Hi everyone

I like to introduce myself.  My name is Bill from Australia, I am a keen fruit enthusiast more in tropical fruits and the Mediterranean.  I been a visitor he for awhile and found this forum growing bigger also having some international flavour.  That is astonishing as the fig having its origin in the middle east and the Mediterranean areas of Europe have been traded in many parts of the world.  It is known that in Australia we have the most diverse gene pool of figs in the southern hemisphere, figs brought into the country from emigrants (remembrance of their homelands) also the mutation of other hybrids within the gene pool.  Enough about that, I like to introduce the St John Malta fig.

This fig has been here for awhile and I believe there are two known strains floating around.  Attached are photos of one strain.

It is a large oblong red/purplish fig, thin skin, largish eye, light red flesh, crunchy seeds (not a smyrna type for those who stray to this - no fig wasp in my area) very moist and quite sugary.  I really recommend it.

Good morning Bill and I'm glad you have joined us. I'm looking to hear about your abundant varieties from down under. Too bad there is no way to exchange cuttings with you.
"gene"

ps: nice looking fig, by the way.

Welcome to the forum Bill!  Your figs look really amazing!
Thanks for sharing!
Suzi

Welcome!  We up over types are depending on you down under types to feed us fig photos while we look out over the snow.  Come August it's our turn to gloat!    :)

Bill - so nice to have join us in the discussions of figs.  Do you grow many varieties or are you a grower of few?

I'm sure everyone would be interested to learn about the cultivation and propagation techniques you use.

I could go for a few of those about now!

Welcome to the forum Bill50 .

thankyou everyone, its a pleasure being here.

I have quite a few ( I say over 100 types), some knowns, alot of unknowns.  I prefer striking them as cuttings rather grafting, more vigorous.  Usually strike them witihin a few days after a full moon.

Next fig that I will show is the red conandria a large red fig quite common here and black ischia

Hi Bill#50,
Welcome to our good fig forum.

Here are some interesting fig web-sites I came up from down under:

http://www.rarefruit-sa.org.au/Espalier/Fruit/Fruit.htm
(shows  Red Conadria)

http://www.heritagefruitssociety.org.au/varieties/figs/fig_overview.html
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/119501/fig-growing-nsw.pdf

Here is a pic of a fig tree (I do not know the name) that my brother Mikey has in Sydney, NSW.
He is an avid gardener (it is in his blood!). He has many fruit trees [and veggies] just for family
consumption and a good business selling many nice cut flowers...

Hi George

Pleasure to meet you.

Yes I know te sites as I am am member.  I have a quite a few really good varieties.

Send me a PM if you like to have chat

Bill

George

it looks like a black genoa, quite common five leave lobe

Bill

Thanks for the possible ID for my brother's fig tree.
I'll mention it to him the first time I speak to him.

This is the list of figs that the (rarefruit-sa) site mentions:

Black Genoa
Black Ischia
Black Mission
Black Turkey
Blue Privince
Brown Turkey
Capri Fig
Capri White
Celeste
Conadria
Deanna
Evangelista
Excel
Fiesta di Desire
Green Ischia     Harold Jo
King
Lemon Lennie
Panache
Preston Prolific
R1 I4
Red Conadria
Servante
Smyrna
Spanish Dessert
Tena
White Adriatic
White Genoa
Yellow Ischia

yes i know the list.

there is alot more, figures in the 1000s of varieties, alot of unknowns

spanish dessert suppose the best tasting one there, but its a smyrna type

Are you sure you don't have the wasp?  It has been seen by members in Southern California.  Our new property is pending approval from the bank, but I'm thinking why not see if the wasp will come.  With all that land, I could give it a whirl.

Suzi

the wasp is known in the southern parts which pollinate the smyrna figs, bot not known here.  I have a few smyrna fig trees, the small non pollinated fruits drop off

Welcome to the group. More diversity enriches the purpose of the group.
Enjoy your summer and fresh figs while we wait for the spring which creeps up only slowly towards the North.

One of my childhood figs was called (loosely translated) as 'Breba of St. John'.
I do remember that it was large, brownish skin and pear shaped breba.
It was of the very first to ripen in June.

Lately, I did see some 'main-crop' fruit what was more round/flattish in shape.
There is also a white version of it too...
Also, I was told that it was of the San Pedro fig type (like Desert King).

Condit did mention something .... "P.I. No. 6,952, obtained from Malta as Tin Baitri or Saint John,..."
See attached (Croisic) file:

Pretty. Thanks for posting