here is the thread where this tree was introduced.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/saving-a-fig-tree-in-brooklyn-7506971?pid=1288609072

Great News everyone! I was finally able to get some dormant cuttings of the tree, which I’m very thankful for because the house is GONE! When I mean gone, I mean they bulldozed the house, the one time the city does something quick and doesn’t take its time on. Luckily they only demolished the house and didn’t touch the backyard, so I was able to get the remains of the tree. I’m sure by next year the plot will be a new condo even with its incredibly small lot size of maybe 30x120.

As you can see, this tree is super hardy and has grown back more than any other tree I have seen in Brooklyn. This tree was a victim of Sandy and kept truckin. The tree grew back at least 12 new shoots, ranging from 5ft to 13ft this year. I was not able to get to Brooklyn enough this summer to check on the type of fruit, but I vaguely remember it being a dark fruit and the leaves are similar to Mount Etna varieties. So you’re looking at getting a true UNKNOWN ☺, the only thing i know is it originated from italy.

I was able to salvage quite a few cuttings and have already set aside some for members who already showed interest and for my friends and family.  I will be sending 3-5 cuttings with at least 3 nodes, i will also include a 2 node or skinny/chubby guys as fillers. I have washed all cuttings with soap and let them dry before packing them in saran wrap and zip lock bags. All I am asking in return is the cost of postage for priority mail flat rate which is $6 or if you want to trade something we can figure it out through messages. I hope to have the first group of cuttings mailed out monday.

Please PM me if interested and send me your mailing address and I’ll send you my PayPal information in return. (Please choose friends and family to avoid fees). I might not respond right away, so don’t worry if you dont hear from me till weekend.

NYC has already lost many trees due to Sandy and severe winters, my goal is to try and preserve one more tree that has been in Brooklyn probably 40+ years and has a place in my heart. I’m hoping it will have a place in yours.

Do you want to own a piece of Brooklyn? ☺

This was 3 weeks ago
  
 

No more house!
 
 

Cuttings
 
 

Cuttings are all accounted for, i will not have any more available until next season if we're lucky.

Any thoughts of this being Hardy Chicago?

That tree is one tough cookie! It's really lucky that they didn't destroy the backyard before you could take cuttings. Seems that these old NY trees were often labors of love with very personal backstories for many families. It's a shame to lose any of them. PM sent. :)

Thanks Danielle! I had all my gear with me and a change of clothing (thanksgiving ) to go ninja style over the 8ft fence in the back, my wife thought I was nuts. Luckily they left a grand opening for me :)

I have been slammed with requests and am catching up to everyone with paypal info and questions. Please pm me if still interested, I am not sure everyone will make it on the list but I will at least have a queue to work off of.

P.S. - after all cuttings are distributed, the only thing I ask is if you can update this thread with progress of your cuttings and potential fruit this upcoming season.

Thanks,
Matt

Gotta love ninja gardening adventures! Besides, this was a fig tree emergency. ;P

It'd be really exciting to see everyone document their progress here. It kinda reminds me of the Let's Grows that people used to do together on a forum I loved (sadly doesn't exist anymore). For example ten people would all start growing a mango from the grocery store around the same time, and everyone always gravitated to different methods/faced different challenges. People could join at any time, and over years the threads filled up with all kinds of great information about successful methods and likely problems for all kinds of plants in different situations. It was great fun and a source of learning for everyone. Plus, the camaraderie was fantastic.

Pm sent..3 good cuttings should be plenty B'H.

Hi Matt,

Do you have a picture of the fruit?

Nice little project.

Lewi- responded back. Still waiting on a bunch of people to pay then I'll know what's left.

Sas- as mentioned in first post, the fruit is a complete unknown other than knowing it has mt etna leaves and being a dark fruit from what I remember. Mystery fig ;)

All,

Just shipped out 16 packages, if you paid me then you should have received a tracking# already in private message. Please keep me posted :)

Updates to come in a few days once remaining people pay or respond back.

Matt

Hi Matt
I received the fig clippings today, thank you very much! I put them in my refrig and will start them in a month or so.
If we meet up one day, I will give you a bottle of homemade wine ;)

p.m. sent. I am going to try and grow this in ground here in zone 6a. will keep you updated. thank you for all your hard work saving this piece of history.

The cuttings arrived today. They're safely waiting in the fridge for the moment, and a fresh bag of sphagnum is due to arrive tonight. I'll be starting cuttings this week. I like to use my grow lights to get a jump on my short growing season here.

EDIT. Sphagnum just arrived. I'll post pics in the next few days, as I start rooting.

Hi, Windowsill Gardens!  Just reading your post...where do you suggest I buy a grow light?  I don't know what bulb to buy, etc.  I'm a newbee :-D  Thanks!

Hi, Smyfigs! Matt gave a great answer already, but I'll give you my limited experience too. What to get and where to get it depends greatly on your space, budget, and what you are growing. I'm just using some inexpensive T8 shop lights ($10-12 for each fixture from W-mart), which I hang in a metal wire shelf that I got at the same time. It's mostly for seed starting, but I've also used them to grow small figs over the winter and other edibles. I do have a pepper fruiting under them right now. T5 lights seem to be better at producing darker green growth, but my grow room has a good amount of natural light too, so I decided to go with the less expensive but similar in power option. For either kind you would use "daylight" high/full spectrum bulbs. What I have is a very popular entry level lighting rig, and lots of folks get the components from their local big box or home improvement stores. It's a huge topic with no single answer, but I agree with Matt about my favorite starting options.

The cuttings I got from greenfin arrived today, so I was able to start all of my cuttings together. Gave them all a wash and waxed the ends on most. Started to feel like I was running a fig day-spa. "Unknown--party of five, your sphagnum bed is waiting." ;P

My grow room stays the warmest at this time of year, so that's where I'm keeping them for now. I labelled them Brooklynmatty's Unk. Sheepshead, and they are in the bag that's furthest from the window. There's no direct sun on any of them, just a little indirect light. So now the waiting game begins.

I sent a PM on this if there are any cuttings left I would love to grow some down here in North Carolina.  Let me know if any are available.  Thank you and thanks for saving it!

Danielle - can't wait to see your progress. Good job so far :)

Meg - good luck, keep us posted once you start.

Lou- sent you a response :)

Hey, Matt! Yes, I will post a picture when I start my cuttings in January. And, thanks for sharing your cuttings with us, Matt.

I have roots growing. One root I saw was probably about an inch and a half long. I sterilized some potting mix with boiling water, and I will be doing some potting tomorrow. I'll post pictures then.