Last night we had rain.
Here are the resultsin some of my white figs:
These are all figs in my row trial,some are in pots some are inground.
It doesn't matter :It splits in ground or in pot.
Unless someone install a plastic dome over the plant when raining.
The splitted figs will have no Flavor and will be tasteless,even if one let them hung on for another several days.
Happy Gardening

nice photos herman,
what varieties are these?

After 3 days of continuous rain/drizzling, this is what I got
top to bottom; left to right (like reading):

3 (small) HC, 2 Hunt, 2 Calvert, 5 Vista, 5 unkown#2  (small Mission type),
1 Black Jack, 2 Shardu Black, 3 Blue Celeste, 3 Mega Celeste, 3 VdB,
1 Ventura, 4 Red Italian, 10 Brunswick.

Edit (9/29/08):  Correction; changed Gulbun to Black Jack.

That one fig,you call ,Gulbun,is black and it look like Unknown#5 ,Large Mission,from your hometown.
Am i Wrong?
I tought Gulbun !is yellow!

Herman,
You said that you get splitting under rainy conditions unless you completely cover the figs? Have you observed this to be true even if you cover the ground? In other words, just covering the ground with plastic to limit the water isn't enough? Rain hitting the plant and leaves also goves you splitting? Curious to know if my efforts to cover the ground are wasted.

Herman,
You were correct, that was NOT a Gulbun, but a Black Jack! I just went
out to check and it was a case of close-by-trees-with-intertwined-branches.
Another surprise was that yesterday, there was another bigger BJ almost ready,
and now it is gone (plus some other Vista figs).
I presume that it is the work of an opossum, and now he is going to be toast!
I edited my original post to reflect the Gulbun/BJ correction, thanks.
Re: my unkown#5 (large Mission type) you did show it here:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/figs4funforum/vpost?id=2954194
No fruit for me this year.

Steve,
I think that rain has it worst effect when it keeps the ACTUAL ripening fruit
constantly wet. Look at those (spoiled) Brunswicks! They opened up to
look almost like some starfish flower!  These are potted  trees
and when I water, I do drench them with no (significant splitting) effect,
but comes a day of moist/drizzling rain, they get completely  ruined.
I will try covering the trees with some plastic tarp next time, and see...

Herman ,George,
i believe your very correct about the rain. here in my area in late summer when figs are ripening i water heavy and no splitting whatso ever of figs. But let us get a misty rain and next day the splitting starts i have observed, i had thought in past that it was the rain going in soil that has this effect but its the rain on the figs itself, perhaps somehow it works itself into the eye or thru the skin?
Martin

That is interesting. I would have thought that the plant soaking up ground water would be the issue. I am curious how the water causes the splitting of the fruit. I'm not sure if it is through the eye or the skin. Any observed differences in splitting between closed-eye and open-eye figs? That could give us a clue.

Steve what happened this year when we had those 9 inches or so of rain in one weekend, the large unknown which has a large eye the ones that were swelled already split the next day after the first day of rain, my chicago hardy and Sal's which have a much smaller eye split as well on the ones that were swelling because of the amount of rain, normally the chicago and Sal's will hold there own with just a normal rain which does not seem to come around to often anymore. Another observation was that after all that rain we has nice temps in high 70s and low 80s and the chicago hardy leaves look like crap now from many little brown spots on the leaves perhaps what they call rust? But the other tree's do not have that. We don't have that problem in our area or at least its not been a problem for me until we had that rainfall this year as in previous years there was no brown on leaves like that rust stuff. I dont worry though as the leaves will yellow and curl soon on all my tree's cause weather now is going to get only in low 60s this week and in 40s for the night one weather man even said perhaps high 30s so they say anyways. So i would think tree's with small eye would do much better than one with a bigger eye.
Martin

Answering to Steve:I said that only covering them with a dom,might stop Splitting,but I never experimented with it.
I also never covered the ground.
All i know is that it splits in pot or in ground,when raining.
I assume once you stop the rain on falling on tree you stop the splitting,but I am not sure on that eather.
Steve:Even if your efforts to cover the ground ,do not work ,that is not a waste of time because you find out,and then you will be better informed than other people.
Any resonable experiment,if it works or not,is never a waste of time,when one wants to resolve, a problem.
All I am sure is that a very few minuscule fig cultivars are split resistant and that is why we should be looking for, on the east coast,outside being good tasting.
Also The closed eye, as Diesler sugested ,is a sign of good for east coast.
Of course winter hardiness,taste ,counts too.

Herman,
I agree with you completely about experimenting. That's why I am trying to see what other experiences have been. I think covering the trees themselves would be hard to do. Maybe someone has an innovative way to cover just the fruit for an experiment.

Last season I tried covering my in ground 2 year old Ronde De Bordeaux with a large tarp including the entire tree and soil beyond the dripline, before a small .3" rain.  They still split.  Anyone else try this?